The Norrøna Falketind PrimaLoft 100 Vest. Photo: Bob Smith/grough

Price: £139
Colour: blue/grey
Weight: 232g
Material: shell, polyamide; stretch panels, 53 per cent polyester, 38 per cent polyamide, 9 per cent Elastane; lining, recycled polyester
Insulation: PrimaLoft Silver Insulation Active
Country of manufacture: Vietnam
Wash: 40C
Sizes: men’s S-XL; women’s XS-L

It’s easy to think only of winter when considering insulated clothing, but anyone who has stood on a windy mountain top in the height of summer and felt the chill will appreciate there’s a year-round place for some warmth in the hill-goer’s pack.

The vest packs inside one of its pockets. Photo: Bob Smith/grough

The Falketind Vest from Norwegian brand Norrøna is superlight and takes up little space in a rucksack, so fits the bill for those days when you don’t fancy lugging a large pack up the fell.

The back and front of the vest use PrimaLoft’s Silver Active synthetic insulation in shallow horizontal quilted sections. The sides of the garment are in four-way stretch material, and the whole thing has a very snug feel. Slipping on the vest when the wind picked up meant an instant increase in warmth. The nylon face material will repel a light shower and the polyester PrimaLoft insulation is also water-resistant.

Windblocking was very good, and the Falketind, named after a 2,067m (6,781ft) Norwegian peak, had good breathability. A baffle behind the full-length zip helps keep the wind out.

The Norrøna vest earns a Good Buy rating

The vest has two zipped handwarmer pockets and there’s also an inside zipped pocket, easily big enough to accommodate a smartphone or GPS unit. The pockets sit clear of harness and pack hipbelt areas.

On cooler days, wearing the Falketind while heading uphill worked well. The lack of arms enables some cooling and the body of the vest shifted perspiration well.

For a relatively thin top, the Norrøna provided a good amount of insulation, without bulk. The vest can also be worn under a waterproof shell as a midlayer on wet cool days, as long as the lack of any insulation for the arms doesn’t trouble you.

The Falketind Vest’s packability was very good, and it can be stuffed into one of the garment’s pockets, though the zips on these aren’t double sided, so can be tricky to open if you zip them up. Solution: just stuff the vest into the pocket and leave it unzipped.

PrimaLoft developed its Silver Insulation Active for use in high-output activities such as hillwalking, running and ski-touring and in use on the hill for us, it worked well, providing a good balance of warmth and breathability, and we never felt clammy. The insulation will also keep its properties if it gets damp, so there’s no worry about pushing the pace a little or rapidly covering up if a shower threatens.

The Norrøna Falketind PrimaLoft 100 Vest isn’t cheap, but quality was very good.

Performance 24/30
Breathability 25/30
Packability 8/10
Features 7/10
Quality 8/10
Value for money 6/10
Total score: 78/100

• The Norrøna Falketind PrimaLoft 100 Vest was supplied to grough by PrimaLoft.