Military Anorak Reviews

Please click to jump to:

The best places to see independent WeatherWool reviews, lots of them, with new ones coming out steadily, are the many sources on the web ... Instagram, Youtube and the various websites and web forums. And of course you can check with any of our Advisors. But I put a review here from time to time.

We much prefer to not publish anonymous reviews, but it's easy to understand why some people don't want their name floating around on the web. And the people who work for the Military or for the government in other capacities usually need to keep a very low profile. So mostly, these Military reviews do not have a name attached to them and in particular should never be construed as an official endorsement from any government agency, even in the cases where the reviewer actually is employed by the government to evaluate gear.

February 2022: "P", a professional outdoorsman and Cold Weather Operations Instructor to the US Military, did a very thorough and amusing YouTube Review of our Anorak.

January 2021, from USMC Scout Sniper James Solan:
"Also wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your Anoraks. I've worn mine a TON, in every kind of environment, from training in Bridgeport California to hunting in Idaho and North Carolina, to deserts of Kuwait and post in Iraq, and it has been my favorite warming layer ever! Keeps me warm even when it's soaking wet and doesn't get too hot when I have all my gear on and I'm moving around hiking or working. To top it all off it's durability it's excellent, and that's saying something coming from me! I tend to put my clothes through the ultimate torture test. I really do appreciate y'all's products, absolute best wool out there, AMERICAN MADE, durable, and looks great!" James also sent a couple of photos ... it's great to see how well the Lynx Pattern works with the Marine Corps' MarPat Desert camo. HUGE THANKS for this James! ... One more cool thing ... the Anorak was given to James by his Dad, a veteran who purchased through the WarriorWool Program.

WeatherWool is very proud that members of the United States Armed Forces choose to wear our Anorak. Through WeatherWool's WarriorWool Program, both WeatherWool and the public donate Anoraks to the United States and Allied Military Forces

James is now a point of contact for us for WarriorWool donations to the Scout Snipers. THANKS for your service, James ... and for your help!

January 2020, from one of our Military contacts: “Can’t tell you just how much we appreciate the top quality products that WeatherWool puts out and just how much better it is than all of the issued synthetic gear that many are stuck with. Every single guy who received any of the WarriorWool donations wears it all the time and has nothing but great things to say about it! I get requests all the time from the guys who see them and want to be next in line.”

6 June 2019: This review came in on the 75th Anniversary of D-Day ... "I work with US and NATO forces as a civilian contractor. I`m always outdoors either working or playing. I'm sure I’m speaking to the choir when I say I take my gear very seriously. Along my journeys, I found myself never truly happy with either issued or purchased synthetic apparel. This always ended with my return to wool for the most part. Most synthetics are trying to do what wool does naturally . Warm, wick moisture, protect and regulate temperature during activity .
I would find most wool to be of poor quality. It seemed to be too heavy or too stiff and itchy etc. My search has been expensive as I have owned wool garments from every major brand. One of my favorite garments for the outdoors is an anorak. The design fits well for most adventures, as it is in itself a wearable shelter. The other wool anoraks were ok but, something was missing. That's how I stumbled upon WEATHERWOOL “AL`s anorak .”
I find it to be by far the most comfortable wool to date. It is lighter in weight yet still as warm or warmer than my other anoraks. WEATHERWOOL works vastly differently as well within different conditions . I've worn it from -20 degrees [-29C] to 70 degrees [21C] and their wool reads your body as it is part of you. Although it is very durable it's very comfortable even to sleep in. It's great to go from climbing over ice or gathering fire wood, then off to bed without taking it off.
WEATHERWOOL is a buy once, cry never product. I got what I paid for without a doubt. I own several of their other garments and my thoughts are the same. The quality and utility is something I cannot get past."

Here is a review we received 29 May 2019 from a US Marine in an infantry battalion forward deployed to the Pacific. This is NOT a review from the USMC itself, and obviously not any kind of an endorsement by the Marine Corps. The individual who wrote the review had about 6 months of testing in the Anorak, which he personally purchased through the WarriorWool Program.

The Anorak performed exceptionally well in both cold and mild weather. I wore the anorak on a number of hikes, with only a light base layer on hikes ranging from about 15 degrees to about 50 degrees and I was very impressed by its performance. I run very hot, and was impressed mostly by how well the garment wicked away sweat. I never felt like I was overheating, even when the loads were very heavy (75 - 100 lbs) and the weather started warming up in the middle of the day.

The anorak also did a great job performing in the light rain and snow. It took a lot to feel like the anorak was wet, and even when it was very wet, it retained all of its warming properties. I never felt that I had to use a rain shell or outer layer to keep manage external moisture.

I also used the anorak in my sleeping bag with only a base layer underneath. The anorak was wet on many occasions when I crawled into my sleeping bag, but it dried out very effectively and kept me warm throughout the night.

Overall, I'm very happy with this purchase. I didn't have a chance to wear it in the extreme cold (below 10 F), however I have a lot of confidence that it will perform exceptionally well when I do have that chance. I would buy another in a heartbeat.

I am very interested in your ski jacket, or if you are going to be designing any mid-layer or base layers in the future.

