It's getting below 0 °C in Munich again and I'm looking for cloths for Nepal. So it is about time to get a good jacket. In this article I'll have a look at Down jackets. Down Jackets are a second layer.
The three layers are:
- Underwear: A T-Shirt or something similar that is directly on your skin. Merino wool, microfibre or mixtures are common choices.
- Isolation and Humidity transport: Down jacket or fleece for keeping you warm.
- Weather Layer: Keeping wind / rain away. A softshell or a hardshell, depending on the climate.
One of their quality measures is the fill power. It measures the fluffiness in cuib. The fluffier, the more insulating a given amount is. One online source (Globetrotter) recommended 500-700 cuin for every day purposes and 650-900 cuin for expeditions and very cold temperatures.
Another quality measure of down filling is the misture. The same Globetrotter YouTube video recommended 80/20 for everyday usage and 96/4 or 95/5 for sports.
A synthetic alternative to down is PrimaLoft. It comes in 3 shapes: Gold, Silver, Black where Gold is the best and black is the worst. The weight per square meter determines how warm it is. 100 g/m² is for normal insualtion jackets; 200 g / m² is for super warm winter jackets.
Then have a look at the sewing. If it is sewed through ("durchgesteppt") or ("Boxkammer") might make a differece.
Some jackets you can package it really well where the chest pocket doubles as a stuffsack.
Features
- Buttons to close: nice for ventilation and as an alternative in case the zipper breaks
- Pockets: Front-hip, front-breast, inside - especially the inside one might be important for water or electronic devices!
- Draw chords: At the bottom of the jacket to prevent cold air from comming in
- Elastic part at the hand to make sure it closes well
Overview
The ones with green background color were recommended for Nepal.
Self-Stowing Pocket = Self-pocketing: Some jackets come with an inner pocket in which you can pack itself. Some, like the Arc'teryx Jackets, are meant to be self-pocketed into the arms.
| Product | Price↓ | Stars↑ | Ratings↑ | Weight↓ | Fill power↑ | Filling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arc'teryx Cerium LT | 336 EUR | 5 | 2 | 310g | 850 cuin | - has thumb strap (Daumenschlaufe); Camp-Jacket |
| Arc'teryx Cerium SV | 450 EUR | 5 | 2 | 410g (M) | 850 cuin | Coreloft; Gänsedaune |
| Haglöfs Essens Down Hood | 203 EUR | - | - | 335 (L) | 800 cuin | 90/10 Down; 20D; 36 g/m² |
| Montane - Quattro Fusion | 270 EUR | - | - | 472g | 800 cuin | 90/10 Down; bad review for cold |
| FJÄLLRÄVEN - Keb Expedition Down | 770 EUR | - | - | 1240g | 800 cuin | Down |
| FJÄLLRÄVEN - Keb Touring Down Jacket | 460 EUR | - | - | 600g | 800 cuin | Down |
| Mountain Hardwear - Ghost Whisperer | 300 EUR | - | - | 197g | 800 cuin | Down; Good cold review at -15°C |
| Patagonia - Down Sweater | 155 EUR | - | 0 | 359g | 800 cuin | Down |
| VAUDE - Kabru Hooded Jacket III | 250 EUR | - | - | 380g | 800 cuin | Down |
| Rab Neutrino Endurance | 340 EUR | 4.4 | 24 | 585g | 800 cuin | Gänsedaune; Good review for cold |
| Black Yak - Bakosi Jacket | 500 EUR | - | - | 483 g | 750 cuin | Primaloft Gold, Goose Down; water proof |
| Black Diamond - Forge Hoody | 180 EUR | - | - | 430g | 700 cuin | Down |
| Jack Wolfskin - Zenon Storm | 160 EUR | - | - | 435g | 700 cuin | Down |
| Salomon - Haloes Down Hoodie | 250 EUR | - | - | 480g | 700 cuin | 90/10 Down, 80 g/m² |
| Outdoor Research Transcendent | 220 EUR | 4.4 | 193 | 621g | 650 cuin | |
| Columbia Frost-Fighter | 360 EUR | 4.5 | 670 | 900g | ||
| Patagonia - Nano Puff Jacket | 210 EUR | - | - | 337g | PrimaLoft Gold; 60 g/ m² | |
| North Face Tonnerro | 200 EUR | - | 0 | ? | ||
| Yeti Virtue | 250 EUR | 5 | 2 | 998 g |
Alternatives
| Product | Price | Weight | Filling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haglöfs Essens Mimic Hood (2) | 141 EUR | 285g (L) | 48 g/m²; 30D |
| Arc'teryx Atom AR | 252 EUR | 476g | Core loft; Midlayern |
| Bergtagen Insulation Jaket M | 390 EUR | 798g (M) | 100 g/m² G-Loft Supreme; Self-pocketing |
| Bergtagen Lite Insulation Jaket M | 330 EUR | 430g (M) | 60 g/m² G-Loft Supreme |
Notes for Arc'terxy:
- SL: Good review - super light
- LT might be "light weight" (more breathable / lass wind resistant) - see review
- FL - "Fast and Light"
- AR is for All- ARound
- SV is for Severe Conditions
- Fission SV
- ZETA AR
Notes for FJÄLLRÄVEN:
- Bergtagen is the new collection, Keb is the old one.
Comments (source):
- Atom LT is a midlayer. I heard it best described as an ice climbing jacket.
- Cerium LT is a camp jacket.
See also
- See what down is suggested for
- https://www.packliste-reise.de/reise-equipment-test/beste-daunenjacke/
- https://www.outdoor-magazin.com/test/jacken/daunenjacken-kunstfaserjacken-test-2017.1640170.3.htm
- https://www.bergfreunde.de/basislager/test-patagonia-micro-puff/