Already at the beginning of the year, the company WILD announced, on the occasion of Enforce Tac 2026, the expansion of its military range. Now, at last, the clothing solutions are available.
WILD: “Cold is our Normal!”
The Finnish company WILD Lapland Products / Sisux OY was founded in 1966 and promotes the slogan “Cold is our Normal!”. Based in Muonio, a small, peaceful community located more than 250 km north of the Arctic Circle. In winter, temperatures there can easily fall below -35°C. WILD produces cold-protective clothing for people who live and work under these Arctic conditions. Since 1966, corresponding clothing solutions have been supplied to rescue services in Lapland, among others. Impress Markets GmbH, based in Westerngrund, handles the distribution of WILD and other brands, such as TACKOTA.
The military line has now been expanded with the rain-protective HAUKKA jacket and pants, as well as the cold-protective RAIVO jacket. At the beginning-of-year announcement, the jacket was still referred to under the name TAIGA.
Now the RAIVO is finally here, and can show what it can do. According to WILD, it is “probably” the weatherproofest and most robust down jacket they make. When it comes to military cold-protection jackets and the topic of down, many people are initially wary. Because most down jackets turn into a wet cloth when it rains and feathers fly at the first contact with brush. If a down filling becomes wet, it loses a significant portion of its warmth. Therefore, WILD uses TacDown down without cold bridges. This technology bridges a synthetic insulation on one side and a cambered-down fill on the other. For certain products and applications, pure synthetic insulation, wool, or their own aerogel-based insulation are used as well.
But the fact remains that when a normal down, like the one used in bedding, gets really wet, it collapses, hardly insulating, and takes longer to dry. But for down to do that, it has to be submerged underwater and stay there for a long time. Down is naturally hydrophobic and repels water. It can absorb about 12% of its own weight in moisture without losing insulation. The saturation point where down starts to collapse comes much, much later. In addition, it is not only the down that insulates, but also the air bound within it! The decisive factor for good insulation is the moisture contained in that air.
And on the topic of humidity in the insulation, WILD says: “Down clearly has advantages over synthetic fiber. It cannot absorb water, and therefore humidity is quickly very high inside a synthetic fiber. Water is conductive, meaning an extremely good heat conductor. Not exactly what I want in my insulation. An example many know is a three-season sleeping bag made of synthetic fiber. I slide into the sleeping bag and at first there is a heat buildup. It feels incredibly warm.”
In TacDown, the down is mixed in a special machine with synthetic fibers – about 20% – and then baked, so to speak. The synthetic fiber melts and a padding is formed, very much like a synthetic insulation. The advantage is that this down can now be processed exactly like synthetic fiber, which saves seams and time. Through this binding, the down cannot slip or clump. That means fewer cold bridges, and TacDown dries four to five times faster than a classic down construction, according to WILD.
And this is where the military world enters. TacDown does not dry as quickly as synthetic fiber, but significantly faster than ordinary down, and the advantages of the down remain. The user does not overheat, stays warmer longer and is therefore able to remain operational longer.
In addition to the 110-gram TacDown insulation/fill, the RAIVO jacket uses a 37.5 ActiBreath membrane with a 20,000 mm water column. That means rain stays out, sweat may escape. Complemented by an innovative and permanently water-repellent textile coating EMPL-DWR (DWR = Durable Water Repellent) from Green Theme International (GTT). According to the manufacturer, this is extremely environmentally friendly, as the technology works completely without the use of water in application and is PFAS-free (without harmful fluorocarbons). And it offers a better depth bond, as the manufacturer claims. Unlike traditional spray-impermeants, which only sit on the surface and are easily washed out, EMPEL is bound directly under pressure and heat to the individual textile fibers at the microfibre level. The treatment offers, compared to many conventional DWR processes, an exceptionally long service life and excellent beading performance. In other words, the user basically never needs to reproof. And since no water-based emulsifiers remain on the fabric, the breathability of the underlying membranes is not impaired.
The RAIVO jacket is designed for temperatures from -20 to +10 °C, according to the manufacturer. But according to the inhabitants of Lapland, this is more of a transition-weather jacket. The manufacturer states that this down jacket is for people who prefer to push their equipment to the limits rather than pamper it – it is waterproof, extremely breathable, and virtually indestructible. It is available in black, stone gray olive, Army Green and Winter-M05.
Water protection from WILD
With the HAUKKA rain-protection line, the WILD product developers had the mission to build a hard-shell solution that is as minimalist and light as possible so that it can always be with you, but so incredibly robust that it can laugh off a Finnish snowstorm. According to the manufacturer, the result was the HAUKKA. An ultralight, compact beast of a jacket or pants that will ruthlessly keep your back protected in the wilderness.
The HAUKKA is cleanly designed or simply designed so that it does not appear bulky in everyday life, and thanks to its extremely small packing size, fits into any backpack, no matter how full.
The rain-protection jacket and pants HAUKKA are a three-layer hard shell with a Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane. According to the manufacturer, the jacket offers a 20,000 mm water column and is breathable thanks to the membrane (20,000 MVTR). Other equipment features include a fully adjustable hood with a visor, two roomy chest pockets, as well as ventilation via zippers under the arms. The drawstrings can be operated with one hand, the other hand being free for the weapon or other equipment. The wire bail of the storm hood is bent into shape by the user, and the wet gloves can be clicked to the WILD loop with a carabiner.
A corresponding rain-protective pant is also offered. If the ascent becomes extreme, the 2-way zipper, which runs almost the entire length of the leg, can be opened, and the ventilation ensures that the lower abdomen does not stay soaked. The pant has the same technical properties as the jacket in terms of waterproofness and breathability.
In addition, the pants offer an integrated, smart waist adjustment. No belt is necessary, which would press into the flesh from a backpack. Once tightened, it sits. In addition, fully adjustable suspenders made of extremely robust material ensure the correct length and sufficient space in the crotch area.
The rain protection is currently available in Stone Gray Olive as well as M05 Snow. Additionally, the outer material is claimed by the manufacturer to be extremely quiet.
Author: André Forkert, Defense Editor
