Now that Finland has become a full member of NATO, Arktis has produced their top-selling A310 Rainshield Coat V2 in Finnish M05 camo, writes Bob Morrison.
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I have owned an original Arktis A310 Rainshield Coat for several years, but when the company told me they were adding the V2 (Version 2) of the A310 in Finnish M05 Maastokuvio camouflage I asked if I could borrow one of their pre-production samples for my recent trip to the southern side of the Gulf of Finland at the eastern end of the Baltic Sea.
Finland is one of the very few European countries I haven’t yet visited (though I have worked with Finnish troops deployed on several multinational exercises outside their homeland over the last three decades) but I am well aware that its foliage and terrain are a close match for Estonia’s because the two countries are only about 80km or 50 miles apart, separated by the Gulf of Finland. I therefore resolved to take the Finnish M05 Maastokuvio (translates as Terrain Pattern) Arktis 310 V2 with me on SWIFT RESPONSE 24 as my lightweight rainproof outer layer and to photograph it on Estonian soil.
Described by Arktis as a lightweight packable waterproof coat, the Finnish A310 Rainshield Coat V2 has an M05 camouflage finish Nylon MiniRip DWR outer and an olive 100% waterproof dropliner inner with taped seams. In addition to the full-length front zip there are two vertical zipped side pockets and a single zipped chest pocket; all zips are waterproof and have ‘garages’ at the top end to ensure no water ingress. The hood, with drawcord, is capacious enough to be worn over headgear ( I can wear my Batlskin Cobra with it) but has a hook & loop adjuster tape at the rear to draw the volume in if necessary. Cuffs also have hook & loop adjusters.
In my opinion two of the best features of this waterproof outer jacket are its compact dimensions, roughly 225mm x 125mm dia, when stowed in the included stuff sack and its low weight of 540g; my example is Size XL. Indeed this waterproof is so compact mine will fit inside a standard utility pouch attached to the side of my Source Assault 20L daysack / camera bag, where it can be close to hand if needed.
I have focussed here on the Finnish camo version of the A310 Rainshield Coat V2, but over a dozen other camo patterns or plain colour variants are usually kept in stock on the Arktis Web Store. Since Finland joined NATO last year Arktis have had many requests from Finnish troops for some of their specialist garments in M05 Maastokuvio so the A310 is just the first of several items in this pattern which they are introducing for online purchase.
Finally, at first I had only intended to borrow this pre-production sample of the Finnish A310 V2 for this review as I didn’t think I needed another waterproof outer layer, but the weather during the first day of SWIFT RESPONSE 24 in Estonia was so bad I ended up wearing it for several hours on the drop zone as an extra layer. On my return I decided it is such a useful garment that I asked if I could buy it!
[images © Bob Morrison unless noted]
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