The 7 Finest Down Jackets for Girls of 2024

Finest Total Down Jacket for Girls

Rab Neutrino Professional – Girls’s

Down fill: 800-fill European goose down, hydrophobic Nikwax | Weight: 18.5 oz

If you happen to’re in search of absolutely the warmest down jacket on this class, the Rab Neutrino Professional stays a peak performer, 12 months after 12 months. Simply shy of an expedition parka, this thickly-filled puffy options extra-wide baffles and an exaggerated drop hem to supply further safety from even the coldest storms. It is minimize longer than comparable jackets, with added protection in all the precise locations, and adjustability in all places we wished it. Cleverly designed sleeves enable for higher motion, particularly for actions like mountaineering and mountaineering, retaining you comfy whereas shifting in excessive temperatures. By some means, with all of this safety, the Neutrino Professional nonetheless manages to have a streamlined, flattering match for a high-loft, tremendous soft jacket; undoubtedly an anomaly when in comparison with most different thick jackets that may make us feel and look like a marshmallow.

Except you reside in a chilly place, the Neutrino Professional could be overkill to your wants. Our testers discovered it so heat that we do not essentially suggest it for people residing in a gentle or perhaps a reasonable local weather — except you run chilly otherwise you’re typically venturing to colder locations. If you happen to’re on the lookout for one thing cozy and technical however much less lofty, the Rab Microlight Alpine is one other nice jacket from Rab, for a considerably lower cost. If we needed to nitpick, lots of our testers wished the Neutrino’s hood had a toggle quantity adjustment relatively than a velcro strap to get a greater, cosy match. Nonetheless, in order for you a jacket that may hold you heat, cozy, and dry regardless of the place you roam, the Neutrino Professional is that jacket. One other extremely heat jacket is the cloud-like Feathered Associates Eos, with soft 900+ fill down.

Learn extra: Rab Neutrino Professional evaluation

Total Finest Purchase Down Jacket

Marmot Highlander Hoody – Girls’s

Down fill: 700-fill, handled with Down Defender | Weight: 13 oz

The Marmot Highlander is like your trendy but low-maintenance good friend who’s down for something however in jacket type. We fortunately donned the Highlander for a variety of actions, from espresso store to hopping to snowy hikes and fat-tire biking. The smooth, malleable exterior and informal, relaxed match make it fulfilling to put on for absolutely anything out within the chilly – so long as it would not begin raining. (If you happen to’re on the lookout for higher climate safety, look to a jacket just like the Rab Microlight Alpine.) The Highlander comes with a couple of sneaky technical options and packs very nicely into the chest pocket, nevertheless it’s low-key sufficient that you possibly can put on it for a vacation stroll or to the workplace with out trying such as you’re about to go out on a mountaineering expedition.

There’s a lot to like in regards to the reasonably priced Highlander, however our testers weren’t impressed by its water repellency, or relatively, full lack thereof. The outside lacks therapy and doesn’t supply added materials to dam moisture. For an additional flattering down jacket with excessive breathability and a bit extra water resistance, try the Mammut Broad Peak IN Hooded we examined. The Highlander can be weak to letting in chilly gusts with its decrease loft, hip-length hem, and lack of hood adjustment. Nevertheless, these identical downfalls additionally make the Highlander a breathable jacket that we are able to carry on for actions with out working up an excessive amount of of a sweat. Maybe most of all, we love the colourful mixtures that add a pop of shade to this jacket, that is simple to put on and, total, simple to love.

Learn extra: Marmot Highlander evaluation

A Nice Way of life, Price range Possibility

REI Co-op 650 – Girls’s

Down fill: 650-fill down | Weight: 9.9 oz

The easy however efficient REI 650 Down has the heat of a basic down jacket with out the bells and whistles that always make them so costly. This hip-length jacket’s extensive, comfy match is good for laid-back pursuits and on a regular basis put on. Decidedly informal, the 650 Down is light-weight, compressible, and provides cheap safety from the coolness of a gentle winter. This jacket is well-suited for cozying up throughout fall evenings, and its relaxed match simply layers over a thick sweatshirt or fleece for added heat whenever you want it. The excessive neck has respectable protection when zipped up, and loads of room to maneuver in with out it bunching or pulling.

