Workwear jackets. To be honest, a while back, they were perceived as unfashionable. However, Workman has incorporated fashion into their designs, transforming them into something that can be used for everyday wear and outdoors. The jacket and fleece vest I tried out this time are three-season models. Of course, you can wear just the jacket or just the fleece vest. Combining the jacket and fleece vest improves their heat retention. They seem like they would be very useful as active wear for winter hikes, but how well do they perform?
table of contents
A review of Workman's versatile jacket and fleece vest
UJ001B Utility M65 Type Jacket (Outdoor Recommended Rating ★★☆☆☆) 1,900 yen
Ease of movement ◎ Windproof △ Breathability △ Heat retention △ Soft to the touch ○
Although it is workwear, the design is also suitable for outdoor activities. The large chest pocket looks very practical
Lining. It's fine for active wear, but you can't expect much warmth from it
This highly water-repellent jacket is treated with Teflon. The waist is puffy, but the sleeves are a little tight, but it's easy to use as a sweat-wicking jacket. The large chest and side pockets offer ample storage. The stain-resistant, water-repellent Teflon coating repels light rain and dirt. However, after wearing it, I realized that although it's designed for autumn and winter, it's intended for three seasons, so you can't expect much in the way of cold weather. Wearing this jacket alone would leave you cold even when hiking low mountains in winter. Even if it's designed for three seasons, it's not a windproof jacket, so it doesn't function as an outer layer, making it difficult to say it's very practical
I found the stretch cuffs easier to adjust
It comes with a stowable hood, so you can rest assured even in light rain
It's quite compact when placed in a portable storage bag
UJ005 Utility Fleece Inner Vest (Outdoor Recommended Rating: ★★★☆☆) 1,500 yen
Ease of movement ◎ Windproof △ Breathability ◎ Heat retention ○ Soft to the touch ◎
The outer fabric is quite fluffy and the wind can pass through easily. I wish the fabric had been a little more windproof
The back side is also fluffy
This vest is made of lightweight fleece. Both sides are made of stretchy fleece for ease of movement, the surface is water-repellent to make it stain-resistant, and it has a chest pocket, so as you'd expect from a workwear item, it's packed with all the little conveniences you'd expect from a piece of workwear. However, I felt like it could do with a little more warmth, which is the key point. The only downside to this vest and jacket is that both are a little short on cold protection, and even when combined, it feels like they just don't have enough heat retention. My impression might have been a little different if I'd tried it in a warmer season. Incidentally, the buttons that connect it to the jacket are a bit of a pain. A zipper would make it easier to put on and take off, even when you start sweating while on the move
When attaching fleece to an M65 type utility jacket, first lock the collar
Then, button it up and lock it. I wonder if it could be made into a zipper
It's not very warm, but it's wearable for when you're on the move or working
summary
The idea of combining a jacket and a vest is quite good. I think it's really interesting. The only drawback is that it can only be used while active. I feel like both the jacket and the inner vest could do with a bit more warmth. If the jacket was windproof, it might have been possible to effectively protect against the cold even with a moderately warm inner layer. It's true that it's advertised as a three-season model, so I understand that this can't be helped, but I felt it would be a bit greedy if it had the ability to adjust the warmth so that it could be used in a wider range of seasons depending on how it's used. You should be able to wear just the jacket or vest when you're active, and then combine it with the inner vest when you take a break. Incidentally, in terms of sizing, an L size might be appropriate for the average man. Even for the slim writer, the M size was just barely enough (sigh)
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