I am looking to buy an insulating down or fiber jacket to put on when I am standing still. Which jacket would you recommend in terms of lightness, warmth and durability? It will mainly be used in the winter in Denmark, which is around -5 to 5 celcius degrees. Should I choose down or synthetic filling?
Insulating jacket
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Tweed Man
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Synthetic mate, if the weather gets above 0 degrees c then it will likely turn wet and that will ruin the downs insulating properties mate, it will be slightly heaver and bulkier, but the "warm when wet" benifits outweigh the weight, you may also want to have a look at pile and pertex garments
But as I understand it, synthetic fill won't warm very much when whet, am I right? And if the outer is waterproof, won't down be just as effective?
I've never managed to get anything so wet that it doesn't insulate so can't speak from experience, but I do think the down vs synth when wet argument is a bit out of date now. Most decent brands make down clothing with a weather resistant outer shell for a start, if you're stood around in heavy rain without a proper outer shell on then you deserve to get wet anyway
I've heard synthetic doesn't insulate that well when wet either but never been there thank god, unless it was the only layer of clothing I had then there's no reason to let it get that bad anyway.
Down will clump together when wet whereas synthetic will stay in it's original shape, how they compare when wet I'm not sure.
normal down when wet provides no insulation just clumps or porridge. Also very hard to dry, really it requires the use of a tumble drier and some insulation is lost for ever after that happens. However you can get hydrophobic down now which prevents some of this happening. Synthetic insulation varies by brand, in my experience it always retains some warmth and dries quicker. Primaloft is very impressive. I took my rab generator out of the wash with no spin and it had hardly any water it in ans lofted almost as well as when dry.
Look at snugpak, the jackets are one of the best things they do, the sleeka is probably OK but I have the sasquatch because I like to be very cosy when just sat around, I also found I could walk with it on and zips open up to about 2 - 3 degrees.
Look at snugpak, the jackets are one of the best things they do, the sleeka is probably OK but I have the sasquatch because I like to be very cosy when just sat around, I also found I could walk with it on and zips open up to about 2 - 3 degrees.
Thanks for the answers, I understand that I should probably look at a jacket with synthetic filling. Anyone have any experience with Nanok?
I had one their bags for a while, it was good but obviously bulky
Primaloft is the way to go, you'll probably want 100g filling around the torso for those kind of temps. Montane do a good range, I really rate the Fireball smock
Scots_Charles_River
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Decathlon do very good cheap synthetic jackets. A new one has lycra/fleece at joints for easier movement.
I have a Berghaus Synthetic down, primaloft, Belay jacket. They are designed to go on top of whatever you are wearing eg a hardshell, when you top out or are setting up and about to belay - standing around not moving for 30mins +. If it's wet it does still stay warm. It's pertex so is showerproof. It stays in my daybag/drybag when canoeing all year and as a backup when canoe coaching if someone gets cold.
Before that, I had a Down smock, RAB, with a pertex outer. It's very warm. Ideal as a 'last resort' jacket winter climbing. It is used now to fire on scraping the car windscreen on frosty days, before my 6min commute to school. The inner is a lovely silky smooth pertex but the outer has become 'crackly', seems to have lost it's some of it's flexible nature. It's about 8 years old.
I have a Berghaus Synthetic down, primaloft, Belay jacket. They are designed to go on top of whatever you are wearing eg a hardshell, when you top out or are setting up and about to belay - standing around not moving for 30mins +. If it's wet it does still stay warm. It's pertex so is showerproof. It stays in my daybag/drybag when canoeing all year and as a backup when canoe coaching if someone gets cold.
Before that, I had a Down smock, RAB, with a pertex outer. It's very warm. Ideal as a 'last resort' jacket winter climbing. It is used now to fire on scraping the car windscreen on frosty days, before my 6min commute to school. The inner is a lovely silky smooth pertex but the outer has become 'crackly', seems to have lost it's some of it's flexible nature. It's about 8 years old.
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My generator is a few years old, it was very thin then. It is about the warmth of a fleece but windproof and packs much smaller. Its great for climbing, clip it on the harness and then when you get to the top it keeps you a bit warmer belaying. But I would say for general sitting around camp its not thick enough but I thhink primaloft is great. Keela do a belay jacket that is simple and a bit thinker which may suite your needs.
The snugpak jackets are generally thicker and more designed for sitting around, ie army in camp or on stag. very similar to the nanok jackets which I have heard are also good.