<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>

Mike Dean is our first Advisor, and is actually the inspiration of our Advisor program for the simple reason that in talking with Mike I realized I really wanted customers to talk with him too!

Here is a review Mike sent a WarriorWool customer who was purchasing the Anorak for use at the United States Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Pickel Meadows.

Mike writes in a rapid-fire manner that mirrors the way he talks.

-----Original Message-----

Hi Tim, Mike here sorry it took so long to get back to with regards to the Anorak, yes you qualify for the discount which is at cost. I own a fair amount of WeatherWool clothes and they are simply the best and I’ve been wearing wool for 56 years and have tried every brand that $ can buy and nothing is as good. If there was something better I would own it as I’m outdoors every day. As an example last year I kept track of the days I actually spent indoors out of that year - it was only 20 days. I need clothes that can handle all outdoor environments and weather as my job (professional landscaping and arborist) and my chosen lifestyle.

I don’t know if Ralph told you but I test things that I use and wear in every possible way that I can. It doesn’t matter if it’s an ax, knife, guns, clothes, etc and in all weather environments.... don’t want any surprises.

There’s only 3 anoraks in the world that are worth buying I have owned all 3 and wore them , tested them for at a minimum of 1 year some 2-3 years. With that said let’s review: the first one is from down under sold by Ray Mears on Swazi outdoors I bought and wore this for 13 months then sold it. It’s a heavy fleece [hooded sweatshirt], with well made design and good workmanship but you can’t dry it by an outdoor fire so when it gets wet it takes a long time to dry and it’s really made to be worn under the w/ b shell on bad weather. Not what I was looking for. Next is Lester River Bushcraft - this is a good all around anorak, excellent hood,design, and a fabulous pouch pocket, 2 ways to cinch it down. I own this for 2 years and wore the hell out of it BUT the wool is not the best as it’s made of inexpensive wool blankets so some are thin some are thick. Mine was the latter - windproof to about 10 mph, will wet thru fairly quickly, it at the time it was ok. WeatherWool Anorak is the best period. Still own it, the only garment that is better is the AAJ [All-Around Jacket] which is in a class all by itself when it comes to outdoor clothing. I have put the anorak thru the wringer. These are the conditions I’ve used it in: rain heavy mist, all levels of rain, massive amounts of snow, freezing rain mixed with snow, combination of all the above in one day, temps from 50 above —- negative 10 [10C to -23C], sometimes with nothing under but bare skin others with a couple light layers under it. Always works. Wet suit (wanted to get to the other side w/out walking around the river so I stripped down to my underwear, put on the Anorak and went for a swim 250 yards. Air temp was 58 with a light wind. My legs were chilly but the Anorak was only a little wet, not what I call washing machine wet, basically just wrung it out by hand and went about my day, dried it out by a fire, used it to push my sleeping bag rating down lower and as more insulation under me ( unzip it on both sides , lay it out lengthwise, fold the hood in on itself and either tuck in bag or put over top of bag or put over a bough bed/ air mattress instant extra insulation, in northern Maine I’ve had it on big lakes, rivers, mountains, woods, done arborist work in winter , mowed lawns in fall in light rain and probably a lot more I’ve forgot.

Tim, I’m the first WeatherWool advisor before the advisor program even got started and it started with a conversation Ralph and I had after I had put the AAJ thru the wringer on a 6 week trip in winter in the north woods at my very isolated camp. Unlike most of the people that own WeatherWool, I wear mine almost year round, Most wear it for hunting and cold weather then hang it in the closet. I am never without it as where I go it goes it maybe 90 outside but I have it in my truck or pack basket, canoe/ kayak basically I wear it everyday from Oct ——— mid May. Then as needed which seems to be more and more. This is made of a very high grade of merino wool so you can wear it next to your skin if you want to . Buy a couple sizes larger than you think follow the sizing chart on WeatherWool. I’m 5-10 173 and I’m pretty fit for 61. I got an XL so I can layer a little under it , windproof to a solid 15 mph and I’ve had it to 17 before I started to feel it on my skin. How it test for wind is wear nothing but long underwear ( Woolpower 200 wgt top & bottom) when I feel wind on skin I record the wind speed. LRB can only handle up to 10 mph, big difference.

This is a outstanding piece of gear and it wears like iron quality. Is top notch. I think the best colors are lynx and drab ( aka od green). Oh yea, I’ve also cut tons of wood with a chainsaw and one man crosscut saw, split wood at all times of year. Really I don’t think anybody has more experience in as varied conditions and terrain with WeatherWool clothes as I do. I own AAJ, Anorak MidWeight Shirt/Jac MidWeight, FullWeight pants which cover any and all conditions I’m going to be in.

Hope this helps. the MidWeight Shirt/Jac is my basic layering piece under the FullWeight when it’s really cold out.

Tim if you have any questions or want to talk call me at 207-542-3597 I’ll try to remember the 484 # if not leave a v- mail and I’ll call back .

Is the sportsman bar still in Bridgeport? Spent some time in there, a couple cute bar girls worked there then

Take care of yourself, Mike

[Mail sent to Tim with a cc to me on 30 September 2018]

17 January 2021 --- Ralph