With no hood and a brief hem, the 650 Down would not fairly minimize it on sub-zero or stormy winter days. If you happen to want much more heat and do not care a lot about packability, the Columbia Lay D Down III has a comfortable faux-fur lined hood. For an additional light-weight budget-minded possibility with a hood, try the Rokka and Rolla. The outside of the 650 Down is not ripstop, and it tends to shed down by the liner greater than a few of its rivals in the long run. Although it lacks the technical options to earn an area in our pack for backcountry adventures, it has simply the precise coziness and worth to make it an ideal alternative for journey, commuting, and meandering round city in a reasonable winter local weather. One other informal possibility that we loved sporting is the Cotopaxi Fuego, which has enjoyable colours that mimic the Alpenglow and has the same minimize to the REI 650, however with a hood.

Learn extra: REI Co-op 650 Down evaluation

Good Worth on a Very Restricted Price range

Wantdo Packable Down Hoody – Girls’s

Down fill: 90% down duck | Weight: 8.8 oz

Efficiency outerwear is usually prohibitively costly. The Wantdo Packable Down Hoody – Girls’s goals to vary that, as a fundamental, easy, and wallet-friendly down jacket that may do the trick for infrequent chilly outings. Claiming to be totally windproof and water-proof, in follow the Wantdo truly comes pretty shut. It does an upstanding job at blocking the weather, particularly water and moist precipitation. Moisture beads up and would not soak into the outside cloth, not even by the seams. Although it has a boxy – and for some, unflattering – match, the Wantdo is available in an inclusive dimension vary (XS to 3XL), all kinds of colours, and would not inhibit motion.

Throughout testing, the Wantdo carried out nicely in sure metrics, however some notable flaws decreased its efficiency in others. The water repellency works extraordinarily nicely, however a bit too nicely on the within, trapping perspiration. Try the Kuhl Spyfire Hoody for an additional water resistant possibility that is extra breathable. Whereas the Wantdo’s sq. minimize makes this jacket a greater, much less restrictive match for many, it lacks adjustability. If you happen to’re after a extra lifestyle-oriented funds down jacket with a slimmer minimize, try the Lock and Love Ultralight. Our primary gripe with the Wantdo, although, is with the sleeves. They’re a few inches too brief for many of our testers, ceaselessly sliding again and exposing wrists to the chilly. If you happen to can stay with these shortcomings, we predict you may discover the Wantdo is a good down jacket for milder climates or much less frequent use.

Learn extra: Wantdo Packable Down Hoody Overview

An All-Round Excessive Performing Down Jacket

Arc’teryx Cerium Hoody – Girls’s

Down fill: Recycled 850-fill European white goose down | Weight: 10.2 oz

The Arc’teryx Cerium has constantly received us over with its stellar efficiency throughout the board in a light-weight, top-quality package deal. This jacket can adapt to simply about any state of affairs, and maintains a trendy look regardless of its technical sensibility. The slight drop hem, protecting and adjustable hood, and sneaky 850-fill energy lend this jacket a very good quantity of heat. Strategic artificial insulation and decrease fill in sure areas make the Cerium activity-inclined, and it is amongst our favorites of this lineup for retaining us heat whereas recreating within the chilly.

The Arc’teryx Cerium definitely is not essentially the most budget-friendly of down jackets on this listing, however Arc’teryx would not minimize any corners in the case of high quality and flexibility. Whereas the 15-denier Arato and nylon exterior does nicely at retaining out the wind, it is semi-transparent, giving us latent issues of a scarcity of long run sturdiness. We do want that it had a little bit of strategic fleece on the chin guard backer to make it a contact extra comfy. However total, the Cerium jam packs an entire lot of efficiency into an easy-to-carry, modern, and purposeful package deal. If you happen to’re on the lookout for one other jacket meant for technical mountain use that may effortlessly see you thru operating errands in fashion, think about the Mammut Broad Peak IN Hooded, which can be extremely breathable and encompasses a flattering slim minimize. One other activity-inclined possibility when you’ve got slender hips is The North Face Summit Breithorn, which our slimmer testers actually favored.

