Comfortable, versatile and warm this NosiLife Spry Jacket, a lightweight fleece from Craghoppers, ticks a lot of boxes, says Mike Gormley.
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This is a very versatile lightweight, but nicely warm, fleece. It works well as a standalone or as a mid-layer, perhaps teamed with the Hartley jacket I am also checking out at the moment.
The Spry really is a year-round sort of garment and for warmer weather it offers some protection against insets with its NosiLife treatment. I have been wearing this fleece about the house as days gets a bit colder, saving on heating but, more importantly, I find it a ‘go to’ top when popping out to the shops or for short walks.
It is a well featured garment with a very useful phone-size chest pocket and two good side pockets which work well as hand warmers. Craghoppers miss a bit of an opportunity in that the side pocket liners could easily double up as small ‘poacher’ pockets with just a run of stitching across the bottom.
The material, which is remarkably wind-resistant and quite able to offer useful protection against a cool breeze, feels good and is cosy to wear. The cuffs have well hidden but useful thumb loops, allowing the wearer to keep the hands a bit more protected without wearing gloves. The collar is a smooth fabric which works well and does not collect unwanted hair.
This is a great light fleece garment and one I have found comes out very often indeed. The colour of mine is Red Beach but Black Pepper and Woodland Green versions are also available.
[images © Jean Gormley]
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