Turn that Frown Upside DOWN

It happens every year.  The days yield to the night, the sun, exhausted by its Summer efforts, reclines lower in the sky, and the temperature drops as heat rescinds to return with the leaves.  All part of the celestial rhythm, as old as time itself.

And yet, we forget until we emerge one morning to see the ground dusted with frost, and our breath condensing in horror on the air’s chill, that we may need a warm jacket. Cue the usual mad scramble!

We think the best way to do this is to insulate yourself with down, though there are so many different types to go for it can be intimidating…

Natural or Synthetic Down?

Natural down is still the warmest per gram and most packable, though loses its loft when it gets wet, and therefore its insulatory properties.  Synthetics stay warm when wet, but tend to need more fibres to compete with the warmth of down, making them heavier and less packable.

However, this is not as big a decision as it used to be.  Numerous technologies now exist that blur the line between the two insulations; like coating down in Nikwax to make it hydrophobic and therefore resist de-lofting, or improving the loft of synthetic fibres such as in Primaloft.  Many animal welfare issues with down have been addressed by great initiatives by brands and manufacturers alike, such as Mountain Equipment’s Down Codex.

Rab do a fantastic and immensely popular range of Hydrophoic Down jackets as part of their Microlight range in a variety of styles, from normal Jackets to Alpine cuts (a bit longer and with hoods), to full blown parkas.  They come in a variety of great colourways so be sure to check them all out on our website here!

On the other side of the spectrum, our most popular synthetic range would have to be the North Face Thermoball range.  It uses Primaloft Thermoball synthetic insulation that is suprisngly light, and keeps you warm even when wet. They come in hoodless Jackets, or Hoodies

There are even hybrids of the two, such as the Arc’teryx Cerium range, which has down around your core and arms, and synthetic on high-exposure or compression elements such as shoulders and wrists to maximise efficiency.  They are available as Jackets or Hoodies.

What else to Look Out For

Many brands both synthetic AND natural down insulation, so be sure to have a look at what else is on offer.  For example, Montane, Mountain Equipment and Jack Wolfskin.

Style is obviously also important.  For this, you may be interested in Parkas – see our blog Parka Power for more details on these heavy hitters!