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The Outside Men's and Womens insulated jacket range
Which insulated jacket for me?
Down or synthetic? That is the question. There is now a great array of insulated jackets with either type of insulation. Some are made to keep you toasty up Everest and others are made to take the edge of a stiff breeze on an English summer's day. Do you want an emergency layer when out walking in the Peak District in the spring or do you want an emergency layer when Scottish winter climbing? Are you going to be stood around all day, never more than 20 minutes walk from the car? Or are you going to be aiming to be on the move all the time, stopping only ever briefly to eat or drink?
When do you use an insulated jacket?
When you are stopped. There are not many activities that take place whilst wearing an insulated jacket. The only time that you might actually do something in an insulated jacket is when the activity is either so low exertion that you are generating almost no heat (walking the dog) or doing something in an incredibly cold environment (climbing Everest).
What are the Pros and Cons of Synthetic versus down insulation?
Synthetic
Pros - Very resistant to moisture. Dries quickly and stays warm when wet. Does not require specialist cleaning. Cheaper than down jackets.
Cons - Shorter lifespan than down as loft degrades faster and cannot be reinvigorated. Bigger pack size and significantly heavier than down.
Down
Down Pros - Best warmth to weight ratio. Packs down far smaller. Down can be specially cleaned, extending a jackets lifespan greatly. More comfortable to wear than synthetic which can get a little bit clammy.
Cons - There are three problems with Down. It is not warm when wet, takes a long time to dry and it is more expensive compared to synthetically filled jackets.
How do I compare different jackets?
Synthetic jackets
Fill type - - Insulations like Primaloft 1, Primaloft Sport, Thermolite and Climashield are found in jackets made by North Face, Hagloffs, Rab, Patagonia etc. These synthetic insulations really are better than cheaper, small name alternatives in terms of life span, and warmth for weight.
Fill Weight - With synthetic insulation the heavier the fill weight the warmer it will be.
Jacket shape and design - A more expensive jacket will be better constructed with lighter, stronger materials. Make sure that the jacket is not too baggy as this will make it hard for your body to heat the air trapped in the insulation and between the jackets inside and your skin. There are often features that separate jackets from each other. Patagonia jackets often have big stowage pockets on the inside for drying gloves on belays for example. These things are worth looking for.
Recently come to the fore as more climbers understand their potential as a crucial extra layer and as the jackets and their insulation improve. These jackets are made to be worn over a potentially wet shell jacket on belays. They are lightweight/low bulk (compared to fleece) hardy (warm when wet/dry fast/insulation wont flood out if torn), featured (hoods, hand warmer pockets, easy to use zips etc) and windproof. For the real mountain environment they are much more practical than anything down related. They offer important guarantees that they won't fail in bad weather and are there in case there is an emergency.
Compression and weight - Smaller the better, lighter the better.
Pack down size - Smaller the better
Outer fabric - This should be wind proof and quick drying. Beware: Many outers to synthetically insulated jackets are very then and vulnerable. These fabrics are very fast drying because they are so thin however are prone to tearing. They are built on the principle that you will be stopped when you use them and so are not made to the same hardy specs as a shell jacket. Duct tape, McNett tenacious tape or proper fabric patches are a good idea to have available at the end of the day in the car or at base camp.
Price - A more expensive jacket will be better built, last longer, be lighter due to more efficient use of materials. You get what you pay for.
Down Jackets
Fill Power - The volume of a tube a certain weight of down will fill with a set weight resting on top of it. Higher fill power = more loft. More loft=more trapped air in the down. More trapped air in down=more warmth.
Jacket temp ratings should not really be trusted as everyone has a different concept of what warm is. Before temp ratings a climber would know that for them a 900g down jacket of 500 fill or above would be good enough for belaying at the crag all through a British winter. If they went to the Alps they knew that this jacket would be too heavy so they would go for a lighter jacket with a fill of 750 or more that would be as warm. This is still an excellent system. It does however rely on a degree of personal experience (judging what weight and fill you need). If you do not have this, talk to friends and shop staff.
400 - Budget bedding insulation
500 - Used in the cheaper down bags.
600 - More expensive due to scarcity, good quality.
700 - Pretty expensive, high quality goose down.
800 - The very best, very expensive, hard to obtain.
900 - So good that you should be sceptical that they are telling the truth.
Beware - The way of testing fill power is different in every country and often between manufacturers. This comes from differences in the size of tubes used, size of down samples used and the amount of weight the down has on top of it in the tube. UK designed and tested bags use the 'Lorch' test to measure the fill which means all UK bags are standardised and comparable.
How can I get around this confusion if I'm trying to compare UK designed and tested bags with international jackets?
Go to manufacturer web sites; look for yourself at their testing systems. Instead of comparing 4 x 500 fill rated jackets, you need to compare 4 x manufacturer ranges. With each range find the jacket that most suits your needs according to the manufacturer's specs. If you are dealing with reputable manufacturers they will make all this clear to you. You will still have 4 jackets to compare but they might not all have the same specs on the tag in terms of fill power, loft, etc. Another way to ease comparisons is to only compare bags designed and tested in the UK where the 'Lorch' test means that all fill ratings are standardised.
Compression and Weight - The lighter the better the smaller the better. It's always a good idea to pack a jacket down before you buy it if you are going to be doing anything where weight and pack size are going to be important.
As climbers we are naturally averse to rain. Therefore it is unlikely we will venture out if it's sheeting it down. For sitting around belaying in the dry, in the UK, from November to May, a down jacket is unbeatable. For bouldering they are also brilliant where you have long rests and brief periods of frantic exertion. Synthetic jackets can not yet match the warmth from a good downie.
If for any reason you happen to head abroad (where it doesn't rain but snows) to any mountains, a down jacket quickly becomes indispensible for doing all the things that are base camp related. Cooking, walking around, going to the toilet etc.
Outer fabric - Water resistant or water proof? - The more weather proof a jacket is the more it will weigh and cost. Water resistant breathable fabrics are commonplace these days. Pertex outers or similar mean that your jacket can be used in slightly damp conditions but anything more than this and the down will loose loft and warmth. Fully taped or partially taped waterproof outers are becoming more common but obviously at a much higher price. They offer a much greater degree of weather proofing but unfortunately never really seem to genuinely keep the water out if it really gets rainy. This is in part due to the fact that the jackets have holes (neck, arms, etc) which let in water but also because they have much thicker shell fabric and this reduces the downs ability to loft. The heavier fabric and the lessening of the downs ability to loft mean a jacket is less able to shed moisture produced by your own body. It is up to the individual to decide what the greater danger is; water from the inside or out.
Jacket Shape and Design - This is important. Your down jacket traps air in the down and between the inside of jacket and your skin. Air is a great insulator and your body needs to warm it up. If there is too much space between you and your down jacket you will not be able to warm it up and your jacket will not be as efficient. If you can't find a jacket to fit you it is worth looking into bespoke manufacturers of jackets.
Price - With down jackets this really is a good indicator of what you are buying. There are aspects of production that are hard to indicate statistically on the tag. These relate to the processing of the down. An in depth look at this is beyond the scope of this article but processing has a massive impact on the effectiveness and longevity of the down in your jacket. European down is often better washed, plucked, dried, sorted and blended when compared to Chinese down. It will last much longer, be much more resilient and deal with re cleaning better than cheaper down.
Athelete: Renan Ozturk Location: Trango Valley, Pakistan © Tim Kemple, The North Face
