BEST OF THE BRANDS

SWEDEN Fjällräven

Established in 1960, this cult brand is now one of Sweden’s biggest success stories. So much so, in fact, that Fjällräven gear is increasingly popular with fashionistas – probably because of its classic and timeless looks. But the brand also has a strong focus on functionality and sustainability, with key innovations including its excellent G-1000 fabric, a tough, breathable and fast-wicking polycotton blend that can be waxed for added weather resistance. ■ Standout products Greenland jacket, Keb trousers, Kaipak backpacks.

Haglöfs

Sweden’s biggest and best-known outdoor brand. Much of the apparel is bluesignapproved and/or at least partly made from recycled or renewable materials. We’re big fans of its Gore-Tex mountain shells, as well as the ultra-rugged walking trousers and the innovative Mimic insulation, a highperformance, graphene-infused synthetic fill. The brand is also known for its minimalist and ultralight L.I.M series (‘less is more’).

■ Standout products Spitz and L.I.M. jackets, Rugged Mountain pants, Mimic jackets.

Hilleberg

Hilleberg tents are known for their exceptional build quality, and an ability to withstand storm-level conditions that would shred lesser tents. Inevitably, that makes them pricey, but we know many seasoned wild campers who have owned a Hille for years and continue to swear by them. The brand’s black label and red label tents are designed for expedition and all-season use, while the yellow label models are aimed at lightweight backpackers.

■ Standout products Soulo, Akto, Anjan and

Enan tents.

Primus

The Swedish brand’s stoves have been to the world’s highest mountains and most remote regions, including both ends of the Earth. Today it still makes some of the best camping, backpacking and expedition stoves around, along with a range of complementary cookware, drinkware and camp accessories. We love the warm glow of the gas lanterns, the Trailbreak insulated

flasks and food jars, and the tried and tested camp stoves.

■ Standout products Omnifuel stove, Primus Lite stove system, Firestick stove, Trailbreak flasks and lunch jars, Mimer lanterns.

Hestra

This family-owned company has been making gloves (and only gloves) for more than 80 years. The brand’s roots are in the thickly forested Swedish province of Småland, the heart of the nation’s timber industry. Hestra first began making tough work gloves for foresters, then for skiers, and now caters for all sorts of outdoor pursuits, including hiking and mountaineering. ■ Standout products Touchpoint and C-Zone Contact gloves, Windstopper Pullover mitts.

Klättermusen

In Swedish, this brand’s name means ‘climbing mouse’. It has actually been around since 1975, though scuttled under the radar in the UK until fairly recently. Klättermusen’s ambition is to make the world’s most refined mountaineering

equipment, with a focus on functionality and sustainability that they sum up as ‘maximum safety, minimum impact’. We’ve tested a fair bit of their kit at Trail over the past couple of years and have been seriously impressed – especially by its stretchy, waterproof and eco-friendly Cutan fabric.

■ Standout products Allgrön 2.0 shell, Alv PrimaLoft jacket, Vale Midlayer hoodie.

Thule

Hang on – doesn’t Thule make roof racks? Well, yes it does, but this Swedish company also makes great hiking and trekking packs. The first offering was the streamlined Stir, which was soon joined by the capacious Guidepost and Versant rucksacks, then the versatile AllTrail series of daypacks.

■ Standout products Alltrail X, Stir Alpine,

Guidepost packs.

Trangia

The Trangia stove system has legitimate claim to be considered a true icon. Made in Sweden since 1925, it’s been used and abused by multiple generations, from intrepid adventurers to boy Scouts. And while there are lighter stoves on the market these days, the Trangia remains a robust, reliable and practical option.

■ Standout products Trangia 25-4 UL set,

Kettle 25, Mess Tin.

Silva

In 1933, Björn, Alvar and Arvid Kjellström invented the first ever liquid-filled compass. Two years later they launched their first headlamp – the Zeiler – and Silva was born. Still a popular choice if you need a classic compass or a high-performance headtorch, Silva products have become a staple of DofE expeditions, orienteering races and mountain leader courses alike.

■ Standout products Expedition 4 compass, MR200 and Explore 4RC headlamps.

Woolpower

Hailing from Östersund, Woolpower is known for its warm, soft and comfortable base and mid layers. Every product is responsibly made in Sweden, from crueltyfree merino wool sourced in Argentinian Patagonia and Uruguay. The brand’s proprietary fabric is Ullfrotté Original, a unique wool/polyamide/polyester blend originally developed in collaboration with the Swedish armed forces.

