As testing locations for the new Fjällräven Bergtagen Jacket go, it surely doesn’t get much better than a glacier in the shadow of Mount Kebnekaise (Sweden’s highest mountain). At the end of summer 2017, we were invited 150km north of the Arctic Circle by everyone’s favourite Swedish brand (sorry IKEA) to do precisely that.

The Bergtagen jacket, part of the Bergtagen mountaineering range, sees Fjällräven go above the treeline and up into the world of high mountain activities; a million miles away from the insanely popular, and extremely hipster, high-street Kånken bag.

By partnering up with the Swedish Mountain Guide Association, Fjällräven have clearly gone about things in the right way here. Acquiring expertise from the people who live and breathe mountaineering, and then channeling that into the Bergtagen range has seen them produce a line of products which feels reassuringly authentic.

“The jacket has excellent breathability, something you’ll really appreciate when you’re having a long, active day in the mountains.”

As soon as you put on the Bergtagen jacket, you get the sense that is the result of a carefully considered process and that it’s not only going to work but work well. The technical, articulated cut, for example, is absolutely spot on while the aramid-based Corylon reinforcements have that pronounced toughness to them that makes you immediately want to scuff your elbows on rocks just to see how well they handle it (really well, if you must know).

The jacket has excellent breathability, something you’ll really appreciate when you’re having a long, active, day in the mountains. Nice features such as the ventilation zippers in the jacket’s sides underline this idea perfectly.