Learn extra: Arc’teryx Cerium evaluation

Finest Ultralight Down Jacket

Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer Hoody – Girls’s

Down fill: 800-fill RDS-certified Down | Weight: 6.9 oz

For these of us who like to know exactly what number of ounces our pack weighs, the Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer is a dreamy addition to your chilly climate package. This ultralight down jacket is thinner than most different jackets we examined, however at simply 6.9 ounces, it is by far the lightest. It nonetheless packs spectacular heat for lively insulation right into a featherweight, no-frills jacket designed for mountain missions. Its elastic-rimmed hood suits effortlessly over most beanies or a helmet, permitting the Ghost Whisperer to shave weight and forgo an adjustment tab. With slender baffles and fewer insulation, it is also one of the breathable fashions in our lineup, good for throwing on throughout a climb, to heat up throughout a ski tour, or for a fast stroll to a yoga class.

As you may count on, sure options are sacrificed to succeed in this shockingly low weight. The Ghost Whisperer has no chest pocket, only a single hem adjustment twine, and is fabricated from delicate 10-denier outer materials. It additionally lacks a number of the arm mobility options we see in different activity-specific fashions, sometimes leaving our wrists uncovered to the chilly as we attain. Nonetheless, when each ounce counts, we’ll gladly pack the Ghost Whisperer. If you happen to’re after one thing mild and packable however less expensive, the Rokka and Rolla is a funds possibility that weighs in at simply 8.5 ounces. For a superior warmth-to-weight package deal in a very cozy down jacket, try the Feathered Associates Eos, which clocks in at a modest 10.3 ounces and is generously full of 900+ fill energy down.

Learn extra: Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer evaluation

Finest Artificial Puffy Jacket for Girls

Patagonia DAS Gentle Hoody – Girls’s

Fill 65g Plumafill | Weight: 11.5 oz

If you happen to’re on the lookout for a substitute for down for sub-zero adventures, Patagonia DAS Gentle Hoody has been a prime performing artificial insulated jacket for our testers for a few years operating. The distinctive, baffle-free design provides mobility and a beneficiant match, making it one of many extra comfy insulated jackets in the marketplace. The cavernous hood simply accommodates a helmet or cumbersome beanie, and the sunshine and ethereal Plumafill insulation gives lots of heat, even when the going will get moist. The DAS is undoubtedly well-suited as a belay jacket for climbers, nevertheless it’s equally as cozy for strolling round city. Heavy precipitation – from rain to sleet to contemporary snowflakes – beads off of this jacket. The artificial insulation retains its loft, and retains us heat and dry, in a spread of situations.

In any case our testing, we do not have many gripes in regards to the DAS Gentle. That mentioned, the outer cloth is notably fragile; it sadly sliced simply with contact with a pointy snowboard edge. As a result of lack of baffles, this can be a drawback, as all of the insulation might theoretically work its manner out by one gap. At simply 10 denier, the outer cloth helps hold the general weight down however is much less sturdy than different fashions we examined. Even with the skinny exterior, we did not discover this jacket notably breathable. Alternatively, it blocks wind and precipitation excellently due to the Pertex Quantum cloth. Although the jacket is comparatively packable for its dimension, we had bother truly getting it to suit into its packing pocket. However, if you happen to’re looking for an extremely cozy, lofty, and weather-resistant jacket, the DAS is a superb decide. One other heat, artificial possibility we suggest that is a bit extra reasonably priced is the Columbia Heavenly Hoody.

Learn extra: Patagonia DAS Gentle Hoody evaluation

Evaluate Merchandise

Evaluate choose as much as 5 merchandise to match

	Rating	Product	Value
	85	Rab Neutrino Professional – Girls’s Finest Total Down Jacket for Girls	$400
	76	Arc’teryx Cerium Hoody – Girls’s An All-Round Excessive Performing Down Jacket	$400
	75	Feathered Associates Eos – Girls’s	$409
	74	Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer Hoody – Girls’s Finest Ultralight Down Jacket	$360
	73	The North Face Summit Breithorn Hoodie – Girls’s	$430
	71	Marmot Highlander Hoody – Girls’s Total Finest Purchase Down Jacket	$250
	70	Mammut Broad Peak IN Hooded – Girls’s	$349
	69	Rab Microlight Alpine Jacket – Girls’s	$295
	63	REI Co-op 650 – Girls’s A Nice Way of life, Price range Possibility	$129
	62	Patagonia Down Sweater Hoody – Girls’s	$329
	61		$250
	60	Cotopaxi Fuego Hooded – Girls’s	$295
	58	Outside Analysis Helium Down – Girls’s	$299
	57	Wantdo Packable Down Hoody – Girls’s Good Worth on a Very Restricted Price range	$64
	54	KUHL Spyfire Hoody – Girls’s	$299
	50	Lock and Love Extremely-Gentle Packable – Girls’s	$59
	49	Rokka and Rolla Extremely-Gentle Hoody – Girls’s	$75

