What you need to know about insulated jackets
Down or Synthetic? That is the question.
There is 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 off a stiff breeze on an English summer's day. Knowing what activity you will be doing is important to getting the right insulated jacket.
Outside's range of down and synthetic jackets:
Men's down jackets / Women's down jackets
Men's synthetic fill jackets / Women's synthetic fill jackets
When do you use an insulated jacket?
Not many activities 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 low exertion that you are generating almost no heat (walking the dog) or doing something in an incredibly cold environment (climbing Everest). Belaying is the preferred use for an insulated jacket when climbing.
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
Pros - Best warmth to weight ratio. Packs down far smaller. Down can be specially cleaned, extending a jacket's 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 expensive compared to synthetically filled jackets.
How do I compare different jackets?
Synthetic jackets
Fill type - Insulation like Primaloft 1, Primaloft Sport, Thermolite and Climashield are found in jackets made by North Face, Haglofs, 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 - The lighter, stronger and better constructed will be more expensive. Make sure that the jacket is not too baggy, 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.
The Belay Jacket
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 won't 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 down. 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 size - Smaller the better
Outer fabric - This will be windproof and quick drying. Beware: Many outers to synthetically insulated jackets are very thin and light. These fabrics are fast drying due to their thinness, however they are prone to wearing on rough rock, or tearing on a wayward ice pick (easily done when climbing) or bramble (because you probably will end up using your belay jacket for some winter rock-climbing too).
Down Jackets
Fill Power - Higher fill power = more loft. More loft = more trapped air in the down. More trapped air in down = more warmth.
Weight and Fill Power Combined
Everyone has a different concept of warmth therefore jacket temperature ratings should should be taken with a pinch of salt. 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 through British winter. If they went to the Alps they knew this would be too heavy so they would go for a lighter jacket with a fill of 750 or more. This relies on a degree of experience. 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 skeptical that they are telling the truth.
Beware - The way of testing fill power is different in every country and often between manufacturers. UK designed and tested bags use the 'Lorch' test to measure the fill which means all UK bags are standardised and comparable.
Compression and Weight - The lighter and smaller, the better. It's a good idea to pack a jacket down before buying, if you are going to be doing anything where weight and pack size are going to be important.
Britain is wet! When can I use a down jacket?
Climbers are unlikely to venture out in the rain. 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 heading abroad (where it doesn't rain but snows) to any mountains, a down jacket quickly becomes indispensable for doing all the things that are base camp related.
Other things to consider when buying a down jacket
Outer fabric - Water resistant or water proof? - The more weatherproof a jacket is the more it will weigh and cost, water resistant breathable fabrics are commonplace. Pertex outers or similar mean that your jacket can be used in slightly damp conditions, however the down will loose loft and warmth if wet.
Fully taped or partially taped waterproof outers are becoming more common but obviously at a much higher price. They offer a greater degree of weatherproofing but unfortunately never quite keeps the water out, due to the fact that the jackets have much thicker shell fabric reducing the down's ability to loft, consequently it is less able to shed moisture produced. It is up to the individual to decide what the greater danger is; water from the inside or out.
Jacket Shape and Design - Your down jacket traps air in the down 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.
Price - This 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 cleaning better than cheaper down.