It’s been a while since Fjällräven made a hardshell, but it’s been worth the wait. The Keb Eco Shell is well-designed and functional but also just a really good-looking jacket.

Most of Fjällräven’s key garments are made out of G-1000, a polycotton. It’s a wonderful material because it’s hardwearing, versatile (they make it in different weights) and the clothing comes with a stick of wax so that you can waterproof the key areas.

It’s also very ecologically friendly. For example, waxing around the ankles on a pair of G-1000 trousers negates the need for gaiters, and anything that negates the need for gaiters is good. On jackets, shoulders, wrists, the upper back are key areas for waxing, yet you can never count on it being 100 per cent waterproof. And for a climate like the UK where our precipitation tends to fall as rain rather than snow, a jacket with a waterproof membrane is essential.

So when Fjallraven turned their hand to making a waterproof, it had to not only be functional, but improve on the company’s impressive ecological record. The Keb Eco-Shell Jacket is the result of that process, developed after extensive testing.

“It’s not only functional, it improves on the company’s impressive ecological record.”

Eco-Shell is a mildly stretchy, and partly recycled, polyester material with a waterproof membrane. Key to its green credentials is the fact it doesn’t use flurocarbons (PFCs) in the durable water repellent (DWR), the stuff that makes water bead off. All emissions during production and transport are climate compensated. The material is also recyclable.