The winners have been selected! After dedicated outdoor testing and lively discussions, the international jury of outdoor journalists and outdoor gear specialists have agreed on the winners of Scandinavian Outdoor Award for next year’s spring/summer season.
Inclusivity and sustainability are key words. For the very first time the two main category winners are from Finland. The Overall Winner of Scandinavian Outdoor Award is Sasta with the Mella+ Jacket, a technical jacket with focus on inclusion, designed with plus-size women as target group.
The second most prestigious honor is the Sustainability Award. This prize goes to Halti, for the Reissu W DX 3L Jacket.
Six products received a Scandinavian Outdoor Award for the Spring/Summer 2022 season. Four other prizes were awarded:
- Hardware Award – Y LightLine Fastpack from Bergans (Norway)
- Footwear Award – Stokka Advance GTX from Alfa Sko (Norway)
- Kids Award – Ask Mid F GTX from Viking (Norway)
- Technology Award – Ösa from Cake (Sweden)
According to a statement from the judge’s: “This year’s Overall Award goes to the Sasta Women’s Mella+ Jacket, a classical Scandinavian style polycotton jacket, specifically designed for plus-sized outdoor women. The jury is excited about the fact that Sasta offers apparel addressing the needs of outdoor lovers that are stronger and larger built, giving them a perfect fit. The tightly woven, wind and water shedding fabric is made of 65 percent recycled polyester and 35 percent organic cotton and has a PFC-free water repellent finish from Nikwax. Sasta’s own repair service guarantees that the jacket can continue to be used even if something wears out or breaks after many years of hard use.”
Sasta CEO Juha Latvala responded, “We are excited to continue on this path of developing plus-sized garments and commitment to be more inclusive by providing functional clothing for this previously over-looked plus-sized demographic, something that has been long overdue. We feel that this win is more about inclusivity for the outdoors, rather than specific technical innovations.”
The jury’s comment regarding the Sustainability Award read: “The Reissu W DX 3L Jacket is a stylish long-cut women’s shell made from a PFC-free waterproof, breathable three-layer polyester laminate with recycled content, which can also easily be recycled in true circular style. All additional materials excluding the metal zipper slider are made in polyester, too. The softness of the material, the great fit of the jacket and the high-level of weather protection also impressed the jury.”
The jury’s statement regarding the Hardware Award, read: “The pack combines running vest technology with enough volume for hiking and a low weight (24 l, 360 g).”
The Footwear Award was made because the jury was impressed with “sneaker-like low-cut shoe is super comfortable, its snug fit supports the foot and gives good ground control. The sole offers the right balance of stability and good cushioning and the waterproof, breathable Gore-Tex membrane will keep the feet dry. Additional bonus: due to the integrated tongue you can put in on and off easily. The materials are bluesign approved.”
The judges commented on the Kids Award by writing: “The Viking Ask Mid F GTX, our Kids Award winner this year. 85 percent of the materials have some recycled content, and the longevity of the shoe will allow you to pass it on for further use.”
The jury also likes the grippy sole and the attention to detail. The velcro closure is a lot easier to handle than lacing and a waterproof, breathable liner keeps the water out.
Finally, for the Technology Award, the jury wrote: “The Cake Ösa is not a typical outdoor product, but the electric motorbike will allow outdoor enthusiasts to transport themselves and their gear with low carbon footprint and live more sustainable both in the outdoors and in everyday life. In its product category, Cake Ösa really stands out, offering an efficient, silent electric drive and conscious material choices for circularity, marking suggestions for recycling on each part of the bike. In addition, the lightweight construction of the Cake bikes leads to lower energy consumption than regular motorbikes.”
The Scandinavian Outdoor Awards have been presented since 2005 by the Scandinavian Outdoor Group, which aims to support product and design innovations as well as to promote new Scandinavian outdoor products.
