 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all, I've been looking at down jackets and wondered if any of you good folk could give me some advice please. It's for a forthcoming trip to St Anton, not for skiing itself but more Apres/evenings, plus dog walking and sport watching when back home. I've been looking at the below Rab jackets but I have no prior experience with down and they all make similar 'warm' claims 
Lightweight
- Nimbus (synthetic)
- Microlight (down)
Mid-weight
- Nebula (synthetic)
- Electron (down)
It sounds like I should be looking at the synthetic jackets over down however trying both nimbus and microlight versions on they felt very, well, lightweight to be warm enough.
Many thanks!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Down works very well for more static activities (dog walking included). Ideally max fill numbers. Ideally DWR or water resistant ext fabric.
I have a lightweight one which is excellent as an Autumn jacket but not warm enough for Alpine Winter.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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One thing to remember with all Down jackets is that if the filling gets wet, it gets heavy as sin and doesn't dry for a long time. I have 2 down jackets and as the above poster mentions, I really only use them for standing still. One is a Marmot ski jacket and they must have designed it for skiing in Antarctica or something because it's outrageously warm. I only used it when I was working in the snowdome because I wasn't moving so much. Nowadays it sits still.
I would buy synthetic because technology has really got it to the stage where it rivals down pretty well. If you're on a budget you can't beat a TW Kempton jacket - the army issue extreme cold weather jacket - they literally cost about £25 direct from the manufacturer and are extremely warm and comfortable. If you want a few more features and a bit less of a utilitarian feel, then for me it's all about the Snugpak Softie which is more like £100
I wore both whilst soldiering in very cold places and both are very good. I have Rab and Haglofs jackets but really the Softie is the best for me, and costs less. Down, for me, isn't worth bothering with anymore.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Hi
OK so am going to put my head above the parapet here on this one......
I have just brought a North Face Nupste 2 down jacket. I have owned a Nupste vest for a number of years and have always found it to be excellent. I eventually took the plunge and went for the Nupste 2 as it is ZipIn compatible with my North Face shell jackets.
I could not ski in it as way too warm for that but for dog walking and watching my son play sport it is really good. I know that some people see the North Face as more of a fashion brand now rather than a serious outdoor contender but I have always found their clothing to be well made and well fitting. Just make sure that you obtain any North Face gear from proper stockists as there is a lot of fake rubbish out there.
Griggs
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I took my RAB microlight jacket away last time for the evenings and it did the job perfectly well. One night it was snowing heavily and quite cold but I was perfectly warm and dry as we walked between bars (I was only wearing a tshirt under the coat). I honestly don't think I'd ever need a warmer down jacket for places I've skied in Europe and with a jumper on underneath for colder places I've been.
It's pretty good when it's cold at home too whereas anything more heavy duty would be too warm but useless in rain.
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I've got both a micro lite and a nimbus. Swear by the micro lite for cold transitions/snack/lunch stops on chilly tours or to throw on over a shell if it gets really cold. I've just bought the nimbus for the same when the conditions are cold but not necessarily dry (Norway in April!). It's a slimmer cut than the micro lite, which I prefer. Not quite as instantly warming but not far off. Wouldn't wear either as a mid layer unless it was -20; agree with the others above.
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Some have water resistant outer layers. Some now have "treated" down that is meant to resist water absorption and clumping.
As I was told though when Imgot my heavy one, if it's warm enough to rain it's too warm to wear down.
I think weight for weight down is still higher performance than synthetic... especially when standing still.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Yep, it certainly is 
The Rab down has a hydrophobic treatment applied so it resists light rain to a point if you're unfortunate enough to be caught with your pants down.
Agree that if it's more than a few deg above zero leave it at home.
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I find my RAB down jacket great for watching a night race, and have worn it down (pun intended) to -29C in Canada and slept on top of Caingorm in a Feb storm in it.
For sporting use I either take a thin synthetic jacket (very stowable), or my ice climbing belay jacket which is much more water resistant and designed to be pulled on over your shell... perfect for ski stops.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Just wanted to say many thanks for the replies.
I went to my local Cotswold Outdoor yesterday and after trying all four mentioned above it was a choice between the Microlight or Nebula. I preferred the Microlight but went home with the Nebula deciding synthetic was a better option.
Cheers.
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