Now an established household name in the outdoors, Haglöfs is characterised by high usability, advanced construction and functional design. The P2 Velum Jacket certainly lives up to these lofty standards, providing me with an essential piece of kit for a trip through Central Asia and to the 4000m Molda-Too Range in Kyrgyzstan.

Admittedly, with temperatures floating around the mid 40s Celsius for the majority of my journey, the Velum Jacket was confined to the lower depths of my Sumo 75 Backpack. But when temperatures plummeted to below freezing as the sun set over the alpine lake of Song-Köl, the extremely lightweight Velum was at hand to offer all the insulation I needed.

In addition to fulfilling its purpose and exceeding expectations, it could also be compacted to an incredibly small size so that it took up minimal space in my day pack. This made the jacket useful for day trips in the mountains, where temperature differences between the valley and the summit could exceed 30 degrees.

The detachable hood provides more protection from alpine winds if needed and the vizor ensures that even your face is protected from sudden and unpredictable showers. Meanwhile the zip pockets on the front of the jacket provide a large, easily accessible and most importantly waterproof means of storing important accessories such a digital camera, a phone or even your passport.

Having sampled a taste of high altitude life in the ex-Soviet republics, I am eager to return and journey along the infamous Pamir Highway of Tajikistan, an area of the world I anticipate venturing into with the reliability of Haglöfs.

Useful Information

• RRP £150
• Available for Men’s and Women’s for US and UK purchase from outdoorsports24.com.
• Available in red, blue, green or black. The women’s P2 Velum Q is available in sky blue too.
• Haglofs dealer locator
• Haglofs and Sustainability