Arksen isn’t like other clothing brands, and that’s probably because they’re not really a clothing brand. Sure, they make clothes, but they also make off-road utility vehicles & 90ft yachts. See, where most brands are formed to produce material things, Arksen wasn’t. It was founded to push its users towards adventure. To produce memories.
And we think that’s pretty refreshing, living in a world where adventure is becoming increasingly scarce.
Two and a half million years ago, every meal could’ve been your last; today, you can peel back the film on a packaged meal with three million ingredients and have a somewhat enjoyable experience. It’s not that adventure has disappeared, it’s just that modern life has done a very good job of hiding it.
Thankfully, though, Arksen is doing their bit to help us rediscover it. Pushing all of us away from the microwave and towards the campfire. It’s more of a philosophy than a brand – one that uses clothing, vehicles, and boats to reconnect people with nature.
Perhaps surprisingly for such a mature brand, Arksen isn’t that old. Founded in 2019 by Jasper Smith, Arksen was never about making just great gear (and it is properly great); it was about making adventure accessible once again.
And when we say adventure, we’re not just on about weekend hikes. Jasper’s adventure catalogue spans Alpine road trips in a cardboard box, childhoods spent on a sailing barge on the Thames, and Arctic expeditions with his own children decades later. All of the wisdom gained through these experiences has been infused into every stitch of Arksen’s gear.
We recently had the pleasure of taking some of those stitches for field testing – swapping icebergs for the rugged tranquillity of Dovestone Reservoir, nestled deep in the Peak District. A beautiful place with the typical North Western trait of having the weather change almost as often as your 4G drops out.
Transitional weather, or simply unpredictable weather, is something that every British citizen is familiar with, not least the ones that live off a staple diet of pies, gravy and barm cakes. If you live in the North and even think of leaving the house for ten minutes without a waterproof jacket, gloves and storm shelter packed, you should most definitely think again. The weather here can change in an instant.
But it’s this transitional weather which affirms what parts of a Northerner’s wardrobe are the most thumbed – lightweight rain jackets, hooded smocks, GORE-TEX trainers and waterproof caps.
Now, prior to our Dovestone excursion, we knew Arksen’s gear was going to hold up. It’s designed for much more hostile environments than the Peak District, after all – but what really surprised us was just how seamlessly it all blended in…
Obviously, it’s all highly technical lightweight garb, but that doesn’t come at the cost of wearability and comfort, making it all extremely suited to the North West. Jackets you can throw on and forget you’re wearing, trousers that can withstand several puddles and fleeces that look just at home on the peak as they do in the pub.
We were genuinely taken by the quality of all of the Arksen products we tested, but there was a handful of bits which stood out as being particularly suited to our Northern stomping grounds…
Firstly, the Limosa Track Jacket, a breathable softshell layer with laser-cut underarm ventilation you’d expect to see on an expedition, but on a minimal silhouette that wouldn’t look out of place at the warm-down segment of most Northern Quarter run clubs.
Alongside the Track Jacket was the Clao Thermal Sweatshirt, a mid-layer built for movement – comfy, but not bulky; functional, but not overengineered. Then, for the fleeting moments when the sun did actually appear, we found ourselves fighting for the Staran Tech Shorts and Virga Tech T-Shirt – a duo of vented sportswear that was almost too nice to sweat in. But we did anyway.
Aside from making functional gear suitable for both the Peaks and the Poles, Arksen has a firm stance on sustainability and ethical practices. From premium materials that reduce waste and increase longevity, to initiatives like 10% for the Ocean, a registered charity set up by the brand to increase global ocean conservation funding tenfold.
Even the brand’s marine customers are asked to pledge a portion of their sea time to scientific research or educational causes. It’s not just about enjoying the natural world, it’s about protecting it for the next generation of explorers.
And we’ll be honest – when Arksen first reached out, we felt a bit of imposter syndrome. These lot are building boats that sail around Greenland. But as soon as we had the gear in hand, any doubts vanished.
Every piece feels like it’s had as much time spent on it as a luxury vessel. The craftsmanship is absurd. The functionality is flawless. And yet, there’s an understated elegance that makes it all incredibly wearable – whether you’re chasing northern lights or the last train home from North Wales.
Oh yeah, we nearly forgot to mention, the brand is offering 20% off exclusively for our readers. Isn’t that nice?
For 20% off, use the code: PROPERGEAR20 at Arksen.com
