Tasmanian Tiger Jacket & trousers

I’ve been a user of Tasmanian Tiger gear for a few years now; in fact, since I discovered them at IWA in 2014. Their packs and ‘nylon gear’ have proved more than fit for purpose for me, and in fact I’ve just replaced my old ‘Mission’ three-day pack with the ‘Mission Mk II’ and I’m overjoyed with the updates they’ve made to the latest model, whilst retaining all the good bits that made it such a performer in the first place!

Tasmanian Tiger, or ‘TT’ for short, are still relatively poorly known in the UK, and I can’t for the life of me work out why! They’ve been making great gear in Germany since 1991, although the company history as a whole dates back as far as 1980, and they’ve become a premium supplier of professional military and police equipment; I know of at least one police unit in the UK that currently uses their slings, and I’m sure more will follow.

The brand is slowly but surely reaching out to customers around the globe now and, for those of us based in the UK, getting hold of the gear has just become a whole heap easier; Prisma Worldwide Ltd is a UK based agent, distributor and online retailer focused on selling primarily to the ‘professional user’ now have the Tasmanian Tiger range of tactical products for Military, Police, Covert, Special Forces, and First Responders. Focused on, but not exclusive to Tasmanian Tiger, they offer a full range of backpacks, plate carriers, tactical bags, pouches and clothing.

Vast range

They offer a great range of gear, and I’m very pleased to report that it’s thanks to them in the main that I managed to get hold of the new ‘Dakota’ rain suit, and what a cracker it’s proved to be! When you take delivery of shell gear in the summer, it’s always going to be hard to give it a good test, but luckily (or unluckily for me!) it turned up in time for me to take it on a walking trip down in the New Forest. You may recall in the lovely long, hot summer we’ve enjoyed this year we had one absolute ‘howler’ of a weekend, and yup, that was the very weekend we decided to camp! Luckily, the ‘Dakota’ gear proved its worth and more! Not only was the suit fabulously waterproof, but as it was still quite warm, it proved that it was very breathable indeed. The jacket was comfortable to wear all day, as were the overtrousers; these are cut more like a normal walking trouser and keeping these on all day wasn’t a chore at all.

The ‘Dakota’ also came to the Alps with me this summer and again performed brilliantly; this simple yet effective jacket is made from waterproof and breathable, threelayer T-Vent and weighs in at 530g. In terms of features, you get a twoway adjustable hood with reinforced brim, seamless shoulders to avoid chafing under a pack strap, and thermo-fusion pit zips for increased core ventilation. It has ergonomically shaped raglan sleeves, and adjustable cuff tabs with hook-and-loop closure. The water repellent two-way front zip affords inner wind protection, and there’s also an E/ string-adjustable hem. In terms of pockets, it’s straightforward with just a ‘Napoleon’ pocket with thermo fusion zip, and front pockets with water repellent thermo-fusion zips. This sells for iro €300 and is absolutely spot-on for the money; if you need a matching overtrouser, then the Dakota pants will set you back iro €240, and overall this is a well-priced suit that will serve you well no matter what you throw at it!

End game

I’ve been using the ‘Dakota’ jacket on and off on pretty much a daily basis and I have to report that the performance has been excellent, even in the heaviest, wind driven downpours. Although the face fabric is light, soft and very quiet for a hardshell, it’s also extremely durable. I’m actually looking forward to Winter now, and to putting this super suit ever further through its paces!

I would thoroughly recommend you check out www.tasmanian-tiger.co.uk or www.tasmaniantiger.info, where you’ll find further details of both the products themselves and international stockist details.