How We Take a look at Girls’s Down Jackets

Each season, we spend hours looking the marketplace for up to date fashions and thrilling new merchandise to check. We then buy every contender and put them by our rigorous battery of subject and lab testing. We wore them snowboarding, climbing, snowshoeing, tenting, backpacking, and mountain climbing, in addition to operating errands, strolling the canine, touring international cities, and assembly pals for espresso. We take a look at how they match and really feel on totally different girls’s our bodies, how nicely they transfer, and the way breathable they’re. We consider their heat, their wind and water resistance, and all of the options they’ve. We wore these jackets for months on finish and subjected them to numerous lab assessments to tease aside even essentially the most minute variations.

We examined every jacket throughout 5 totally different metrics:

• Heat (30% of total weighting)

• Portability (20% weighting)

• Climate Resistance (15% weighting)

• Breathability (10% weighting)

For extra on our testing course of, try our How We Take a look at article.

Why Belief GearLab

This in-depth girls’s evaluation is dropped at you by Senior Overview Editor Maggie Nichols. Maggie grew up within the sub-zero winters of the higher Midwest and has over 15 years expertise as a backcountry information. At the moment residing within the Sierra Nevada foothills, she pushes her gear to its limits in freezing fall tenting journeys and deeply snowy winters. An avid traveler, Maggie loves visiting some significantly chilly locations all over the world, together with getting married in Iceland within the winter and spending her honeymoon visiting Svalbard. She is an professional on what goes right into a high-quality and heat jacket that’ll carry out all through the seasons. As well as, Maggie recruited lots of her family and friends to assist take a look at and supply suggestions on these jackets. Maggie has been working for GearLab since 2016, testing dozens of classes of journey gear throughout the globe on expeditions from Oregon to Alabama and Japan to Norway.

Becoming a member of Maggie on the testing group is freelance contributor Kaylee Walden. Kaylee, a born and raised Montanan, has spent the higher a part of the previous decade guiding expeditions in Alaska, main backcountry snowboarding journeys in southwest Colorado, and instructing avalanche programs at round 10,000′ — all very chilly environments. From the summit of Denali, to spending time digging into the nuances of the snowpack, down is her omnipresent and mandatory companion. As a lover of the chilly, she is aware of the significance of a down jacket really having your again and the hallmarks of high quality that make them sturdy, cozy, and protecting from the weather.

We have examined these jackets in every kind of situations, from on a regular basis jaunts to backcountry missions.

Evaluation and Take a look at Outcomes

Although we aren’t in a position to topic each take a look at to years’ value of wear and tear and tear earlier than bringing you our findings, we do our greatest to make use of them as a lot as attainable and abuse them in ways in which we predict are sensible to the way you’d deal with your favourite down jacket. Whereas every mannequin has their total rating that reveals how every carried out relative to different jackets in our assessments, in what follows, we break down every of our 5 testing metrics and get nitty-gritty with the efficiency of those coats.

What is the Finest Worth?

Down jackets include a variety of worth tags, options, and capabilities that we may also help you match to your way of life and your funds. Our prime decide that landed proper on the intersection of high quality, versatility, and worth is the Marmot Highlander. If you happen to’re looking for an possibility that performs nicely throughout the board and prices lower than many others, we might additionally suggest the Rab Microlight Alpine. It has the precise mixture of adjustability, packability, and layerable heat that make it an ideal alternative for many winter days. If these are nonetheless a bit out of your worth vary and also you simply want a down layer for mild or rare use, the REI 650 Down is a heat jacket that we get pleasure from for informal put on.

