The Sou’wester Anorak
Designed for durability, inspired by heritage
If you know a New Zealand sou’wester, you know what it can deliver, cold showers and bitter winds.
Hillary Outdoors run outdoor programmes on the high Tongariro plateau in the central North Island where the full force of this weather is often encountered by students and staff. The nature of their programme means they are out there in all conditions, and they need to ensure the clothing they take is suitable for whatever weather comes their way.
So, when they came to Earth Sea Sky looking for improved specs on their current anorak design, the brief was clear. The fabric had to be robust enough for constant use, practical for a wide range of students, and durable enough to withstand continuous wear and tear. In short something that remained waterproof over time.
We were happy to work with them on the project as for some time we had been planning to reintroduce a waterproof pullover anorak like the one in our range 30 years ago.
Designing for real-world use
Earth Sea Sky has worked with Hillary Outdoors since the centre’s early days, supplying technical clothing for course participants and instructors. The anorak project gave us the opportunity to be involved in creating something specific to outdoor education programmes, where the prime need is function being stripped down to the essentials.
We favoured our industrial-grade waterproof/breathable Vent-X fabric. We have been using Vent-X as our overtrou fabric over the past 35 years.
Vent-X has a distinct advantage: it uses a coating construction rather than a laminate. When applied under strict quality standards, coatings are more durable than laminates and more importantly they are not so susceptible to contamination as the new generation, 3-layer laminates.
Vent-X was no stranger to Hillary Outdoors as they have been using the Vent-X Overtrou for many years.
Heritage inspired
While the Sou’wester design was being finalised, an Ellis family heritage piece was, serendipitously, discovered. While staying at his late grandfather’s, bach in Central Otago, David came across a carton tucked away in the back of a long-forgotten cupboard.
Inside was some of Roly’s prized mountaineering gear: two of his Twenty Below down filled sleeping bags, and two oily Japara rain jackets, a pullover anorak and a zip-up jacket likely from the late 1920’s to early 1930’s.
It was the anorak that caught David’s attention.
Roly Ellis was one of the pioneers in New Zealand’s emerging outdoor industry when he added down filled sleeping bags to his family’s company bedding range. In the 1920s, he explored the mountains of Otago with a group of fellow outdoor enthusiasts, often using equipment they had made or adapted themselves.
For Roly, time in the mountains had to fit around his work, which meant Christmas and Easter were his only real opportunity to head into the hills. These times never guaranteed settled mountain weather so gear to keep him warm and dry was essential.
Roly’s heritage anorak helped confirm the direction of the developing Sou’ wester design. Most notably, both feature a gusset behind the front zip, a simple detail, but one that provides greater protection from the elements.
A jacket built to last
Roly’s oily Japara anorak is around 100 years old. The materials and technology of the Sou’wester are very different, but the connection between the two jackets is a reminder that good design does not necessarily need to be complicated.
For Hillary Outdoors Vent-X Anorak, it is a waterproof jacket designed to withstand the realities of outdoor education: repeated use, a constant stream of wearers, and demanding conditions. A design stripped of all unnecessary features.
For Earth Sea Sky’s Sou’wester Anorak, it is a reminder to build simply, choose fabrics that perform and make gear that lasts. In the words of Antoine de Saint-Exupery “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
The Sou’wester Anorak will cover your seat, shelter your hands, protect your head, and its fabric will repel all wind and rain to keep you comfortable and dry, for many years.