To clarify the abouve I saw a new rab in a shop a few weeks ago which seemed to be thicker then mine which may be more suitable. I think rab stuff is great.
Sometime you dont know what life will throw at you, one week after ice off we sank a boat in the middle of nowhere in Canada, that was no biggie except for the fact that all our stuff was soaked including us. I was well impressed how quickly I dried out and got warm again, my primaloft jacket went from being wet from swimming in ice cold water to just reasonably damp and surprisingly comfortable given the circumstance! I think if it was down I would have been miserable!
Synthetic when wet will usually retain its ability to keep you warm better than wool or down when wet, so the choice of jacket really depends on your choice of outer shell to keep rain at bay.
I'd go for fibre pile of some sort. Buffalo, Montane, Snugpk or Arktis do variations, I'm a fan of Buffalo and Montane.
Scots_Charles_River
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Interestingly - The Coldest Journey- have a custom pile sledge jacket by MONTANE. http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/gear-blog/montanes-coldest-journey-sledge-jacket/10329.html
Down is the filling of choice when the mercury drops below -10 Celsius or when weight is an issue. Synthetic fillings are popular with climbers who climb in Scottish winter conditions. They will have to deal with spindrift and fluctuating temperatures, usually a degree or two either side of zero Celsius.
For many years most mountaineering jackets were a snug fit, designed to fit a slim, athletic figure closely to reduce excess airspace and to allow the jacket to be made as light as possible using the minimum of material. Using such a tight fitting jacket necessitated the climber to remove his outer layer, put on the insulating jacket then replace the outer layer. This is inconvenient especially when hanging off the side of a mountain in a winter blizzard.
Modern insulating jackets (well, those made specifically for climbers) are now designed to be worn over the outer 'shell' layer and are therefore a fairly loose fit. They often have a highly weatherproof outer layer though are usually not fully waterproof. They will use the latest construction techniques in order to keep the weight to a minimum. These features come at a premium and are not needed by the casual wearer. They are often called 'belay jackets' as their main use is keeping a stationary climber warm whilst he/she is belaying their partner.
As a mountaineer I own many such jackets, both synthetic and down filled but for day-to-day use (i.e. bushcrafting) I use either a Snugpak Softie or an old Rab Peak vest. Both are fantastic jackets.
For many years most mountaineering jackets were a snug fit, designed to fit a slim, athletic figure closely to reduce excess airspace and to allow the jacket to be made as light as possible using the minimum of material. Using such a tight fitting jacket necessitated the climber to remove his outer layer, put on the insulating jacket then replace the outer layer. This is inconvenient especially when hanging off the side of a mountain in a winter blizzard.
Modern insulating jackets (well, those made specifically for climbers) are now designed to be worn over the outer 'shell' layer and are therefore a fairly loose fit. They often have a highly weatherproof outer layer though are usually not fully waterproof. They will use the latest construction techniques in order to keep the weight to a minimum. These features come at a premium and are not needed by the casual wearer. They are often called 'belay jackets' as their main use is keeping a stationary climber warm whilst he/she is belaying their partner.
As a mountaineer I own many such jackets, both synthetic and down filled but for day-to-day use (i.e. bushcrafting) I use either a Snugpak Softie or an old Rab Peak vest. Both are fantastic jackets.
Modern down jackets are usually water resistant to some extent. Ive got a Mountain Hardwear Subzero Jacket, and the shell is made of Conduit SL, which is the same material they use on their bivi bags. Ive had no problem with it getting soaked. The problem with down IMO, is that its too warm for the temp range you described. Personally i wouldnt wear it above zero degrees.
Have you considered getting a jacket and paring it up with a hardshell? It could be down, wool, fleece, other synthetics, etc...The choice is yours. Throw on a hardshell, and you wont have to worry about rain or wind.
Ive been warm in zero degrees with long sleeve Helly Hansen, microfleece, wool sweater and a hardshell. And that was right after i crawled out of the sleepingbag with no activity to aid in keeping me warm.
Have you considered getting a jacket and paring it up with a hardshell? It could be down, wool, fleece, other synthetics, etc...The choice is yours. Throw on a hardshell, and you wont have to worry about rain or wind.
Ive been warm in zero degrees with long sleeve Helly Hansen, microfleece, wool sweater and a hardshell. And that was right after i crawled out of the sleepingbag with no activity to aid in keeping me warm.
Thanks for the answers everyone. I have been looking at the Keela Belay Smock, which I have only heard good about, and it isn't very expensive. Does anyone know how much it weighs?
