Review: Fjallraven Abisko Midsummer
Known for their hard-wearing heavy-duty gear, Fjallraven has set the style bar for a lot of other outdoor gear companies. Last summer saw Fjallraven introduce the new Abisko Midsummer line, taking their classic G-1000 material and making it lighter for summer use, combining it with some softshell fabrics and adding Fjallraven’s Swedish flair.
We got the chance to try the Abisko Midsummer jacket, shorts, and pants, and were stoked with all of them. Read on to find out more.
Who is Fjallraven?
In 1950 a young Swedish hiker by the name of Åke Nordin was preparing for a hike and was unhappy with the state of backpacks. He used his mother’s sewing machine and made his own backpack, fastening it to a wooden frame and leather straps. After joining the military and realizing there was a need for durable lightweight backpacks he started Fjallraven in 1960.
You might know Fjallraven (Swedish for arctic fox) for their Kanken backpack. Developed for school children to be able to carry two A4 binders to school, it is their largest selling item and took the world by storm with its seemingly infinite color choices (there are 60 colors available). Knowing Fjallraven only for the Kanken would be a mistake though.
Since then Fjallraven has continued to make backpacks as well as some of the most durable and hard-wearing outdoor gear you can imagine thanks to their G-1000 material, a version of which is in every piece of the Abisko Midsummer collection.
What is G-1000?
G-1000 is a proprietary material developed by Fjallraven. It is a densely woven fabric made from 65% polyester and 35% cotton. Traditional G-1000 can be a heavy material but all three pieces that we tested in the Abisko Midsummer line are made with G-1000 Air Stretch (made from organic cotton and partly recycled polyester). It’s very lightweight and dries much faster than previous G-1000 materials and is a little more breathable.
G-1000 Air can be waxed with Fjallraven’s Greenland wax to add waterproofing. This requires rubbing the wax onto the garment and then heating it to melt the wax. Like most waterproofing, this reduces breathability. The weather gods were kind to me this summer and I did not need to wax any of the Abisko Midsummer gear I wore. For more info on Greenland Wax, head on over to Fjallraven’s How-To page.
What is Abisko?
Abisko is a town in Lappland, Northern Sweden and is the northern terminus for Sweden’s 440km long Kungsleden (King’s Trail). The King’s trail follows along the Scandanavian Mountain Trail. As it lies in one of the driest parts of Sweden the hiking season is quite long. Once the snow starts to fly it becomes an almost as equally as long cross country ski trek. For more info, head on over to Visit Sweden.
So, now that we know Fjallraven’s history, that they’ve used a stretchy version of the rugged G-1000 to make trekking pants designed for the summer, we know exactly what the Abisko midsummer line was designed for. Let’s dive into the individual pieces, the jacket, pants and shorts.
General Overview of the Abisko Midsummer Jacket
- Material: 65% polyester, 35% cotton
- Size Tested: XL
- Colors: Savannah Ligh Olive (tested), Ochre-Golden Yellow, Dark Navy
- Country of Origin: Vietnam
Abisko Midsummer Jacket Overview
The Abisko Midsummer Jacket is a trekking jacket and the first thing I did was take it mountaineering. I wore it to the top of Mount Garibaldi, a 2,678m high stratovolcano just outside BlackSheep HQ and it did a great job. Its windproofing and light color kept me cool in the daytime sun and I wasn’t worried at all about the material on the rockier sections of the climb. Once back in town I wore it out to dinner, it was my birthday after all, and it looked just as good going out in town as it did on the mountain.
Construction
The hood, shoulders, and arms are made of G-1000 Air Stretch. The back and the main body are made of a pliant polyester that is really stretchy and breaths quite well, allowing free movement and keeping your back from getting too hot while wearing a backpack.
Pockets
If you like pockets, the Abisko Midsummer Jacket has you covered with five pockets. The chest pocket can be found on the left side of the chest. It is just big enough for my iPhone 8 so I imagine it would fit an iPhone 13 well. I do not think a 13 max would fit.
There are two zippered hand pockets. The pockets are made of mesh material so they are breathable helping keep the wearer cool on warm days. Hidden inside the jacket on both sides are drop pockets. These are quite handy for larger items that don’t fit past the zippers on the other pockets.
Fit
Like all the pieces in the Fjallraven Abisko Midsummer line, the jacket has an athletic/slim fit. I am 6’1” and 200 lbs and the XL fits me well. Not too snug that I was showing off the Dad bod, but not so loose that it looked like I was wearing a potato sack.
The hood is adjustable, tightened with a shock cord on either side of the chin. This closes the hood opening but does not pull the sides back. This is more than adequate as we are hiking and trying to preserve tons of peripheral vision is not necessary.
The inner end of each sleeve is elasticated and keeps the sleeve snug enough to fit your hand and watch through easily but keeps it from flapping around in the wind.
There is a drawcord at the bottom of the body of the jacket. This is for adjusting the bottom hem for those, who like me, like a snug bottom of the jacket. I don’t like the jacket to flap around when moving so I keep it snug.