■ Standout products Zip Turtleneck 200, Crewneck LITE, Full Zip Jacket 600.

Revolution Race

You might have noticed, while a lot of Scandi gear is durable, functional and supremely well-made it generally isn’t cheap. RR (founded in 2014) bucks that trend by producing quality kit and selling it via a direct-to-consumer model that keeps prices affordable. The products we’ve tested to date have been superb, with its GP Pro trousers scooping Trail’s ‘Best in Test’.

■ Standout products GP Pro trousers, Cyclone Rescue 2.0 jacket, Fusion fleece.

NORWAY Bergans

Ole Ferdinand Bergan built his company on his invention of an externally framed backpack way back in 1908, which influenced modern pack design for decades. The Norwegian Armed Forces have been using Bergans packs since 1913, and British soldiers and Royal Marines still call their packs ‘Bergans’ today. In addition to rucksacks, these days Bergans can also outfit you from head to toe.

■ Standout products Trollhetta packs, Microlight jacket, Expedition Down Parka.

Norrøna

With products for skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, climbing, hiking, trekking, hunting and even arctic surfing, Norrøna covers all the bases. The innovative brand was the first manufacturer to bring Gore-Tex to Europe. Today, its Gore-Tex Pro shells still rank among the best winter-ready mountain waterproofs. ■ Standout products Lofoten and Trollveggen jackets, Lyngen and Falketind down hoodies.

Helly Hansen

The primary reason for Helly’s continued success across skiing, sailing and mountaineering is its track record of developing pioneering waterproof fabrics, warm but breathable fibrepile insulation, and game-changing Lifa wicking layers. Many will recall the classic Helly base layer as being pretty much de rigueur amongst winter adventurers in the ’80s and ’90s. These days, the bang up-to-date Odin mountain series is a collection of all-season gear well adapted for cold, wet UK weather.

■ Standout products Odin 9 Worlds 2.0 shell, Daybreaker fleece, Lifa merino midweight base layer.

DENMARK Nordisk

Current holders of the gongs for the world’s lightest down and synthetic sleeping bags, world’s lightest down jacket and world’s lightest double-skinned tent, this camping and backpacking specialist makes some seriously technical gear. But the product range also includes bell and teepee tents, a wide choice of sleep systems and outerwear, and practical campsite accessories.

■ Standout products Passion One and Fever Zero down sleeping bags, Lofoten and Telemark tents, Strato ultralight down jacket.

Robens

This popular Danish brand’s tents and camping equipment are well-made, reliable and good value, and the different ranges are complemented by a range of technical sleep systems and sturdy camp furniture. For backpacking, we’re fans of the welldesigned Odyssey, Track and Trail tents.

■ Standout products Chaser, Challenger 2 and Buck Creek 2 tents, Couloir and Icefall Pro sleeping bags, Polarshield sleeping mats.

FINLAND Sasta

This family-run business focuses on sustainability and longevity, and builds products designed to perform in the harshest conditions. On test, we’ve been particularly impressed with the Jero trousers, made from weatherproof polycotton with Kevlar-reinforced panels.

■ Standout products Jero trousers, Peski

Ventile jacket.

Halti

Established in Helsinki in 1976, Halti is now Finland’s best-known sports and outdoor brand. It has kitted out a range of expeditions, winter sports teams and adventure racers for use in some of the world’s most remote regions. It takes sustainability seriously, with the Next Generation jacket winning a prestigious ISPO Outdoor Award for being 100% recycled, recyclable and repairable.

■ Standout products Next Generation II jacket, Inari 65 pack.

Suunto

Suunto excels at building tough and reliable navigational tools. One of the best-selling products in the brand’s history was the Suunto Vector, a classic mountain watch that was a favourite with Himalayan climbers. These days, the Peak series of GPS watches offer even more functionality.

■ Standout products 9 Peak and 5 Peak GPS watches, M-3 compass.

ICELAND 66° North

Founded in 1926, 66° North started out making warm, protective clothing for Icelandic trawlermen. Today, the ecoconscious brand makes outdoor clothing for everyday wear, winter sports and other adventures. Using premium fabrics and fills (Polartec Neoshell, Gore-Tex Pro, 800 fill power down), this is top-quality kit.

■ Standout products Snaefell jacket, Tindur Down jacket, Jökla parka.