I’m not saying that there aren’t dubious sweatshops operating in Asia, but Scandinavian brands generally come from a culture where there’s a lot of emphasis on sustainability and ethics and I’d be very surprised if Fjällräven is using low-end factories. Ironically it’s one of the reasons their stuff is expensive, that and the use of recycled / recyclable fabrics and components. Ask a friend to take your measurements while standing in a straight and relaxed position without shoes. Remember that the tape measure should not be pulled too tight around the body but not be too loose either. For the most accurate result, you should be measured wearing only your undergarments or close-fitting clothing, for example, a base layer. It’s not a good idea to measure yourself wearing jeans, sweaters or other bulky clothing. What’s really neat is that you can choose to add more wax selectively to improve waterproofing if needed. You might, for example, choose to add extra wax to the shoulders and sleeves. Or indeed, all over. You just run a bar of wax over the fabric then melt it into the material at a temperature of 55-60˚C using an iron. So what is G1000? Well, it’s a tightly-woven, tough-feeling mix of 65% Polyester and 35% cotton that kind of reminds us of the classic tightly woven cotton Ventile fabrics traditionally used by polar explorers – Ventile works by being so closely woven that it’s pretty much windproof and, by creating a waterproof barrier once the fibres get wet and swell up.

We like the tough, durable feel – one of G1000’s claimed virtues – and the non-synthetic, almost cotton canvas texture along with classic, restrained, Nordic looks – did someone mention IKEA again? And thanks to the vagaries of the British summer, we can tell you that it seems impressively rain resistant on a showery summer’s day, but a little bit clammy when chuntering up a steepish hill in unsympathetically moist August humidity. My take is that their stuff is expensive. It doesn’t have the most sophisticated cut in the world, but it’s well-made using some interesting fabrics. If you want well-cut, tailored, semi-casual outdoors-type stuff, have a look at the Arc’teryx Lifestyle stuff: What’s actually happened is that factories in the far east have invested in high tec machinery that means they can often carry out processes which aren’t viable in the EU or US. As far as wages go, the more scrupulous brands generally make a point of using manufacturing facilities that are fairly run with good conditions, pay etc. Things have changed a fair bit in China thanks to labour availability with means that wages have increased – cue some brands looking for cheaper countries to manufacture in. It’s pricey, but they often sell off factory samples and surplus on Sportpursuit at half price, just search for Arc’teryx on there even if there’s not a headline brand sale.The Asia thing? Huge amounts of consumer goods – hello Apple – are made out there, often in dubious conditions, ironically northern European outdoors brands like Fjälläven tend to be the good guys when it comes to ethical production, see: