insulated jacket reviews

The Arc’teryx Atom LT Hoody.

Review: Arc’teryx Atom LT Hoody

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Breathable Insulated Jacket
Arc’teryx Atom LT Hoody
$259, 12 oz./340g (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s XS-XXXL, women’s XS-XXL
arcteryx.com

From days of backcountry skiing and winter hikes in my local foothills to biking around town on cold days, the Arc’teryx Atom LT Hoody has spent almost as much time on me as it does in my closet. In a category of breathable insulated jackets designed for being active in cool to cold temps—like backcountry snow sports, hiking, and climbing—the Atom LT Hoody’s weight and features make it uniquely versatile for a wide range of activities and users.

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The North Face Summit L3 Ventrix Hoodie.

Review: The North Face Summit L3 Ventrix Hoodie

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Breathable Insulated Jacket The North Face Summit L3 Ventrix Hoodie $300, 15 oz./425g (men’s medium) Sizes: men’s and women’s XS-XL moosejaw.com From cool summer evenings and mornings in camp on a six-day backpacking trip in Utah’s High Uintas Wilderness to days of backcountry skiing in a full range of winter weather, The North Face Summit L3 Ventrix Hoodie demonstrated a …

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Cotopaxi Fuego Hooded Down Jacket

Review: Cotopaxi Fuego Hooded Down Jacket

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Down Jacket Cotopaxi Fuego Hooded Down Jacket $295, 13 oz. (men’s medium) Sizes: men’s S-XXL, women’s XS-XL cotopaxi.com Down jackets come in a wide range of prices based primarily on the fill-power rating (read: warmth per ounce and packability) and amount of down inside, with the cost boosted when those feathers are water-resistant. While $250 does not seem inexpensive at …

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Outdoor Research Refuge Air Hooded Jacket

Review: Outdoor Research Refuge Air Hooded Jacket

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Breathable Insulated Jacket Outdoor Research Refuge Air Hooded Jacket $229, 15 oz. (men’s medium) Sizes: men’s S-XXL, women’s XS-XL backcountry.com On a ski tour in blowing snow in Idaho’s Boise Mountains, I wore this breathable, insulated jacket climbing uphill for the first hour without overheating. Then, while ski touring along a windy ridge with up-and-down terrain, I stayed warm without …

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Review: Feathered Friends Helios Hooded Jacket

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Down Jacket
Feathered Friends Helios Hooded Jacket
$489, 1 lb. 1 oz./482g (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s XS-XXL
featheredfriends.com

As I stood outside yurts on December evenings on separate trips in the backcountry of Idaho’s Boise Mountains and Boulder Mountains, enjoying an inky-black sky riddled with stars as the temperature plunged into the low teens and single digits Fahrenheit, this fat down jacket felt like an impenetrable force field keeping all of my body’s warmth inside and the frigid cold outside. My companions who tried it out agreed: The Helios Hooded Jacket is just crazy warm—especially for its weight and packability. Those qualities define it as one of the best high-quality down jackets for winter that you’ll find today, but also a puffy jacket that’s light and packable enough for cooler, three-season trips.

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