Frag Out! Magazine

ODZIEŻ I UMUNDUROWANIE - CLOTHING & UNIFORMS IN USE Level 7 was a real surprise – in the positive way, just to be clear enough. The fabrics and sewing are top-notch, even though pieces we had for evalua- tion were final prototypes. After first period of tests, we were given the final production versions and these were even better. Jacket, or more specifically, its advanced Climashield APEX synthetic insulation provides excellent insu- lation and after few minutes wearing it, you will feel WARM. It's not cheap cotton wool known from cheap Wal-mart puff jackets! In temperatures rang- ing from minus 1 to minus 5º C I found Level 7 to be fully sufficient to wear with a long-sleeve second layer jacket. I was even able to use it as substi- tute of sleeping bag when I had to get a shut eye in car with heating set off. Around minus 10 to minus 15 °C additional lightweight fleece mid-layer was necessary for static activities. When it will get noticeably colder (like minus 10 ° C and strong wind – chill factor) it is better to have something under the jacket, like a thin loft pullover or high-loft fleece. Remember, thermal comfort depends on many factor like a body weight, age, temperature of environment, chill factor, etc. so some people may feel cold in Level 7 with thick mid-layers and for another few, the loft jacket with base layer would be enough for minus 15. Outer fabric is not noisy (or let's say it wasn't notice- ably louder or quieter than competitors), it can be also easily cleaned of dirt. We didn't notice that insulation started to come out through fabric or seams. The length of the jacket and the cut were chosen to ensure a good fit and prevent against wind. The layout and placement of pockets are chosen prop- erly. They are also easy to use, even with heavy winter gloves. One thing we miss are the bicep pockets which might be found in some loft jackets from other companies. Hood has some interesting feature as drawstrings ends are placed inside the chest pockets but Helikon could add there an extra cord-lock to keep them tight as during the movement, hood shock cord will loose a bit. As it was mentioned, hood might be worn on the helmet but it is not comfortable at all so we do not recommend that. The stand-up collar could be redesigned a bit to be tighter around the neck when hood is pulled out. Currently, the wind blows can pass between neck and collar – only way to avoid is she- magh, scarf or thick neckgaiter. The really cool feature is piece of microfleece on the inside – it's very comfortable, warmer and prevents against contact with cold nylon fabric. Remember, this jacket is not hot or warm – it insu- lates from environment and allows to heat up air trapped between jacket and body. Level 7, as all the loft jackets I had in my hands tend to get dirt around the cuffs but that's usual. Elastic cuffs with tabs works well and are easy to grab even when wearing winter gloves. Dirt will relatively quickly appear around the cuffs.

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