Dec 3

Dec 3 Jöttnar Fjorm (2020)

Jöttnar Fjorm (2020)

Type: Parka / Use: Active / Face: Nylon / Insulation: 850-fill down

Technologies: DownTek hydrophobic down

There’s a common motif in storytelling where big things must be slow things. TVTropes describes it as the “Mighty Glacier” phenomenon. Of course Godzilla takes a year to move one step. He’s huge, and powerful, therefore, his nervous system is dial-up. Relativism? Fuck it! In the realm of the narrative, hippos can’t sprint and the biggest baddie has a two-handed sword you can roll dodge.

In real life, there’s Jonah Lomu.

Jöttnar’s Fjorm is a big, bulky duvet that brings the warmth of an Expedition Jacket at a fraction of the weight and a shred of the sluggishness. Truly granola readers may scoff at the fact that I just described belay parkas - an entire genus of down pieces made for climbers who need heat without hassle. Allow me to explain why this belay is a rare Fjorm.

First things first, let’s talk tech.

The Fjorm is faced with a wipsy 30-denier nylon micro ripstop that’s been treated with DWR. This is fairly standard for performance down pieces. Stio’s Pinion Down Pullover, for example, uses a DWR-treated, 20-denier nylon micro from the fabric brand Pertex. No matter the denier, nylon micros between 10 and 40 all do about the same thing: keep wind out, weight low, and all the feathers in place.

Speaking of feathers: there’s a flocking lot of them.

A szM Fjorm contains 275g of 850-fill power DownTek hydrophobic down. To put that in perspective: that’s more than the fill of Montbell’s own belayer. It’s waaaaay more than Patagonia’s. Or Arc’s. Or Hardware’s. Of the major brands, it’s on par with just down specialists Rab and Montane. And at 688g, it’s lighter than both. There’s a touch of 120g/m2 synthetic around the cuffs and neck to make sure these high-sweat areas stay warm when wet, but considering the entire jacket is a lined down pillow, you’d be pressed to really notice it.

Function-wise, the Fjorm follows how you’d expect. It’s not great in the rain. But it is capital-W Wjarm.

DownTek’s hydrophobic coating on the feathers avoid a shiver-inducing collapse during drizzles, but because there’s no proper membrane layer, the freezing rain that now haunts New York winters is a definite no-no. This was a deliberate design choice: membranes and hardshells are heavy and hard-to-pack. Meanwhile, the Fjorm weighs only a 1.5lbs and can pack down to the size of a Nalgene. To be clear, the Fjorm will handle colder snows fine. But it’s those cloudless, clear, hear-the-cold days where it really proves exceptional.

All that high-fill down lofts up to provide a bulkhead of trapped air between you and the world (by my measurements, a solid three inches worth). This sheer loft is the source of its warmth. Yet, despite this size, the Fjorm moves better than most down sweaters. An uncharacteristically aggressive cut is to thank.

Compared to the standard boxed-out belay, the Fjorm wears like the Batsuit: V-shaped and oversized, but agile. A slim waist and agile torso open up into wide, mobile shoulders (little brothers rejoice: in this big puffy coat, you can put your arms down). The trade-off is that there’s not a ton of layering room under it, especially once the hem is drawn in. But believe me, you won’t miss it.

With just a shirt jacket and cotton tee under it, I had to wear it half-zipped. In 30° F.

Those who love sweaters may not love the Fjorm. Those with small dogs? They just might.

Despite its hardcore audience (Jöttnar was founded by two Royal Marine commandos), the Fjorm doesn’t lack for creature comforts. In fact, it’s the attention to detail on the feature set that makes what might otherwise be a single-purpose garment into so much more. A Napoleon pocket and stuff pocket add storage to the inside. Adjustment points are everywhere. On the inside of the cuffs is a delightful, soft-touch fleece, pulled just snug enough that putting your wrist through feels like repatriating.

And then there’s the zips. The zips!

Reader, I am well aware that many jackets use YKK VISLON zippers. There’s just something about the way they’re set on the Fjorm - perhaps it’s the layout of the track, or some detail in the construction - that makes them work effortlessly here. Kudos to Jöttnar for getting the little things right.

Testing this jacket around New York last winter, I started to look for more reasons to wear it. Errand to run cross-borough? Sure, I can walk. Cold bar night? No crewneck for me - I’ve got a cool tee, and I want to use the Fjorm. As the days got short this year, it was one of the first jackets I was excited to bring back out.

Unfortunately, it got harder to wear.

No, no, that’s not a COVID-15 joke. With the “new toy” novelty gone, I found it much more difficult to work into outfits. The styling is there - the Aegean Blue shown here is lovely, and with its blend of contrast liner and understated hardware, the jacket looks great in a vacuum. There was just something about it that tripped me every time I left the house.

My diagnosis: this year’s outdoors explosion has biased us towards the boxy, at least when it comes to bigger down pieces. With our feeds full of Biggies and a re-launched Himalayan, a streamlined big down piece just doesn’t seem stylized enough for casual crossover.

I love the looks of the Fjorm, and man, it’s the kind of coat you just want to wear. It’s just worth a word of caution to those who don’t own suitably-outdoorsy wardrobes that they may feel moments of stretch that they wouldn’t with, say, a Patagonia Fitz Roy. My go-to outfit with it last winter was navy Dickies, white socks, and Obras. This year? It’s black Fjallraven trekkers.

Anyways, on to the wrap up.

Overall, the Jöttnar Fjorm is an exceptional cold-weather performance piece with deep crossover appeal, due mostly to its thoughtful design. Forget “Mighty Glacier” - when the temps go glacial, this light cruiser brings firepower with agility. It’s a joy to wear, and at $450, an exceptional value on par with frugal favorites Montbell and Eddie Bauer.

That said: due to its overtly-functional shape, it’s probably not for those shopping off the Timeline.

If you love the look or are intrigued by the features, give this one a whirl. I’m happy I did.