For these on the lookout for a extremely packable down jacket on an further tight funds, try the Lock & Love, Rokka and Rolla, and Wantdo jackets, all with very reasonably priced worth tags. On the opposite finish of the spectrum, if you happen to’re a hardcore expeditioner who likes to backcountry ski, scale large mountains, and maybe sometimes camp in snow caves, the additional heat, consolation, protection, sturdiness, and technical options of the Rab Neutrino Professional are nicely value the additional funding, and stored us cozier than another possibility.

Heat

A very powerful facet of any down jacket is that it retains you heat, which is why we gave it the best weight of all our testing metrics. We examined the heat of every mannequin in attempting situations like snowstorms, predawn mountain mornings, and late nights within the excessive desert winter. We famous their insulation sort and thickness, in addition to how heat it felt in related situations. We thought of their layering potential — each beneath and over prime of different clothes as a part of a complete cold-weather layering system. And we famous adjustability elements and factors of warmth loss. We additionally in contrast the heat of every jacket in numerous wind situations to see what they’re constructed to face up to.

One widespread false impression about down jackets is that larger fill energy numbers equal a hotter, or larger high quality jacket — so a 900+ fill energy mannequin can be hotter than a 650-fill energy coat. In actuality, the upper fill energy quantity truly refers back to the house between down filaments, or loft. It is truly the areas between insulating fibers that hold you heat, relatively than the fibers themselves. By utilizing a better fill energy down, a jacket can supply extra heat in comparison with a jacket of the identical thickness with a decrease fill energy. Nevertheless, a thickly-filled puffy jacket insulated with 650-fill down can find yourself feeling hotter than a thinly crammed jacket using 900-fill down.

The warmest jacket we examined can be the thickest: the Rab Neutrino Professional. This significantly soft puffy jacket is crammed to the max with 800-fill energy hydrophobic goose down. However even this spectacular building would not inform the complete story. The Neutrino Professional is filled with particulars and options that additional contribute to its distinctive heat. It is a lengthy jacket with a protracted drop hem that lots of our testers might cinch tight over their backsides. It has a thick puffy hood with a wire-stiffened brim and quantity adjustment that works nicely over beanies, a naked head, or a helmet. It is considered one of simply two fashions we examined with Velcro adjustable cuffs for true wrist safety in any situation.

The Arc’teryx Cerium is not as thick as different jackets that scored excessive marks in heat, nevertheless it has a formidable warmth-to-weight ratio. A medium-thickness jacket with 850-fill down, the Cerium manages to pack lots of further heat in a slimmer, extra streamlined package deal. It additionally has artificial insulation in key areas of moisture buildup that will help you keep heat even when sure elements of you get a little bit moist. Up to date for this season with higher zippers and a roomier match, the Cerium is a superb possibility for a day by day driver jacket in chilly winter climates, particularly for actions.

The Feathered Associates Eos is one other very heat jacket and is thickly insulated with the best fill energy down of any mannequin we examined — 900+. This coat is much less technical than others however has nice protection, elastic cuffs, and an adjustable hem and hood that each one add heat. It is tremendous cozy, lofty, and shortly grew to become a go-to possibility amongst our testing group when heading out round city on chilly days. The North Face Summit Breithorn is one other appreciably heat mannequin, with extensive baffles, thickly full of 800-fill ProDown. It has a protracted torso with a drop hem — although it’s relatively slender by the hips — and stretch-knit cuffs that comfortably seal your wrists in opposition to the chilly.

Of different cozy choices, each the Rab Microlight Alpine and the Columbia Lay D Down III have thick exterior cloth that entice in warmth. Whereas it is technically a low loft jacket at solely 550-fill, the Columbia Lay D takes the heat to the following degree with the thickest and most strong outer materials of any jacket within the take a look at. The linchpin, although, for the Lay D is the detachable faux-fur trim on the hood that warms up and insulates your face, providing protection that not one of the different choices can fairly compete with. It actually seals out the wind in a manner that extra transportable and lighter weight choices can not.

