Addnature Tests: Houdini Lana Jacket & Pants
You may not have realised it, but you can find outer layers made of merino wool, too. Houdini’s Lana shell jacket and pants are made from 100% densely-woven merino wool, and according to the brand offer “natural performance at its best.” Let’s see if they live up to this claim.
"If you don’t want to compromise on function, quality and breathability, you won’t be disappointed with either the jacket or pants."
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The right man for the job
Marcel Marfisi is one of our Category Managers, responsible for the assortment of outdoor hardware you’ll find at Addnature – naturally, somebody who’s very familiar with new developments in the market and demanding on all the equipment he uses. Someone very interested in the latest technologies, Marcel jumped at the chance to review Houdini’s Lana jacket and pants and was keen to put them through testing of his own. A self-confessed outdoor sport junky, Marcel spends every spare minute he can in nature, whether that’s cycling, bouldering, hiking or doing snowsports. To test the Lana set, he took the jacket and pants snowshoeing: a type of hiking where you use special, wider footwear that enables you to walk over the snow without sinking in. Read on to find out what he thought of the jacket and pants.
First Impressions
I already own mid-layers and beanies from Houdini and have always been impressed by the quality of the company’s products. On receiving the Lana set, I found everything to be of the typically high quality I’ve come to expect from the brand: from the attractive, well-thought-out packaging to the construction of the garments themselves. Both the jacket and pants seemed robust and very well made. After giving them an initial inspection, I tried both items on. The jacket and trousers fit me slightly differently: while the jacket offered great freedom of movement (even without stretchy bits), the pants had a slightly more ‘sporty’, less-generous cut. Both articles were size L; I think the jacket in M and trousers in XL would have fit me better. I was thoroughly impressed with the cut of both items and finding an ideal fit is, of course, something that depends on your own measurements.
The Jacket & Pants In Use
It’s no secret that Merino wool is a very popular material for underwear and mid-layers, but the idea of using it for a hard outer shell was new and intriguing to me. The idea sounded great in theory, so my expectations were correspondingly high. I was lucky enough to have the perfect opportunity to test the pair on an 8 km snowshoeing trip in Germany’s Berchtesgaden area, near the town of Bad Reichenhall. Conditions were ideal: windy, -5 degrees and deep snow, with a 10 km hike to get to the snow beforehand. The trip involved snowshoeing several mountain routes, including walking up some modest inclines. The performance of both pieces was outstanding. I have never felt so comfortable in hard shell clothing before – the jacket and pants helped me maintain an optimum body temperature and are super breathable and windproof. They also and worked incredibly well paired with a merino base and mid-layer, keeping moisture out and keeping me warm and dry.
Conclusion