Harkila X invisible jacket.

Monkey Spanker

Well-Known Member
I'm looking at getting a new jacket for this winter. I am a fan of realtree cammo stuff as much of my stalking is very close woodland on foot. I like the look of the Harkila X invisible but I'm not so keen on the price at about £359!! :eek: However, I don't mind paying for quality if it is deserved.
Has anyone got one and could recommend it?

Or alternatively, is there a similar alternative in realtree?
Cheers,
MS :p
 
The grizzly brush jacket is very very bright for UK woodland stalking.

It's more of an orange and yellow brush pattern, probably very good for US grassland.

The invisible jacket is an awesome camo jacket but, you'd expect it to be for nearly £400!!
 
I have one of these and so far am well pleased with it.
The sizes are seriously generous - you will probably take a size smaller than you expect.
Well put together, very light weight - so I wouldn't try pushing it through a bramble patch! The hood really works - I am a spectacle wearer so normally jettison hoods in favour of a peaked cap to keep rain off specs, but the peak on this hood functions and its big enough to go over the leaf effect head-net I wear for camo and to ward off the midgies.
I have it as a wet warm weather jacket - under-arm ventilation is really useful.
Pockets are well placed for a right-hander, unless you like to sling your rifle on your left shoulder, which means you can't get into the "radio" pocket. Colour so far seems good - many of my other camo garments have faded and are now too pale (and no I don't wash them in bleach or use "brighteners").
Very effectively waterproof so far; I wear "cheap" waterproof trousers in warm wet weather or NomadUK fleece ones in cooler weather, the matching Harkila trousers might be OK for birdwatchers but not stalking - not robust enough for kneeling or crawling I don't think.
Also good in very windy weather due to neat fit - very windproof, doesn't flap, but still allows great freedom of movement.
Quieter than most waterproofs, almost on a par with NomadUK fleece but without the overheating.

Only question mark has to be durability - but I didn't buy it for that. I wouldn't wear it for beating. Stalking is usually about slow, steady and gentle movement.
I'll post again after I've had it a bit longer.

It is such a good fit and versatile with ventilation etc., that I am going to give it a try as a shell over a fleece in cold weather - incidentally, I have removed the zips and tags for attatching a Harkila fleece to the jacket. If I wear a fleece I prefer to wear it as an independent layer - more adjustable (for temperature control) and more efficient - no cool spot at the front!

Price is steepish, but shop around on the net and you will be surprised at the variation that you see! One dealer that I know and trust from previous experience is cheaper than most others and was able to deliver in 3 days from ordering on a "normal" (i.e. not next-day) delivery direct from Scandinavia! So that's where I got mine.

Watch this space for longer term report.

Alasdair.
 
i have a harkila setter jacket , i had it while working on grouse moors and more than once came 7 miles home on a quad in real bad rain and nothing gets through it at all . Its light weight but windproof so keeps you warm without over heating . 8 years on its still good , well worth the money id say
 
I dont have an XInvisible, however I do have plenty of experience with them.

I have however worn a Pro Hunter Jacket and Trousers, and boots as it happens for the past 5 seasons, and it is infallable.

It utilises the same membrane and in terms of performance and durability, personally I dont think there is anything better than Harkila, and that is coming from an unbiased "user" rather than a "seller"

The X Invisible, i wont kid, is not a massive seller, but it does sell in steady numbers, particularly to the US market which is weird.

I did ask a customer from Texas why he buys a Danish jacket in Cammo when there are so many US brands in every concievable cammo.

He told me "because I can rely on the Harkila when I am away from home for a couple of weeks"

Says it all really..

Cheers

Paul
http://www.scottcountry.co.uk
 
OK!

The jacket is still going strong. I've worn it year round without problems.

In the summer I wear it over an old Stoney Creek Airmesh long sleeved Advantage camo top, and if that is too hot take of the jacket roll it up and tie it round my waist by the sleeves like a cummerbund.

In winter I have worn it over a thick fleece and thermal vest and had no problems - it is better than some other outfits as you can still increase ventilation for strenuous bits (dragging a hind of the hill) without actually having to remove a layer.

I almost always use a generous size bum-bag with a rolled-up, re-inforced Yool roe-sack strapped underneath. If I get lucky the Yool fits above the bum-bag (or if really lucky I have to reverse the bum-bag making it a belly-bag). Depending exactly what I'm doing the rifle may be slung over either shoulder or both (Niggeloh rucksack style sling). So far no signs of wear/stress-damage as a consequence of straps rubbing etc., though the top left front pocket zip does tend to lie under a sling used on the left shoulder - it's not a pocket (radio-pocket?) that I actually use, but I am not keen on it's position. All the other pockets are fine and get used occasionally.

I like the length compared with the newer, lighter shortie styles that seem to be fashionable. In the summer if not wearing waterproof trousers, the longer length keeps my bum dry - wet legs I can cope with!