Consolation

Since all of us have in a different way formed and proportioned our bodies, we enlisted as many pals as we might to assist us consider the match and luxury of every jacket. We checked out their form and famous how a lot or how little house was left inside. We put them over cumbersome underthings like thick fleeces, and below shells to see if it was simple and if we might nonetheless transfer freely. We performed, climbed and skied in them, paying attention to whether or not they raised up and uncovered our torsos or wrists to the chilly. We wore them over naked pores and skin to see how the fabric felt. We checked out their further options like pockets and adjustability. And we wore them for a bunch of various sorts of pursuits to see the place they carry out at their finest.

Probably the most comfy jackets we examined are the Rab Neutrino Professional and the Feathered Associates Eos. Each of those jackets have smooth interiors so as to add to their puffiness and make us really feel like we’re sporting clouds. The Neutrino Professional has some wonderful mobility designs baked into this jacket that no different mannequin in our lineup can match. Twisted sleeve baffles facilitate arm actions with out exposing our wrists or torsos. Which means that whether or not we’re on an mountaineering expedition or giving underdogs on the swing set, the Neutrino Professional stays put and would not prohibit our actions. The Eos would not have these mobility-enhancing options however has simply the precise mixture of size, smooth cloth, and adjustability that our entire testing group beloved the way it feels to put on.

The Rab Microlight Alpine provides a extra accommodating match with a smooth inside and wonderful adjustability to go well with an array of physique sorts, types, and climate situations. We admire the felt-backed chin guard and comfortable hood for The Columbia Lay D Down III encompasses a detachable fur lining across the hood that retains your face further toasty, and smooth, lined sleeves that include thumbholes to maintain your wrists protected.

The Arc’teryx Cerium is not fairly as “soft” as some others we examined, however it’s nonetheless a cushty jacket to put on. Its small underarm gussets assist with vary of movement for less-restricted motion. The Cerium additionally options one of many thickest lining supplies of our take a look at jackets (20D cloth), so the down quills do not poke by so readily. The Patagonia Down Sweater provides basic consolation for on a regular basis use. Their newest model runs narrower by the hips than earlier variations, however as soon as we discovered the precise dimension, we loved the simple consolation of this straightforward informal jacket. Its elastic cuff is sewn comfortably inside the cuff and a tall chin turns it right into a balaclava-style hood. It additionally has 5 complete pockets (three of that are inside) and comes with two restore patches.

Relating to informal consolation, we additionally get pleasure from sporting the simple Kuhl Spyfire. With a extra tapered waist and flared hips, this smooth jacket has a extra fashion-friendly look than any others we examined. It additionally options small underarm gussets to help in arm actions and a small zippered pocket on the sleeve that is an ideal spot for our ski go, bank cards, and lip balm. The Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer is decently comfy, partially as a result of it is a skinny, ultralight mannequin. Even with out mobility-specific options, we loved the texture of this jacket and nearly forgot it was on – particularly for mountain actions.

The Marmot Highlander is one other favourite for consolation, with a smooth, malleable, and soft exterior that makes this jacket fulfilling to put on. It has a trendy, hip-length minimize, a well-sized hood, and works completely as a mid-layer below a shell. This jacket was among the many most versatile of fashions we examined, and will simply – and comfortably – take us from actions to an evening in town. Look good, really feel good, as they are saying, and we loved how this down hoody added a pop of shade to each outing.

The Subjectivity of Consolation
At GearLab, we’re conscious that the consolation of a selected jacket is inextricably tied to the general fit–which is an inherently subjective metric. The perceived consolation of a jacket relies upon largely on an individual’s physique sort when contrasted with the minimize of a jacket. Some jackets in our evaluation have suits that do not essentially work for each physique sort, and thus had conflicting consolation rankings amongst testers. These variations are additionally particularly notable between the lads’s and ladies’s variations of some jackets. The Marmot Highlander appears to be an ideal match for these with wider hips and who’re maybe a little bit curvier, whereas it did not carry out extremely in consolation within the males’s evaluation. Male testers appeared to favor the Patagonia Down Sweater for superior consolation, whereas our feminine testers didn’t. Identical goes for The North Face Briethorn Hoody, which caters extra to these with slender hips. Consider the inevitable incontrovertible fact that our testing group could solely account for sure physique sorts, and should result in discrepancies in consolation rankings.

