Clawgear Milvago MkII Fleece Hoody

One of the key ingredients to any layered clothing system is what you use as your ‘mid layer’, the thermal bit that sits between your next to skin base and the shell, which actually protects you from the elements. Understanding exactly what is needed and when is the sign of a great clothing manufacturer, and as Clawgear are based in Steyr-Gleink, Austria, they understand a bit (just a bit!) about how a clothing system should go together to become a valid, year-round solution. They are highly innovative in what they produce, not just in terms of cutting-edge design and their use of the most up to date fabrics, but also in their choice of colour options.

Technical know-how

Clawgear have worked their ‘knowledge magic’ into their entire range of tactical clothing and they recently sent me one of their Milvago Mk II fleece garments to trial. This heavierweight fleece mid-layer garment is extremely comfortable to wear and the modern styling allows a full range of unrestricted movement. Both the outer and inner materials have been specially selected to ensure robustness and to optimise comfort. The fleece itself is water repellent and breathes extremely well, making the Milvago a superb layering piece, but one that can also be worn on its own in drier cold conditions. I especially like the low-profile hood, which works perfectly in conjunction with a hard or softshell outer layer, effectively eliminating cold spots around the neckline.

The Milvago also benefits from two lower fully-lined handwarmer pockets, pockets on both upper arms with velcro patches for team/unit patches, and an inner pocket which allows routing for comms cables; the outer pockets are very low profile which gives the jacket a visually stunning appearance as well.

Weighing in at 750g, the Milvago is easy to pack and takes up minimal space in a pack given its warmth to weight ratio; so, it’s absolutely ideal if you want to stow it away ‘just in case’. Overall, it’s a superbly designed jacket, made of highend fabrics and components, and the finish of it just oozes quality and attention to detail.

Conclusion

If you’re in the market for a new performance fleece jacket in the very latest ‘tacticool’ colour and style, then I would thoroughly recommend you take a very close look at the Milvago Mk II.

Claw Gear is currently available direct from the manufacturer, although I’m led to believe that it will soon be more generally available in the UK. The Milvago Mk II costs €86.90 and is available in RAL 7013, Black, and Solid Rock (grey) in sizes small to XXL. For more information please visit clawgear.com