It has maintained its colour well and not faded like many other camo articles I've had. The colour is fine in winter, wet weather and in Sitka and other pine wood forests, though arguably a little on the dark side for open hill summer/autumn in some places - tending to "blob out" into a dark sillhouette.
I wash it when it gets dirty (blood usually from carrying a roe slung over a shoulder by its legs when covering distances that are too short to be worth "bagging it up"). I use Ecover non-bio (perfume, conditioner and optical brightener free), in the delicates, cool cycle and it drip dries nae bother. Which reminds me of another advantage: not only does it dry quickly after washing, but if you have a strenuous day on the hill in wet weather and it is damp on the inside (condensation, or 'cos it was too hot to do it up), then it will usually dry out without any artificial aids, just hanging up inside overnight. Some more substantial jackets can take a couple of days to dry properly and in a weeks stalking never be dry.
The velcro fastening at the wrists still works fine (and could be replaced fairly easily if it does give up), and fortunately is the only velcro on the jacket. The rain-flap over the front zip is press-studs so you can do them up but leave the zip fully open to give max ventilation but still some protection. The pit-zips are in the outer fabric/Goretex layer only, and not in the highly breathable liner; so even with pit-zips wide open, midges can't get in.

The hood as I said before actually works for me!

Oh, and it seems as silent as any, bearing in mind that only a Nomad fleece will let you slide silently through dense Sitka spruce.

How would I improve it?
Apart from moving the pocket mentioned above - not much!
A variant with paler camo, might be nice - Multicam or Optifade? (Harkila Stealth Jkt Art. 10 01 054 64 is real neat but too short!)
Slightly wider wrist openings so I could more easily slide them above my elbow when gralloching?
A rear pocket, accessible via zips from both sides, for the days when I am lying prone in the heather and don't want anything in the front pockets?

I would say it has already earned its price in the two years I've used it. I got mine, along with essential information about sizing, from Scott Country - they seem to have more hands on experience of their goods than many vendors and give reliable advice about fit, sizing and availability (pricing is pretty good too!). I see some vendors are now listing the X-Invisible as no longer available, though I am sure Paul can comment.

If it gave up the ghost tomorrow (which I am not anticipating unless I fall through a barbed wire fence) I'd almost certainly buy another (if available!).


Any questions? :D


Alasdair :tiphat:
 
WOW!
Excellent review Alasdair!
Many thanks.
Scott Country don't appear to have them listed on their site anymore?:confused:
MS:)
 
Glad it was some help and I quote from Scott Country web-site:

[h=2]Can't find what you are looking for?[/h]We stock many more products than we can list on our web site, click here to contact us with your requirements.

In my experience its worth giving them a ring or e-mailing them if you are looking for something that isn't listed, I have been pleasantly surprised by them before now -

Alasdair.
 
Hi Alisdair is correct, the X-Invisible is on its way out of production as it has been replaced with the new Gore Optifade cammo version called the Harkila Stealth Jacket.

We may have some X-Invisible's left, i would have to check so drop us an email if you are interested and we will do everything we can to help.

Best Regards

Paul
 
sorry i'm not really in a position to look at jackets in this price range however my other half did treat me about 6yrs ago to a new jacket from shark sports. think their around 200 quid now but i've been really impressed with it! it's waterproof has a revoveable liner, really good pockets & it's tear resistant! an it really is tear resistant you should see the hammering it takes when i'm out ferreting! caught it on barbed wire numerous times! still looks as good as the day i had it :D
 
Funnily enough I have the same Shark jacket (Nordstrom?) and trousers in Advantage camo, mine must be 10 years old. I agree it's pretty tough and is now my main outfit for when I'm beating. I have no worries about ploughing through gorse or even blackthorn - very few brambles where I go beating. Doesn't "breath" as well as Goretex, but probably tougher. It's fairly silent too, thanks to a "peached" finish . . and the jacket is long enough to cover my bum! Good stuff

I did eventually manage to cut the Shark trousers at the knee on a barbed wire fence!
So you may be interested to know that an excellent almost invisible (and tough) repair was effected using McNett Seam-Grip. It is to be found in camping outlets (e.g. GoOutdoors), is a clear flexible urethane "glue" in a toothpaste style tube. Tape the cut edges tight together on the inside (I used insulating tape), lay a thin line of the Seam-Grip stuff over the join and allow to dry on a level surface. When nearly dry pat it a bit with your finger tip to a) flatten it a wee bit and b) take the shiny surface off! When completely dry, turn inside out and remove tape. Then put another line of Seam-Grip on the inside of the cut to reinforce it - you don't need to pat this one down! Makes a tough waterproof mend.
This repair only works on single layer laminates - it isn't so easy with floating membranes - which is an argument for single layer laminates.
I think it could be used on the Harkila X-Invisible by cutting a neat hole in the lining (which is only there to protect the Goretex inner layer) effecting repair as above, then sew up the hole in the liner.

re Harkila Stealth Jacket: I'll just have to hope that the "shortie" jackets go out of fashion before I wear out my long ones!

Alasdair.
 
You could always buy the Beretta Optifade Jackests which are still gore-tex but much cheaper than harkila.

Simon
 
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