Travelling the last three years, I’m often faced with the same question every time I pack for a new destination. It could be that I’m backpacking round the world, taking a weekend city break, a luxury beach holiday or in this case a grand day out. The question, my friends, is:

‘What travel jacket shall I wear?’

You know when your persistent girlfriend asks (I mean, demands) you to see if her dress makes her bum look big? It’s like me with a travel jacket only I ask, ‘Does it make me look handsome?’ (The answer is always yes!)

So why do I do this?

There are many factors influencing what travel jacket you should wear. Will it make me too hot or cold for this weather? Is it stylish? Is it durable? Is it not too heavy to carry around? Will it fit in my luggage ok? There’s loads more questions. So, you won’t be surprised to find my closet bursting at the seams, jammed full of jackets, each meant for a type of destination.

So when Berghaus, a travel and outdoors company that has already has my stamp of approval thanks to my backpack I bought from them, asked me to try out a jacket they thought would meet all my needs, I jumped at the chance like a rabbit faced with chocolate covered lettuce. Could it be true that there’s a jacket that could regulate my temperature, be stylish, easily packed away, waterproof and comfortable?

This is the Mount Asgard Shell Jacket. 

So when a friend asked me if I could meet him in York for a day out, I knew that I had to put this jacket to the test. After all,  it was late Autumn therefore it was unbelievably cold, extremely damp, it would be raining at time sand the bitter wind was blowing a gale. Perhaps the biggest question was that would the jacket make my moustache look good?

So once I pulled it on on board the Northern Rail train from Hull to York, I began to think what features should a travel jacket have. By the time I arrived at the Museum Gardens of York at the end of the day, I think I had a pretty good idea what features should a travel jacket have.

1. Longer Sleeves

Nicknamed ‘Monkey Arms’ at school, there were times in my life when the sleeves of my jumpers and jackets wouldn’t stretch the whole length of my arm, leaving me to look like the jackets were way too small for me. It would be irritating when it rained or bitterly cold, leaving my exposed wrists to suffer from the elements. So, it was to my great pleasure that the Mount Asgard Shell Jacket exceeded my expectations. So much so, I kept flapping my arms up and down with my hands concealed within the sleeves ike a madman in the middle of York!

2. Neck Warmer

As the freezing cold took hold of the Museum Gardens in York, I used another great feature of this travel jacket. Pulling up a small snood from within the jacket, I could protect my neck from the wild wind and still have my head free of oversized hats, which I’m not a fan of. So, now I could nestle my chin within the warmth and feel happy without any restrictions.

3. Hidden Pocket

My biggest bugbear for travel jackets that I owned before had to been the shoddy quality of pockets available. Sometimes, they were just too small and too visible to the air. I’d be lucky to return home with items still in my pocket, let alone damaged or stolen. So once I searched for a pocket in this jacket, I was alarmed I couldn’t see any. But wait, what was that extra zip path on my chest? Hey, presto, it was a hidden pocket, cleverly disguised. It was also rather big and spacious allowing lots of discreet items to be placed inside in front of your chest.

4. Pull-over vs Zipped

Ah the age old adage goes, should you get a zip up jacket or a pull over jacket? I always assumed I’d prefer the zip up for ease of taking on and off the jacket but to my surprise, I found that having a pull over one was miles better, really. Why? It looked more stylish and you actually can regulate the heat better.

5. Wind-proof

The Mount Asgard Shell Jacket would flap noisily in the strong and bitter wind yet I remained toasty warm. People walking by, would shudder in the face of the wind. For me, I could remain outside the whole day with no complaint.

6. Bold and Colourful Style

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t bothered by the design style of the jacket. It’s hugely important to me. I like block colours, they stand out and compliment your features. So when I saw the blueness and redness of the jacket, I knew I was going to love it. So did the many people in York who stared at the jacket in admiration as it stood out vividly from anyone else’s.

7. Easy Packability

Now we’ve all been there. Sometimes you don’t want to wear your travel jacket but you don’t really want to be carrying it around in your hands. You just want to pop it in your small bag and be on your merry way. THAT is what the Mount Asgard Shell Jacket does. It may does feel slightly thick but I assure you, it folds up very neatly and economically within the confines of your bag.

8. Concealed Ventilation

As I walked around York, I remarked to my friend that I was just nice and warm and definitely not overheating. How? There are concealed ventilation pads that also protects you from the elements. So next time I’ll wear this travel jacket, I’ll be safe in the knowledge that I can use it in a hike or a good long walk.

All in all, this Mount Asgard Jacket has become my favourite jacket. It’s used for every day purpose now because it’s that comfortable and useful. So it comes to no surprise that I award this travel jacket, 5 out of 5 stars!

So as the winter draws in, I can go out wearing this jacket and look remarkably good and comfortable in stark contrast to the heavy and thick woollen coats out there. Perhaps I should invest in more of these jackets. What about you?

If you want to know more about travel jackets from Berghaus, check out their website.

Do you have a Mount Asgard Jacket? What do you think of it?

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