down jacket reviews

REI 650 Down Jacket.

Review: REI 650 Down Jacket

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Down Jacket
REI 650 Down Jacket
$129, 11 oz. (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s XS-XL, women’s XS-XL
rei.com

When you’re shopping for backpacking and hiking gear on a budget—or just targeting your budget strategically to put more into, say, a better pack, tent, or rain shell—an insulated jacket is one of those items where you can save a significant amount and still take home something that’s going to serve your needs for years. And REI’s 650 Down Jacket fits right into that kind of spending plan. I wore this down jacket on cool mornings in the low 50s on a six-day, 74-mile backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon, and came away convinced it’s clearly one of the best values available in a lightweight, three-season puffy jacket today.

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Feathered Friends Eos Down Jacket.

Review: Feathered Friends Eos Down Jacket

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Note: See my review of updated-for-2022 Feathered Friends Eos Down Jacket.

Down Jacket
Feathered Friends Eos Down Jacket
$389, 11 oz. (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s S-XXL, women’s XS-XL
featheredfriends.com

From lunch stops at mountain passes buffeted by cold, autumn’s-around-the-corner winds in Glacier National Park in September, to mornings and evenings in temps in the thirties and forties on that six-day Glacier backpacking trip, another September backpacking trip in Yellowstone, and a four-day August trip in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, the Feathered Friends Eos Down Jacket persuaded me that it’s hands-down one of the very best puffy jackets on the market—and an incredible value at its price. I don’t offer such praise casually or very often. But there are few pieces of outdoor apparel or gear on which your money would be more wisely spent. Read on to learn why.

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The Sierra Designs Whitney DriDown Hoodie.

Review: Sierra Designs Whitney DriDown Hoodie and Sierra DriDown Jacket

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Down Jackets
Sierra Designs Whitney DriDown Hoodie
$169, 14 oz. (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s S-XXL, women’s XS-XL
Moosejaw.com

Sierra Designs Sierra DriDown Jacket
$159, 12 oz. (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s S-XXL, women’s XS-XL
Moosejaw.com

The best, three-season down and synthetic insulated jackets stand out for high-quality construction and materials—which translates to abundant warmth per ounce, low weight, and excellent packability. They also range from over $200 to nearly $400, and while worth every dollar, those prices put them out of reach for some consumers. What do you do? More-affordable puffy jackets generally have lower-quality insulation. That’s why the Sierra Designs Whitney Hoodie and Sierra Jacket, stuffed with 800-fill, water-resistant DriDown, look so enticing. My field testing found some flaws but still demonstrated why they’re a good value. Read on.

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Arc’teryx Cerium LT Hoody.

Review: Arc’teryx Cerium LT Hoody

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Hybrid Insulated JacketArc’teryx Cerium LT Hoody$400, 11 oz. (men’s medium)Sizes: men’s XS-XXL, women’s XS-XLarcteryx.com In the evening shade of a windblown campsite at around 10,500 feet in Titcomb Basin, an alpine valley in Wyoming’s Wind River Range, I pulled this jacket on and instantly felt warmth infuse my torso and arms. Throughout that mid-September backpacking trip in the Winds, wearing …

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Review: Mountain Hardwear StretchDown Jacket

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Mountain Hardwear StretchDown Jacket.
Mountain Hardwear StretchDown Jacket.

Down Jacket
Mountain Hardwear StretchDown Jacket
$260, 1 lb. 2 oz. (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s S-XXL, women’s XS-XL
backcountry.com

From backcountry skiing in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains in a below-zero wind chill, to resort skiing on a sunny but frosty day with temperatures in the teens Fahrenheit, this puffy jacket stood out for three reasons. First and foremost, it kept me warm whether as my only insulating layer over one base layer and under a shell (while resort skiing) or when I simply pulled it on over other layers in the backcountry. Second, it felt noticeably more comfortable than some bulky, stiff puffy jackets, because both the fabric and the down-filled chambers actually stretch. And third, after I got its lining wet with sweat or its shell damp from falling snow, it still kept me warm.

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