Review: UF PRO – Delta ComPac Jacket
Introduction
Last year UF PRO released a new loft jacket – the Delta ComPac tactical winter jacket. Designed to be packable in itself, it can be easily stored in your pack, car etc. Having a decent Winter with snow and cold temperatures, it was a no-brainer for me to upgrade my wardrobe and give you a more detailed look. So here we go: the UF PRO Delta Compac.
As always a quick overview with specs, before we go into more detail.
Overview
The UF PRO Delta Compac Jacket is a lightweight and easy to pack loft jacket, which can be carried with you to provide warmth whenever needed. It is packable in its inner pocket, highly compressible and thus reduced to only the most needed features, while using several smart design solutions. With 110g/m2 of G-Loft insulation, a windproof and water repellent outer shell, it is a valuable and reliable piece of equipment.
Specs
- Materials: 100% Nylon (outer shell), 100% polyester (fleece), YKK zippers
- Filling: 110 g/m2 G-Loft
- Weight: 0,82 kg (size L)
The UF PRO Delta ComPac Jacket
The Delta ComPac is a straightforward practical loft jacket, using 110g/m2 G-Loft, which makes it suitable for temperatures down to -10 degrees Celsius. The emphasis is on it being extremely packable – in order to do so, the designers did not include extensive features.
Using a light 100% Nylon material, the outer shell is made windproof and water repellent (don’t mistake that for waterproof – this is not a hardshell).
Looking at the built up, I can be very brief in explaining the layout. You will find two hand pockets on the left and right; zippered with YKK zippers and shock cord on the inside to adjust the waist. Cord Locks inside the jacket will further keep the tension of the cord. The pockets are insulated, as the G-loft is within the outer layer of the pocket – a nice detail, which some jackets of other companies do not feature.
Side pockets 
Shock cord for waist adjustment
The sleeves feature elastic cuffs and on the upper arm velcro covers with pen slots. These slots have a reinforced entry, so you can rest assured that pen clips won’t do any big damage.
Velcro panel with pen slot 
Closer look at reinforcement
Looking at the hood you will find a high and insulated collar, as well as plenty of insulation within the hood. The hood itself features the Hood/Harness system by UF PRO. This is basically the skeleton of a cap which is fully detachable using velcro.
Hood with adjusters 
Hood/Harness system detached
When in use, it guarantees that the user can move his head without his/her view being obstructed by the hood.
In the collar of the hood a shock cord is hidden. Using webbing tabs on the sides, you can further tighten the collar. This was so well hidden, that I did not even realize it at first. The cord not only tightens the opening of the hood, but also the neck, which adds to the better fit.
Two more nice features, which are worth mentioning: there is a fleece liner for the neck, which is always adding to the comfort of a loft jacket – especially if you take it out of the cold backpack and the shell material is just as cold. You can also find fleece material in the hood, where it touches the forehead.
Fleece in the collar 
Fleece in the front of the hood
And there is a loop to be able to hang the jacket on a hook – this may sound ridiculous, but in my opinion there is nothing more annoying than not being able to properly hang your jacket somewhere.
On the inside you will find a large pocket. This can be used for whatever objects you want to carry with you, but more importantly it is there to store the jacket in itself and transport it in your pack. A little loop in there would be nice to help turn it inside out and hang the package somewhere, but maybe that will come with Gen. 2.
Inner pocket for selfstorage 
Jacket packed – 7″ Ka-Bar and 500ml Nalgene for scale
Other details worth mentioning: The large frontal zipper features a windstop, which works noticeably. There is also a large flap on top to prevent any snagging of the zipper with your beard or chin.
What I also noticed is that the waist is reinforced with another type of fabric on the inside. This will guarantee a longer lifetime of the waist.
Manufacture
The level of manufacture is top notch as one might expect from UF PRO. The company always had clean and tight stitching and the materials used are among the best you can get.
As always the attention to detail is fascinating – even with a very straight forward design like this. The reinforcements in the waist, the hidden cordlocks in the neck, the fleece in the collar. Excellent solutions,which increase practicality and useability.
Sizing of the Delta ComPac
The sizing of the UF PRO Delta ComPac jacket is very straight and only slightly body contoured. I would urge you to make use of the size calculator at the UF PRO homepage to get the right size, as these run small! While I am usually in between Medium and Large, depending on jackets being a European or American cut, I learned to always go with the larger size with UF PRO.
Being 1,80m tall and currently 82kg heavy, I even went with size XL this time, to guarantee a comfortable fit – as loft jackets shouldn’t be tight. Also, I recently had the chance to try on a size L and was happy I went with the bigger size. While size L fit me snugly, it felt a bit restricting around the shoulders.
So when in doubt, go one size up. If you like that comfortable baggy style, two sizes up won’t kill you as it is a well designed jacket with plenty of features to tighten everything down.
The UF PRO Delta ComPac In Use
The jacket came just in time to use it for my winter camouflage field tests, which required me to hike to several places in temperatures down to -11°C. While doing so, I usually had a Merino Baselayer and Sweater underneath the jacket.
Usually I am the type of person who quickly gets cold and tends to dress up like an onion in several layers. With the UF PRO Delta ComPac jacket I always felt toasty warm and constantly thought about getting rid of a layer. The jacket itself is extremely comfortable and also breathable – something that I cannot say about all of the jackets I recently got from various companies.
I was also able to observe how the materials actually transport sweat/moisture to the outside, leaving the inside quite dry. The outer Nylon shell feels sturdier than expected from a jacket that is meant to be compressed to a small pillow when packed away. It does withstand the basic underbrush in the forest, but one needs to be careful with thorns.
The hood looks a bit off, but wraps around the head extremely well. Using the hood/harness system for the head makes it even better. I already wrote about this feature and can only recommend it, as it improves wear comfort and prevents the hood from blocking your vision.
Having the UF PRO Delta ComPac with me during the nightly hikes back home, gave me a feeling of security. While this may sound very cheesy, outdoor enthusiasts and military professionals will know what I mean. As soon as you have this jacket in use, you will understand its worth and quality. I can confidently say that this is a mission critical piece of equipment.
Conclusion
I had to think about the saying “nomen est omen”. The UF PRO Delta ComPac is not only made to be packable and compact, while delivering outstanding warmth when needed, it also delivers on that intent.
This was not designed to give you 100 pockets, while sporting through the urban jungle (even though I will mostly use it for that as well), but to provide you with a lightweight and packable backup to give you that extra insulation when needed.
Using high end materials and an excellent design, UF PRO proved once again to deliver a product you can count on.
With that being said, I want to thank you all for reading. Many thanks to UF PRO for making this review possible!
Take care!
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