Klättermusen Njorun 2.0 Hoodie
What we liked …
Snug, light, multi-use, everything really.
What we didn’t …
Price, even if it is built to last.
The Verdict
Our Rating
4.5 out of 5
the Short Read…
The Klättermusen Njorun 2.0 Hoodie, when tested, proved to be incredibly versatile under the strains of whatever we threw at it, be it bouldering indoors, hiking a chilly mountain or climbing the sea cliffs of Dorset, the Njorun proved its worth.
The Long read …
The World's Most Refined Mountaineering Equipment since 1975. Now that’s some claim, especially as, if I’m honest, Klättermusen as a brand is new to me. Now here’s full disclosure, I found an email in my in-box telling me about a roll out of the latest Klättermusen kit, an email I replied to that ultimately led them to sending me the Njorun Hoodie to review.
The main reason I was interested in Klättermusen is that I simply love Scandinavian kit, be it Devold, Hestra, Haglöfs - you get the picture.
No trip to Scandinavia is ever free of some sort of brutal weather, yet it never stops the locals from playing, so if a clothing brand can be making kit for almost 50 years, for some of the worlds most demanding clients then it’s most definitely worth a look at.
Klättermusen has its roots firmly within in the climbing community, and while they do have expedition and alpine specific kit, the Njorun 2.0 is firstly aimed at being a mid-layer summer climbing top. It’s tight fitting, but has excellent flexibility, enabling you to reach unhindered for your next hold. The sleaves are long to give some hand warmth, but can easily be folded back, and there’s a slim inner thumb loop to hold sleave in place, which is much better than a big hole in the actual sleave outer.
The hood is slim fit so you can easily wear a helmet over the top of it, and the main zip top is off-set, so it won’t catch on the bearded ones’ facial hair, nor chafe the neck of our smooth-skinned brothers.
The back is slightly extended and has a nifty elasticated cord at the bottom, which can be tightened, and the two pockets have high placement to function well together with a climbing harness, which also allows easy access when worn under a waterproof outer.
The Njorun 2.0, made from recycled and recyclable polyester, isn’t simply a climbing top, it’s so, so much more. Ok, it’s aimed as use as a summer mid layer, but I don’t know anyone who manages to skin uphill with a thick winter mid-layer, you start to overheat just after leaving the car park. So the Njorun 2.0 makes a perfect midlayer when splitboarding, especially as it comes in at only 342g in Medium if it ends up stuffed into your pack.
I recently canoed 40 miles with my 11 year old daughter, over two days in Aug, and wore the Njorun 2.0 for almost the whole trip, it kept the sun off my arms but I still managed to stay cool in a light breeze. I’ve worn it while dangling on the end of a rope, while struggling up the sea cliffs of Dorset, and it didn’t hinder any of my movement and kept me warm.
Yes it is expensive, but pay less and you often end up paying twice and when this winter comes around it’ll be one of the first things I pack, along with all my other Scandinavian kit!