Portability

Beginning with the fundamentals of portability, we weighed each mannequin to match them collectively. We then stuffed them into their pockets, their stuff sacks, our backpacks, and our suitcases to see how simple they had been to tote round. We thought of their total dimension and form as we packed them away. We appeared on the supplies they’re fabricated from — together with their down high quality — to gauge how nicely they’re going to stand as much as being packed and unpacked over years of adventures and outings. And we requested our testing group the essential query: In what circumstances would you convey this jacket?

Taking the proverbial cake on this metric is the ultralight Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer. This significantly spectacular jacket weighs simply 6.9 ounces and packs down into its personal pocket, supplying you with a package deal smaller than a 16-ounce can, to hold or clip to your harness or backpack. When even fractions of an oz matter, the Ghost Whisperer is the best “simply in case” layer for situations the place you do not need to pack a cumbersome, heavy jacket, like backpacking or on a spring trip. Not one of the different jackets we examined got here near matching this low weight and insane compressibility.

While you’re heading out for a protracted outing however want some further heat, the Ghost Whisperer is essentially the most packable possibility.

The Lock & Love, Rokka and Rolla, and WantDo all obtained excessive marks within the portability division. All are light-weight and very packable, and all three pack into stuff sacks that include them. The lightest of the three is the Rokka and Rolla, which weighs in at a formidable 8.5 ounces and nonetheless gives acceptable heat and climate safety on delicate winter days.

The Arc’teryx Cerium and Feathered Associates Eos will not be ultralight, however they each weigh lower than their ranges of heat and prolonged protection may counsel. In dimension small, they weigh 10.2 and 10.3 ounces, respectively. The Eos manages this mixture of supreme thickness and low weight through the use of extraordinarily excessive loft down — 900+ fill energy, for the perfect warmth-to-weight ratio of any jacket we examined. The Cerium additionally makes use of excessive loft down (850-fill) however is thinner and densely packed, sticking to the hotter facet of common relatively than capturing for intense chilly utilization.

The Mammut Broad Peak IN Hooded additionally impressed us with its low weight and excessive packability, conveniently stowing right into a hand pocket. It packs down into a really svelte package deal, shortly regains loft, and gives fairly excellent lively insulation for a low weight of 11.6 ounces in dimension small. Whereas the REI 650 Down is among the many lightest of all jackets we examined at 9.9 ounces, it has an unfair benefit resulting from its brief hem size and lack of a hood, and the pocket it stows into lacks a dual-sided zipper to maintain it contained.

Climate Resistance

Although down jackets aren’t designed to dam all wind and precipitation, they generally need to face it after we’re caught with no waterproof shell. A solidly protecting down jacket ought to have at the least a modest degree of water repellency and wind resistance. We checked these jackets moisture-stopping properties by sporting them by moist snow storms outdoors, and spraying them with water — even rubbing it into the material — within the lab.

We examined every jacket’s potential to face up to excessive winds by heading into the mountains on blustery days, and bought granular by testing all of them for weak factors in entrance of a high-powered fan. We thought of cloth applied sciences and coverings that assist resist the weather. We additionally checked out sure options that may supply further safety, like adjustable cuffs, hood brims, and cinchable hoods and hems, and longer bottoms.

The Arc’teryx Cerium exceeded our expectations. The 15D Arato ripstop nylon did a formidable job stopping the wind from whipping by even the baffle seams of this jacket. It is adjustable at key factors (just like the hem and hood quantity) with elastic on the cuffs and hood rim to maintain you protected with out having to tighten an excessive amount of. The DWR end did a wonderful job repelling water all through all our testing as nicely. The Cerium can be considered one of just some down jackets in our lineup to strategically substitute down with artificial insulation (which retains its loft — and subsequently, its heat — when moist) in key areas to maintain you heat even in attempting situations. The Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer additionally options smartly-placed artificial insulation, on the first couple of baffles on the cuffs and within the hood. This helps hold your jacket from wetting out for the remainder of the day if you happen to’re shoveling snow, alpine climbing, having snowball fights, or digging snow pits within the backcountry.

