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The long awaited Ravn belay jacket from Jöttnar. Over the years Jöttnar have developed a pretty comprehensive line up of shells, mid layers and insulated jackets and we’ve tested a good many of them here at CGR – all with great results. However there was always a gap in the range with no real synthetic belay jacket.
Jöttnar’s flagship Fjorm down belay jacket is amazing and I’ve used it in Norway and occasionally in Scotland but at the end of the day it is still down and even hydrophobic down doesn’t do well in the dampness and spindrift of a typical Scottish winter climb. In dry cold down is unbeatable for its warmth to weight ratio alongside the ultimate in pack-ability. However for many activities whether that be Scottish winter, alpine climbing or ski touring there is no way to guarantee that ‘dry’ side of things. Good discipline with dry sacs etc. can preserve a down jacket’s performance but in the case of a belay jacket that goes over your shell I find dampness is unavoidable. Things may be different at altitude in the greater ranges but in Norway and the French,Swiss and Italian alps I have experienced properly wet conditions in winter. These problems are compounded if you have to spend successive days out for instance a walk-in to a bivi or even just overnighting in a tent – gradually even hydrophobic down will begin to loose its loft.
With the Ravn Jöttnar have put themselves firmly amongst the front runners with regard to serious synthetic belay jackets. Their experience with regard to down jackets shows through in the design of the Ravn continuing all of the features that I personally prefer in a belay jacket. Long story short; the Ravn has become my all time favourite belay jacket.
Features
The outer fabric is a 50d Pertex® Quantum ripstop made from 100% recycled OceanCycle outer with a PFC-free DWR finish. This feels suitably robust without being overly heavy or bulky. No need to worry that a little kiss from an ice screw or axe blade will make a hole.
Insulation is body-mapped with 160gsm core insulation, and 100gsm mapped to sleeves and hood. This concentrates insulation/warmth where it is most needed whilst not compromising mobility in the arms. You could if you’re truly frozen climb in the Ravn but it’s not designed for busting fancy figure 4s 🙂 The insulation is not a named on the Jöttnar website but is apparently Primaloft and the jacket’s performance and compressability bear that out.
Pocket wise you get a generous allowance: two external chest pockets, hand-warmer pockets (with insulation on the outside) and internal mesh ‘dump pockets’ for your leading gloves. All pockets have sensible glove friendly pullers apart from the mesh dump pockets obviously.
There is a two-way front zip with a neat press stud at the hem for when you want to belay and keep the hem snug around your backside. To be honest I never tend to use this feature and just huck the jacket up at the front but I know those that do. Hood adjustment is handled by a face drawcord and a drawcord at the rear which is possibly the best I’ve used. I set the face drawcords and use the rear adjuster to allow for helmet/no helmet. Cuffs are simply elasticated, by far and away my favourite method. For my money velcro cuff tabs on a belay jacket just add more unnecessary faff. You can easily pull the Ravn on or off wearing gloves whether they be leading gloves or bulky belay mitts.
In Use
My main use of the Ravn was during a solo Nordic ski tour across Norway, unfortunately an injury picked up on the penultimate day wiped out the rest of the winter climbing season. Before going any further a quick note on sizing; I’ve always been universally a size small in Jöttnar including my beloved Fjorm but looking at the sizing advice on the website it suggested to size up if using the Ravn as a ‘belay’ jacket. This is good advice, I went for a medium and it fitted perfectly over a hefty (Double Ventile)shell and insulation layers without drowning me when worn just over a base layer for those chilly late night visits to the composting toilet.
Fjorm —————— Ravn ————– Generator
As you can see from the photos the Ravn is competitive with the Fjorm in terms of volume, though undoubtedly not quite as warm. However I would reckon you’d need to be static and dip seriously lower than -25C wearing it as a belay jacket (over shell and mid/base layers) to reach its limits. When winter climbing I usually clip my belay jacket to my harness and the Ravn falls just within an acceptable size when stuffed into the supplied stuff sac (a generously sized stuff sac it will compress smaller too). For comparison I’ve lined the Ravn up next to the Fjorm and the Rab Generator Alpine. The Fjorm is the largest just but a warmer jacket than the Ravn,the Generator Alpine the smallest but not as warm as the Ravn, using a lighter synthetic filling and has a less burly face fabric. If I had to choose a jacket to spend a shiver bivi in I’d go for the Ravn every time. The Fjorm would be a little warmer if it were bone dry but too vulnerable to the wet, whereas the Generator Alpine though great as a belay jacket in many circumstances ultimately doesn’t feel as warm or as tough. Thankfully during my Norway trip there were no bivis but the Ravn proved perfect for those lunchtime halts in exposed terrain. Likewise on the final day when dealing with 70kph winds and a white-out it was great to put the Ravn on to ‘re-asses’ the navigation. Being cocooned and warm allows for calm decisions and the fact that I was only 50-100m off route was soon realised. Being durable and damp resistant means that I can stuff the RAVN into my pack without worry and unless I’m going to be climbing (without a pack) and need to clip it to my harness then I don’t bother with the stuff sac.
Conclusion
Overall the Ravn is pretty much faultless. You could perhaps loose one of the external chest pockets but that really is just personal preference. If you want a belay jacket for those wild winter days in Scotland, the Alps or Scandinavia the Ravn is the perfect choice. It is a great weight for such a tough and warm jacket (650g for my medium) and compresses well. It will easily stuff into all but the most packed of sacs filling up those little voids ready for quick deployment and you don’t have to worry about it coming out sodden after a little spindrift has melted…
Pros
- Tough
- Warm
- Well thought-out features
- Good in the damp
Cons
- Bulkier than some
SRP £389
Disclaimer – CGR reviewers are never paid to provide a review and the website does not take advertising. We are a bunch of keen climbers and outdoor enthusiasts that accept sample products and offer an honest and independent review of the item. The reviewer will often keep the sample after reviewing it for both hygiene reasons and more often they’re in no fit state to return!
