Killer Loop – Extreme

The Killer Loop Extreme 003 jacket.

I’d argue that after the wetsuit, the most important garment a surfer can own living in the UK is a solid jacket. Something that can take a lot of abuse, be thrown in the back of your car, handle rain, handle snow, keep the wind out, can handle beer, tea and fried breakfast juice being spilled down it, the standard abuse from any northern European road trip basically. Then at the end of all that it should still look good enough to be able to walk into a bar and hide the fact that you’ve been sleeping in your car chasing swell for the last few days. So with that in mind, we have a selection of jackets from surf specific companies, sure you can go buy North Face or Berghaus, but why would you when there is a group of surfers out there trying to make some coin.

So here is the first, The Killer Loop Extreme. Now KL have gone through a re-birth, with heritage stretching back to the birth of the extreme sports industry, they are a well known name in sunnies, snow wear and all manner of clothing. But the latest incarnation of the brand is in extreme gear for the action sport professional, hit this link to read everything in depth – Killer Loop History – The jacket we’ve got our hands on is the top of the line Extreme, said to be designed for the needs of the active outdoor professional whether they are a surf photographer, extreme film-maker or a ski heli-pilot. That’s a pretty limited market and as the average surf photog can’t afford a lens cap these days they could have a problem! But in reality it’s aimed at any surfer, skier or snowboarder who needs a ruddy good jacket. First impressions of using it in sub Arctic conditions are also pretty good, it is warm, really cuts out the wind and has a lot of pockets, which for a photographer is epic, and for anyone who carries a lot of stuff around. What I really loved about it is the length, the standard puffer/bomber style jacket that every outdoor company sells is good, but when you’re in a field in the pissing rain drips running off onto your arse or legs really grind, so a fuller length is more than welcome, helps with warmth as well. It does come with matching trousers as well which we are yet to test. First impressions are it’s a pretty solid jacket, good insulation, good waterproofing, good length and a handy amount of pockets, but here’s the rub, it’s £349. That’s a solid price tag, but it does appear you get exactly what you pay for, after all, you buy a £350 wetsuit and you get longterm warmth, you buy a £150 wettie and you get a season, and you’d hope the same applies here. Only time will tell, we’ll keep coming back to this one, in the meantime check out their site – www.killerloop.com – for more info and their heavy weight team of ambassadors, including Mickey Smith.

Wavelength tests are both long term and thorough, we have no allegiance to any company regardless to advertisement commitments and we endeavour to give honest and detailed reviews based on actual use of product.