Best Mountaineering Down Jacket

The construction doesn t come cheap.

Best mountaineering down jacket. Ideally you would wear a soft shell after your thin insulated jumper or fleece but before your insulated down jacket. The mountain hardwear ghost whisperer 2 jacket is best for those who want a very lightweight jacket that offers a good level of warmth. Soft shell jackets are best worn relatively close to your skin. Fit is a bit boxy.

As the jacket is filled with a mix of goose down and synthetic primaloft it combines the best of both worlds retaining the warmth of down but boasting the improved water resistance of synthetic. The rab neutrino endurance down jacket is my top pick for the best winter down jacket. Meaning more insulation in the places that it s needed like on the kidneys and less in places where you don t need it like at the armpits. Our jacket experts have tested over 55 of the best down jackets in the last decade.

Rab also make some of best down insulated jacket on the market as well as some of the best mountaineering down jacket. Of 800 fill power down what we like. With the 70d nylon shell d for denier a measure of mass for density this jacket is super durable but still maintains an overall lightness in weight for all those counting ounces. This is all body mapped throughout the cerium.

However if you need a jacket for super cold weather the down jackets from outdoor research and rab below might be better options as they contain more down per square meter and thus provide more warmth. If you are looking for a multisport jacket take a look at the north face stretch down jacket. Well in short because it is warm as hell. Soft shell mountaineering jackets are a good breathable mid layer.

The most affordable jacket to make our list is the 249 rei co op drypoint and you can easily spend upwards of 500 on a quality shell. In our rigorous testing scheme we wear them while tackling hiking hundreds of miles on the vermont trail and hunkering down in each at cold climbing areas. Incredible warmth for the weight and good feature set. It is made with a special fabric a mix of nylon and stretch woven elastane that gives you unrestricted movement for any activity be that hiking climbing or yoga.

Why do you need a soft shell jacket. This update for 2020 analyzes 10 of the year s best models. This cosy jacket from mountaineering brand arc teryx uses a thermally efficient down with a fill power of 850 that s one of the highest ratings out of the jackets featured here. Non elasticized cuffs don t do a great job at sealing out the cold.

The combination of durability weather protection and breathability makes hardshell jackets popular for downhill and backcountry skiing mountaineering alpine and ice climbing and 4 season hiking.