Review: Klattermusen Falen Wooly Hooded Sweatshirt

THE SHORT READ…

An excellent mid layer for colder days, or a dry day outer when warmth and wicking are important. Feels great, fits snug, and the hoods extended and adjustable neck is genius.

THE LONG READ …

Klattermusen was founded by a tight-knit (no pun intended) Swedish climbing community in 1975, and since then have been making high quality adventure clothing for a global market, with sustainability at the heart of all their designs. You could say they’re the Patagonia of Europe, and you wouldn’t be far wrong.

Being sold and designed in Sweden Klattermusen’s kit works, as the good people of Scandinavia won’t take second best when it comes to dealing with their bad weather.

The Falen Wooly sweatshirt ticks all the quality and eco boxes, and will be a good friend to you on most adventures for many a year, but it does come at a premium price point, just like Patagonia and Norrøna… kit does,

Tech Info

The size small Falen Wooly comes in at 420g on the kitchen scales, and is constructed of 58% Polyester, 24% Wool, 10% Polyamide, and 8% of ever so soft Silk. All of which feels great on the skin allows for a great stretch and keeps you really warm.

The Falen Wooly is reinforced with WindStretch™ - 68% Ultramid® Bio-Mass Balanced Polyamide, 20% Polyester, 12% Elastane, 180 g/m², which in their words ' is a softshell fabric with outstanding abrasion resistance and stretch to allow big movements. Well-suited for high-intensity activities the material also is ventilating, moisture wicking and dries quickly. WindStretch™ has very good wind resistance and we use it in softshell products where flexibility and durability are important. WindStrech™ will retain its visual appearance even after heavy use without losing color or pilling.’

Having worn the Falen Wooly, while hiking along a few wind blown Scottish ridges, it does seem to meet their claims as my upper body was kept warm while I was on the move and the wicking was efficient.

I’ve not actually used it while skinning yet, but I could see it as a great outer on a dark start, or a mid layer for deep winter. If winter running, the reflective band across your back comes into play, although if your hoods not up it’ll cover half of it.

Fit

I often struggle with sizing, I’m somewhere between a small and medium in most brands and that’s the case with Klattermusen too, being 167cm tall and 66 kg - with a cheese and wine filled middle aged spread.

The two Klattermusen hoodies I have are both small and fit perfectly, they’re slim on the arm, and if you’re more muscle than lean, you’d want to size up, or you’ll find the Falen Wooly tight under your arms.

The main body, with its two tummy height pockets (which aren’t sealable) is again a snug fit, but loose enough not to hug you like a wetsuit, so hiding any small beer-bellys well.

The adjustable hood is something I love. You can have it loose, letting a lot of air in around your neck, or pull it tight and it acts like a supper soft and extra warm buff.

The hood itself is a good size and keeps the warmth in, it could possibly do with an adjuster similar to the neck one, so you could pull it tight to you head. But even without this it fits well and when looking to your side you’ll keep good vision and not just see the inside of your hood.

The cuffs are snug, but not pulled tight, and have internal thumb loops which are useful if you want to pull your sleeves down into a pair of gloves…

SUMMARY…

Pricey and stylish, not only does it look good in the pub it’ll keep you toasty and warm on a col, perfect for hiking and chilling around the campfire, I’d say its worth the cash but that ultimately will have to be your call.