The Bottom Line
The Norman padded jacket by Trespass is a cheap, lightweight and useful addition to my outdoor gear. While not the warmest coat on earth, I use it as one of several layers to keep me warm (down to about 0℃) while on hiking and outdoors trips.
(4.5 / 5)
- Cheap
- Fairly warm (although not a true winter coat)
- Generous pockets
- Price does show in functionality – the high rating is mainly for the low price!
Purchasing
The Trespass Norman is very easy to get hold of on Amazon or direct from Trespass. It usually retails for a little under £30, but prices vary.
Feel & Quality
As with any item of clothing, feel is key. The Trespass Norman is comfortable to wear (I recommend getting a size too big so it will fit over a jumper), but does feel a bit plasticy. It is 100% synthetic, with a synthetic fill and Trespass’ proprietary ColdHeat insulation. That doesn’t really mean much beyond a brand name – but it does have a good deal of warmth for its thickness. It isn’t at all waterproof or windproof, though, so I recommend wearing it under a rain/wind jacket.
The quality is very good throughout, I haven’t had any reason to be disappointed in it. The only slight annoyance is that the inner lining isn’t attached to the inside of the coat, so when I pull the sleeve up the lining often gets caught on my watch (the Garmin Instinct, review here) so I can’t see the time.
Layering
As I mentioned above, the Trespass Norman, while not the warmest, is great for layering. I have hiked in freezing temperatures wearing a fleece, the Norman, and a rain coat and not been cold. For most UK hiking, I can ditch the Norman from this setup – but especially around camp in the evenings, I have been very glad of it on wet and windy summer days in the Lakes. Be aware that you need to trust your waterproof to do this: like with many padded jackets, if the Norman gets wet it loses a lot of its warmth (though synthetic jackets like the Norman do do better on this than many ‘real’ down jackets).
Pockets
The three zipped pockets are great. The two main pockets are useful for soft things like gloves – and to keep your hands warm. Any expedition backpack (like the Vango Contour (review)) with waist straps, will crush the pockets – so putting hard items in them is quite uncomfortable. This is standard with these pockets, though, and not unique to the Norman.
The third pocket, on the chest, is a good place to keep a phone or wallet. All three pockets cut through the insulation (so keep them zipped up for maximum warmth) and this means that, when it’s really cold, keeping your phone in the chest pocket will keep it warm – which helps to increase battery life.
Conclusions
Being a very average padded jacket, there is little more to say. In all, it is great value for the money (£25-30), and I would recommend it for three-season use. It can be used in winter, but if I were doing any serious hiking or camping in the colder months I would need something a bit warmer.