The Pacific Northwest: the playground par excellence for all outdoor enthusiasts and, for us, a long awaited travel destination. The region is packed with national parks, lush rainforests, crystal clear rivers and lakes, kilometres of beautiful sandy beaches and even snow covered mountains. So pretty much everything a nature-addict needs to fully recharge and soak up nature, ‘cause there really is an abundance of it here. This was the perfect opportunity not only to satisfy our thirst for the great outdoors but also to test some new clothing and equipment.

The Performance Redefined SS16 Collection from Peak Performance

Those of you who know us will know that we love classic outdoor clothing as much as those produced from modern materials. The latter is indispensable when it comes to the subject of high-performance clothing.

Admittedly, when I’m holding a piece of clothing that is so thin and weighs almost nothing, I still find it difficult to believe that it has these special properties. This is pretty much how I felt when I first looked at the Performance Redefined Collection from Peak Performance. But really I should know better, seeing as I’ve been following for a long time and with great interest the outdoor and urban collections from Peak Performance. With Performance Redefined, the Swedish brand really captures perfectly the meeting point between casual sport fashion and active wear. Three pieces I especially liked and I want to introduce them to you.

Structured Hooded Vest

The Structured Hooded Vest is an unusual piece of clothing. Simply put, it’s like a hooded jumper but without the sleeves.

It can be worn simply over a t-shirt or as an outer layer over a light jacket. I found it ideal for cooler temperatures of around 15 degrees Celsius when your body can still work up a sweat when active. The vest will protect the important torso area from getting cold while maintaining freedom of movement for your arms, so it’s particularly suitable for any activities that require upper body dexterity.

Also, the material is fast drying and wicks away moisture, not that I expected anything less from Peak Performance..

Civil Hooded Mid Jacket

The lightweight Civil Hooded Mid Jacket is a beautifully-cut mid-layer with hood, made of a fabric mix of wool and elastane. The jacket is stretchy so it fits to your body shape and doesn’t hinder your movements.

The material is really thin but nevertheless tough and feels simply great to wear. I found the thumbholes at the sleeve ends quite practical especially in combination with a hard shell jacket. It also went well with the Structured Vest, not only visually but also in how the two fabrics worked together.

On top of that, I found the look pleasantly understated, I could almost say stylish, making the Civil Hood Mid Jacket perfect not only for when you’re out in nature but also in your normal city life.

Civil Pants

Now let’s look at my absolute favourite from the collection: the Civil Pants.

Looking for the perfect pair of pants for the outdoors is anything but simple if you don’t want to look like an outdoor nerd but want a functional and good-looking pair of pants.

That’s where the Civil Pants is so great, because, like so many of the pieces from Peak Performance, it’s an ideal mix of outdoor and street style. With its tapered look, it also goes well with sneakers. Zippers at ankle level can be undone when putting on the pants or worn open over boots.

The Civil Pants are unbelievably comfortable. They’re light and comfortable like track pants and you can barely feel the material. Still, the focus here is on performance, with properties such as the quick-drying blended fabric, UPF 50 protection, and articulated knees. There’s also a concealed leg pocket and a coin pocket, the perfect spot for my Leatherman Skeletool.

The Performance Redefined Collection is another feather in the cap for Swedish company Peak Performance. It makes me very happy to see the brand stay true to their principles, especially when they continue to produce outdoor clothing that not only performs well in the great outdoors but can also be seamlessly integrated into city life. Admittedly, the clothes from Peak Performance are not exactly cheap, but you can’t forget their flexibility to be worn in both urban and outdoor environments. Very few brands can compete with that. I’m definitely looking forward to the highlights from the coming seasons.