The story behind our extreme winter jackets

Already at the age of 12 product developer, adventurer, and dog musher Sebastian Plur Nilssen had his first experience with freezing. Sebastian was all alone at a midwinter expedition at the Polar plateau with his dog Felix, suffering through a very cold night.

- I froze for hours. That was the first time I realized how the equipment can affect your experience.

The expedition gear he used back then was poor quality, but as Sebastian obtained better quality gear and more experience, he could enjoy the trips more. That also allowed him to push his boundaries and conquer his fears.

- The difference between a successful and a failed expedition often lies in the tiniest details.

The passion to always improve and develop functional, durable gear was born in this moment.

Lifesaving

Since then, Sebastian has been on several multi-day expeditions and sled dog races in the Arctic region. This has given him first-hand experience with the challenges you can face in extreme weather and how your gear can make a difference in life and death.

In 2008 Sebastian turned his interest in product development into a living by becoming one of the founding members of Non-stop dogwear. Together with some of the World’s best dog mushers, he has developed gear for active dogs and their owners for more than a decade.

- Dog mushers have an extreme lifestyle. Every day they deal with massive variations in temperature and activity levels. A musher will stand still on the sled for hours, then suddenly run for kilometers uphill to support his/her dogs without a chance to change clothes. That is why they need sturdy and versatile clothes. I saw the need for a good jacket but did not find any that fit our needs. That is why I decided to sew my own. The fabrics must withstand wear and tear from the dogs’ claws as well as vegetation, without weighing too much. Large pockets and practical details like a protective hood and attachment loops for mittens and other light gear is some of the features.

As a result of years of testing and development, down jackets Arctic jakka 3.0, and the versatile winter anorak Tundra anojakka became reality.

Thoroughly tested

Both winter jackets have been tested and used by athletes like Iditarod winners Dallas Seavey and Thomas Wærner at sled dog races in Alaska and Norway.

Race vets in Finnmarksløpet were also equipped with prototypes of our down jackets in 2018. 30 veterinarians tested the prototype of Jakka, which was later developed further to today's Arctic jakka pro and Arctic jakka pro+.

- I’m usually freezing easily, but Jakka provided me with enough warmth even in ice-cold Finnmark. The temperatures dropped to -40 degrees Celcius, but that was no problem when wearing Jakka. It has multiple pockets for almost everything. I carried veterinary equipment, my mobile phones, and extra gloves, says Karoline Kiran Lorentzen, one of the vets.

Ongoing process

Nothing is left to chance when our product developers are creating the dog gear of the future. Every single detail is thought through and thoroughly tested before launching a product.

Still - in our minds, a product is never finished.

- Product development is a continuous process. There is always room for improvement.

Do you have feedback on existing products or ideas for new ones you want us to develop in the future? Don’t hesitate to reach out to us!