REVIEW: Helikon-Tex Classic Army Fleece

I have been using this jacket all winter in the mountains and forests – and it pretty much does what you expect.
It’s rugged – the panels on the elbows and shoulders do help protect the fleece fabric from pilling and abrasion (rucksack and shoulder harness straps show little sign of wear on it, and I’ve spent some time lying on my belly on rocks etc with no ill-effects). The general stitch and fabric quality is fine, although I haven’t tried washing/reproofing it.
The pockets mostly fall where you want them to – the hip ones are a good size (big enough for gloved hands) and the outer chest one is big enough for a modern smartphone. There’s also a small divider in the outer chest pocket directly beneath a protected port for running earphone/earpiece cables through.
Another pocket on the inside of the chest is a little bigger, probably about right for an A5 notepad or folded map.
The left arm has two zipped pockets that I didn’t really use – I’m not a huge fan of pockets on arms as they are fiddly to use and I prefer to keep my arms unencumbered, but they’re a good size for small, flat objects like ID cards or similar.
The arm cuffs are simple but functional, and they pass the all-important test of being usable when wearing gloves.I haven’t really used the stashed hood, apart from to look at it when the jacket first arrived, and for the photos! It’s attached, basic but secure. It’s not the most stylish addition, but if you had nothing else and the heavens opened then I would be glad I had it.
The overall waterproofing/windproofing balance seems to be right. Anyone who reads my reviews on clothing will know that I run ‘hot’, so if I don’t notice any build up of moisture in the jacket then it’s a good sign for that moisture-vapour transfer rate. The underarm vents do get used quite often, and I only notice they’re open when a gust of wind blows directly onto my side. Otherwise it’s as windproof as one would want an outdoor jacket to be, and it has stood up to Welsh and Scottish drizzle without any argument.
It’s heavy – 1,110g for my (XXL) review sample. I have chosen it as my main layer for short trips, wearing in and around vehicles and basecamps, but I have mostly left it at home for long mountain trips. It’s also built for someone with a slightly different bodyshape/ratio to me – XXL was baggy on the waist but just right on the chest and shoulder.