Hello Ogden,
This reply may be a little late, but Im posting it in case you didnt make a decision to buy one.
I cant give you a direct answer to your question in regard to a direct comparison of the special contract version of the Nanok Endurance Special Forces Reversible Jacket and Pants, available at Genuine Army Surplus and the Nanok Arctic Jacket, as I dont own an Arctic Jacket.
However, the information on the Nanok-Tactical Web site (
http://www.nanoktactical.no/) says that the Nanok SF Reversible Jacket and Pants, the Arctic Jacket, and Shelter jacket all have the 200g/m² filling.
I have a Shelter Jacket and the Cold Weather Suit from GAS (The CWS arrived the day before yesterday) and the filling feels like the same weight to me.
In addition to the spec mentioned for the separate jacket and pants, there are the sleeping bag socks (Mentioned on the GAS site) of the same construction and filling, also there is a detachable insulated hood (Which is not mentioned).
The Nanok site mentions that there is a concealed hood in the collar (Made from the shell fabric only) which can be used as a stuff sack for the jacket. The special contract jacket from GAS also has an additional, separate, stuff sack placed in one of the jacket pockets. The pants have a single zipped rear pocket, which can be turned inside-out and used as a stuff sack for the pants. And to top it all off, the entire ensemble comes in a purpose made Nanok compression sack!
The jacket also has the long shirt tail at the rear of the jacket, and the suit seems, as far as I can determine, of an identical spec to the standard SF jacket and pants, apart from the sand coloured reversible option, rather than snow white. The pants have the full length zips on both legs.
On the matter of sizing you should be aware that the SF Reversible Jacket and the Arctic Jacket are very different in this respect, although they look almost identical. The SF jacket is intended to be worn outside other layers of clothing (My guess it would be something like thermal base layer > combat jacket/smock > Webbing > SF jacket). The Arctic jacket is intended to be closer fitting and worn UNDER a shell layer of some sort. This is an important consideration when choosing the size of the cold weather suit.
I already had a Shelter jacket (Large size) and its a good, close fit, with enough room to wear a thin thermal layer with a thin mid-layer (A Nanok Air Jacket large size just fits under the Shelter jacket).
When I ordered the Cold Weather Suit I took the gamble that because the suit is meant to fit over the top of a considerable amount of under clothing and kit (Like the standard SF reversible stuff), that the large size would probably swamp me. Im happy to report that I was right in my gamble. I ordered a medium size, and its a perfect fit. I can wear the Air Jacket under the SF Jacket, and there is room to wear long pants under the SF pants.
Ill give some of my measurements to help you choose a size to suit you:
183cm tall
104cm chest
97cm waist
84cm inside leg
75kg weight (Small boned)
42/43 Euro shoe size (The sleeping bag boots are just about right for me but if you are much over a 43 the boots are going to be too small for the length of your foot the width of the boot is generous)
The medium sized suit is almost made to measure for me.
As far as I know, and at this time, GAS still have medium and large sizes still in stock. At the current price of £49.99 which is insanely good value for the jacket and pants alone, not to mention the extras. I cant fault with anything about the suit, or the service at GAS (I sent Chris an email via their Web site facility and had a reply to my query by telephone within an hour! Seriously good customer service).
Oh, and although I cant find any information on the nature of the qualities of the shell layer fabric, it does appear to be water repellent if not actually waterproof (I took out the concealed hood in the collar, placed the hood in my cupped palm, and puddled water into the depression, and left the water there for a couple of minutes. Although the seams dont appear to be taped (Like the Shelter Jacket) there was no water penetration.
Hope this helps.
Best regards,
Paul.
PS: Ill PM you to advise you of this post in case you have unsubscribed from this thread.
PPS: Needless to say, but the suit is
seriously 'toasty'