The Outside Analysis Helium Down prioritizes climate resistance in different methods. This light-weight jacket additionally makes use of thicker 15D x 30D Pertex Quantum cloth on the skin for added wind safety. Alongside the tops of the sleeves, shoulders, and again, in addition to on the hood, the Helium Down makes use of Diamond Fuse know-how (designed to be waterproof) to maintain you dry. And for good measure, the entire jacket is coated with DWR therapy. The North Face Summit Breithorn provides above-average climate safety as nicely. Thickly crammed baffles and key adjustment factors assist to chop the wind. The zippers are reverse-coil of their design, making them water-proof, and the entire jacket is handled with a DWR end.

Although a down jacket is not usually meant to be a remaining layer to guard you from rain or moist snow, most of the ones we examined have cloth applied sciences or different therapies to their exteriors and even their insulation to sluggish the method of getting moist. Pertex Quantum cloth is designed to be wind and water resistant. The exteriors of the Rab Neutrino Professional, Mammut Broad Peak, Feathered Associates Eos, Rab Microlight Alpine, and Outside Analysis Helium Down all use this materials. Related element-resistant materials are discovered within the constructions of the Arc’teryx Cerium (15D Arato) and Kuhl Spyfire (Microtex 20D). Moreover, a lot of the jackets we examined have a hydrophobic DWR therapy utilized to them. Taking issues a step additional, the Rab Neutrino Professional, The North Face Summit Breithorn, Marmot Highlander, and Cotopaxi Fuego all are filled with down that is been handled by numerous strategies to be water resistant.

The Wantdo Packable Down Hoody is coated with a water-proof materials, and even in prolonged storms and bathe assessments, wouldn’t let any moisture come by. However, the Columbia Lay D Down III is available in a minimize above the remaining, and whereas we tried as exhausting as we might, we could not get the outside to moist out. From tremendous moist snowstorms to respectable downpours, we might belief this jacket to maintain us completely dry. Nevertheless, that waterproofing comes with a weight penalty, and the Lay D Down weighs practically 4 occasions as a lot as most different contenders.

Breathability

One of many core rules of getting outdoors safely within the winter is to manage your physique temperature — each within the chilly and as you’re employed up a sweat. Whether or not you are wrangling toddlers on the park or scaling a wall of ice, it is necessary that your sweat would not in the end make you colder whenever you inevitably cease shifting. We examined the breathability of every jacket by sporting them throughout fairly sweaty endeavors like snowboarding, climbing, mountain climbing, and brisk walks. We thought of options that support air flow, like two-way zippers, armpit vents, and cuffs that may be pushed up your arms.

Basically, thinner jackets that are not as heat are extra breathable. The Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer is one such jacket. This ultralight layer vents extra physique warmth extra simply than different thicker or hotter choices. Alternatively, some fashions make use of breathability options to assist when you really want them. The Kuhl Spyfire has uninsulated underarm gussets of stretchy materials that vent warmth precisely the place you want it. The Arc’teryx Cerium has barely thinner insulation within the underarm space, which can make a small distinction, however not something really wonderful that we observed throughout our testing.

As baffle seams typically turn into some extent of warmth loss (particularly over time), many producers sew thinner baffles onto the edges of their jackets to help in moderating physique temperature with out together with overt heat-loss options. The Rab Microlight Alpine, Patagonia Down Sweater, and Kuhl Spyfire all make use of this technique. The skinny insulation of the Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer, together with its elastic lining contained in the cuff, allowed us to push the sleeves of this light-weight jacket up our wrists. The Rab Neutrino Professional and Mammut Broad Peak each have a two-way zipper, which will be helpful for venting your core with out loosening the jacket round your shoulders. And whereas it would not have any particular options, the smooth and extra permeable exterior of the Marmot Highlander additionally makes it properly breathable for getting after it in chilly situations.

Conclusion

There’s an amazing quantity of down jackets in the marketplace to select from, designed for particular use or on a regular basis put on. Some are higher within the backcountry, whereas others are more proficient round city. Most are a major funding, and our purpose is that will help you select you may be proud of for years to return. It is our aim that will help you slender down the search to the optimum alternative to your specific local weather, funds, and way of life. By contemplating all the nuances of the above jackets, our intent is to offer you a nudge in the precise route. We hope that our analysis, complete testing, and thorough evaluation of this 12 months’s finest down jackets will assist you to zero in on which one is exactly the perfect match for you.