Hilltrek are an outdoor clothing company making off-the-peg, customised and made to measure clothing for the great outdoors at their workshop in Scotland. They design jackets, smocks, windshirts, trousers, breeches, shirts and accessories in Aboyne in Royal Deeside on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland. They use largely cotton-based cloths, Ventile®, high performance Karisma Technical Fleece and Hilltrek developed Cotton Analogy® and export to over 30 countries worldwide.
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| Harry and I testing the superb Talorc Hybrid Ventile jacket on the Cumbrian fells |
Hilltrek tell me that their customers are, "discerning outdoor enthusiasts who want garments of superb quality and craftsmanship. Our clothing is used from the polar regions, to high mountains to deserts by photographers, birdwatchers, walkers, climbers, naturalists, bushcrafters, hunters, anglers and cyclists". The Cairngorms National Park is their testing ground and they appreciate feedback from outdoor enthusiasts about their products.
They made me a Talorc Hybrid Ventile jacket to test. I wanted something lightweight, intending to use it for lower mountain walks and outings with Harry in the parks of London. I was looking for something water and windproof that could be used for most of the year and specified a very attractive cinnamon colour that is perfect with autumn leaves and the year-end bracken of the Cumbrian fells. The jacket is made from single-layer Ventile, doubled at the shoulders and hood for added water and weather protection. With a hood, four external and one internal pocket, it can be specified to different sizes and colours.
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| The Talorc comes in several other colours |
I've become very attached to the Talorc. Comfortable, practical and weatherproof, I'm a great fan of Ventile which is not only a natural material, but is much quieter to wear than modern synthetics. Walking silently through woodland reveals so much more in the way of wildlife than rustling and crashing your way around. The jacket isn't designed for the most extreme conditions (Hilltrek offer other jackets for that), but is a stylish and adaptable coat for most UK conditions, urban and rural. It's a fairly tailored fit (but still with room for a thick pullover underneath) and looks great in the pub or on the hill.
I can highly recommend both the product and Hilltrek's service. Whether your expeditions are to walk the dog, to the South Pole, The Karakoram, Snowdon or to the pub, they will provide you with suitable outdoor wear customised if needed to your particular needs.
The jacket was made for me for the purpose of this review. Priced from £325 at Hilltrek.