A year of innovation for Härkila

Härkila’s 2019 catalogue landed on our desks recently and it looks like the Danish company have really focussed on innovation for this season, with several new products that combine a good understanding of the outdoor lifestyle and modern tech solutions to the eternal challenges associated with it, namely, keeping warm and dry.

 

Take, for example, the new Heat Control range. These items, which are designed as mid- or outer-layers, include a long-sleeve jacket, and two gilets / vests, one with a high collar and one v-neck which is more suited to the UK shooting market, where ties are still de rigeur. At first glance these look like fairly standard - if well equipped - ‘puffer’ style garments. The polyester outer-shell, in a ‘willow green’ and black combination, is unremarkable. But a small round button-like feature hints at something more. Unzip, and you’ll see that the inner lining is made from the sort of silvery heat-reflecting material that you see marathon runners draped in at the end of races, to help prevent heat-loss.

 

 

But that’s just the start. Located in the lumbar / small-of-the-back region of each item is a ‘heating membrane’. That is to say, these products can actively warm you up, by means of a battery powered heat panel. This panel can be set to heat up to a temperature between 30 and 52C, using a smartphone app. You can also use the button mentioned above to select one of three pre-set temperatures: 38, 46, or 52C, so it will work even without the smartphone. The right hand pocket contains a USB plug and a special pouch to keep the powerbank in. What’s more, the heat membranes run automatically, so they switch on and off according to the temperature set to prevent you getting either too hot or too cold. This is, in effect, a self-regulating, temperature controlled range.

Although Härkila aren’t the first to release a heated product in this way, the Heat Control range differs from previous attempts at this sort of thing in that the heating system is both washable and flexible enough that the products can be folded away into a tiny waterproof stuff-sack that comes with them.

 

 

Consider also the updated Pro Hunter range. This range has been on the market for 25 years, and with that comes 25 years of in-the-field experience. For 2019 the range has been updated and improved. Take, for example, the Pro Hunter Endure jacket. The most obvious improvements are aesthetic - it is better cut than its previous incarnations, and is a darker shade of green (‘willow’ again), which makes it more suitable for the UK shooting field.

 

 

 

But as with the Heat Control range, the innovations and improvements run deeper. The Pro Hunter Endure jacket is made from a tough, wind-, dirt- and -waterproof canvas material called AirTech, reinforced with Cordura in vital exposed areas. Inside the jacket is lined with a GoreTex for extra protection against wind and rain, with the advantage of added breathability. There’s also a zip-on/off hood that’s large enough to go over your ear-defenders and with a wired peak to keep the rain off, as well as Velcro storm cuffs on the slightly over-length sleeves to help maintain the all-important seal against the elements.

 

As many will attest, the pockets on a fieldcoat are among the most important aspects to get right. Härkila have provided the Pro Hunter Endure with lots of them. Starting with the back there’s a nylon-lined game pocket, perfect for those walked-up days. There’s an inside pocket, as well as a zippable chest pocket suitable for your mobile phone. The vital hand-warmer pockets are fleece-lined for extra comfort, and are equipped with a QuickLoad strap to keep the flap of the large front cartridge pockets open. These are waterproof on the outside and fleece lined on the inside, as well as having drain-holes. For those who visit the continent or the USA for their shooting or hunting, there is also a reflective band concealed in pocket on the left arm, as well as a radio pocket on the left breast. Härkila are so confident in this product that they’ve issued it with a 5-year warranty.

 

 

To fully explore the Härkila 2019 range, and for more information on these products, visit www.gb.Härkila.com.