Review: Mountain Equipment Men's Kalanka Jacket

We had Alex in from Mountain Equipment last week, just giving us a run down of the new gear we've got this season and some of the changes that have been made to their key pieces. One jacket that really stood out to everyone in the office was the Kalanka Jacket.

It's new in to us this season and it oozes performance as well as having a sleek, lightweight and low profiled design.

Starting at the core of the jacket, The Kalanka uses 3-Layer Stretch Gore-Tex Pro Shell. The fabric gives fantastic performance in the most extreme of conditions, which is why many outdoor professionals swear by it. Not only is it waterproof, it's also windproof and has top notch breathability.


Starting from the head down, the first impressive feature you come across is the Super Alpine Helmet Compatible Hood. The hood now features grippy urethane strips on the inside to stop your helmet moving away from your hood and to ensure when you move your head, the hood moves with it, stopping that annoying problem of looking left or right and being confronted with the dark interior of your hood. This ingenius hood system also comes on the new Tupilak II Jacket.


The Kalanka also uses RiRi Zips, where every tooth is moulded individually and they lock tightly together to stop the possibility of water breaking through, making them more water resistant than your regular YKK zips. You can tell how tightly the zips bind together if you hold the zip up to the light, usually you can see the gaps appearing, not with these RiRi zips though!

The jacket itself comes with 2 large chest pockets and 2 A4 sized napoleon pockets. For extra ventilation the Kalanka also features 2 way water resistant pit zips. For a comfortable and adjustable fit the jacket has adjustable cuffs and dual tether hem drawcords. We've got the Kalanka in stock in two colours, a classic looking Black/Ocean Zips and Dark Ocean/Russet Orange Zips.