HalfJak, a hybrid combat jacket by Crye Precision, for the first time was officially represented in the course of the famous international exhibition SHOT Show in 2012. The weather-protected jacket is marketed as a multi-purpose, highly compact and light back-up element of clothes designed for active usage in the field environment together with the protective and load-bearing equipment without obstructing the access to armament, magazines and other gear.
The manufacturer has claimed that HalfJak jacket is the very "happy medium" which will keep one from freezing during short-term stationary periods and harsh weather developments, as well as it will provide for some spare weight and space since there is no need to wear extra layers of upper garments.
Taking into account possible offbeat perception and criticism the designers worked out an item with the maximum functionality, keeping respectively compact dimensions and light weight. Apart from the basic employment as an enveloping layer that is worn over a helmet and a plate-carrier, the designers considered a possibility to transform the jacket into a small pillow (20×20×2 cm). One just needs to fold it into a specially provided internal pocket. Another provided transformation is an adjustable weather-protected hand-warmer.
The HalfJak jacket is manufactured mainly of ripstop nylon with a special water-repellant Nano STX finish. It provides for effective shedding of rain and wet snow. The fabric itself is light and thin. The only reinforced area with a dense nylon strap is the zipper base line. The central zipper is of YKK production, all the plastic fitting accessories are exclusively by ITW Nexus. The jacket features a heat insulating layer made of the ClimaShield hydrophobic synthetic insulant that contains 90% of polyester and 10% of acrylic fiber. The insulant is distributed by areas: shoulders, sleeves, some parts of the chest and the internal flap of the central zipper, mostly those sections, which will not intersect with the vest.
The jacket style is quite simple, although there are some peculiarities. The design is provided with a voluminous hood featuring two adjustment zones, the hood is folded and stowed in a medium-size heat-insulating collar. The front section is equipped with YKK one slider zipper and insulated internal flap. The jacket sleeves are slightly extended and trimmed with expandable cuffs without possible adjusting. The external shoulder parts are trimmed with twp Velcro stripes; there are no pockets available.
I’d like to draw a special attention to the jacket lower part construction. In addition to the volume adjustment (an elastic cord with two plastic retainers) and two fortifying pads on the internal side of the zipper base line there four black plastic hooks to be able to fix the lower edge of the jacket directly to PALS straps, thus reducing the possibility of the jacket’s self-folding effect and decreasing the heat loss.
The approximate operational temperature range when the jacket had been used made from +8 up to 10 °C. The jacket had always been worn over a helmet and a plate-carrier. At the above-zero temperatures the lower layers under the plate-carrier were a thermal layer, a thin fleece sweater and a one-layer soft-shell jacket. At the temperature drop below zero the thin sweater was replaced with a fully functional third layer – dense fleece with lining. The jacket was unpacked from its stuff sack (22×9 cm), which was conveniently arranged on the PALS straps of the backpack during a prolonged on-station condition and when choosing a deliberate moving rate.
In general the HalfJak jacket has really recommended itself as a light and compact wear gear of a high quality level. It provided for reducing of the lower temperature exploration and precipitation impact and also protected from the possible cold-effected illnesses, what may result from a quick cooling down.