General Overview of the Abisko Midsummer Trousers
- Material: 65% polyester, 35% cotton
- Size Tested: 52 / 36”
- Colors: Savannah Ligh Olive (tested), Ochre-Golden Yellow, Dark Navy
- Country of Origin: Vietnam
Abisko Midsummer Trousers
The Abisko midsummer trousers are a lightweight but hard-wearing pair of trekking trousers. Like the rest of the Abisko Midsummer line, I found their styling to be great not only on the trail but also off the trail. They are subtle, not screaming “I am a trekking pant,” and the material wears light enough that I was comfortable wearing them to dinner if I hadn’t gotten them too dirty on the trail during the day.
Fit
The Abisko Midsummer trousers have, like the jacket, an athletic fit. Starting at the waist there are two Fjallraven logo embossed snaps. I never had the issue of one popping undone accidentally so I highly doubt you’ll have two pop open mid-hike! There are 8 belt loops should your hike be so long that you’ve lost enough weight to warrant a belt.
The legs are trim and fit fairly loose to my thighs. This was not a problem thanks to the stretch material used. If I felt like I needed more room I could open the vents and the pants would move more freely.
The knees are pre-bent but not excessively so. Just enough to keep the pants from bunching and not have the knees poking out when you stand upright.
The bottom of the pants are snug, matching the styling of the rest of the pant. Sewn inside each pant bottom is a shock cord drawstring. These keep the pant bottoms taught for hiking, or for when you may be wearing a gaitor or crampons. I found them to be most useful for keeping my pant legs up when you roll them up. That’s right, I rolled the pant legs up. Sometimes the side vent doesn’t quite do enough. To help keep my legs cool when I panted when I should’ve shorted, I will slide the pant legs up, tighten the drawstring, and bam, I have shorts.
Construction
The upper part of the pant is made of pliable polyester material, similar to a lightweight softshell. The polyester breaths really well and allows the less pliable G-1000 Air Stretch to move where needed when walking.
The G-1000 Air Stretch begins mid-thigh, at the start of the thigh pockets, and continues to just below the knee. This is where most of the wear and tear on a pair of pants will happen from kneeling down or when hiking through the bush. There’s also G-1000 Air Stretch on the seat, too, for when you, umm, take a seat.
On the side of each leg is a giant vent, from the top of the hip to the knee. G-1000 Air, though the lightest of G-1000s, is still not the most breathable material on the planet. This vent does its absolute best to make up for that and it does a pretty good job.
Pockets
There are two angled hand pockets that close via zipper. Much like the Abisko midsummer jacket they are lined with mesh and can act somewhat as vents when opened. The zippers have kept me from losing change on many an occasion when sitting down.
On each thigh, there are cargo pockets but, unlike your dad’s cargo pants, these cargo pockets sit nearly on top of your thigh. This results in much less swing while moving as whatever is in the pocket stays put and cannot pendulum on the side of your leg. The left cargo pocket closes with a flap and two snaps while the right cargo pocket closes with a zipper.
Abisko Midsummer Shorts
Well, what can I say about the Abisko Midsummer Shorts that I haven’t already said about Abisko Midsummer pants? The shorts are the lighter-weight and cooler brother of the Abisko Midsummer Pants. They are exactly like the pants but cut off at the knee. Due to that, they are lighter and much airier.
That said, I would love it if the shorts came with a knee-to-thigh vent. As I mentioned, G-1000 is still a little stuffy and I will take all the ventilation I can get, especially when the thermometer is pushing mid to high 30s (celsius) in the Dolomites.
Shorts vs Pants?
So, the real question is then, shorts or pants? To me, this is a simple question. Will you be walking in the brush? Do you need sun protection? Are you likely to keep rocking these into the fall? If so, the pants are for you. Are you strictly using these in the hot summer months? Prefer sunscreen to being covered? Trying to save a few grams? Then the shorts are for you.
You can not go wrong with either of these bottoms. If you really can’t decide which to go with, Fjallraven has you covered with the Abisko Midsummer Zip Off Trousers. We haven’t tested these pants, yet, but we are sure they are just as good as the rest of the line.
Summary of the Fjallraven Abisko Midsummer Line
I genuinely enjoyed the Fjallraven midsummer line. It fit well, and I felt, true to size. The line is quite durable, but not to the extent of their Keb or Vidda Pro lines. It is not designed to be either. The intent of the line is implied in its name, long-distance hikes on hot summer days. I wouldn’t want to spend days on end hiking in mid-thirties temps in full-blown G-1000 material. It is thick and meant to take abuse. Come fall though, I love it!
Thanks to the lightweight G-1000 material I never felt as though I was going to overheat, nor did I feel that the pants sacrificed durability for weight. Comfortable
The Abisko Midsummer line looks good both on the mountains and in the streets. Thanks to the matching color blocks of G-1000 Air and G-1000 Stretch, the Abisko Midsummer line does not have an overly tech feel to it like some of their color-blocked pieces do.
The only changes I would like to see are kick patches on the instep of the legs and side vents on the shorts. I’d like kick patches on the pants
Pros: Looks sharp on the mountains and around town, durable and lightweight
Cons: I’d love kick patches on the inner leg and vents on the shorts.
If you are interested in checking out the Abisko Midsummer line then head on over to Fjallraven and check it out!
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Black Sheep Adventure sports was provided with free samples of the Fjallraven Midsummer line This in no way affected our opinion and review of the hat.
