Buyers Guide - How to choose an Insulated JacketEveryone knows that to keep warm you need to insulate yourself from the cold. THE most effective insulator is air, more importantly – dry air. The more dry air you can trap against your body the warmer you will feel.
Put simply; down insulation offers the most warmth for weight (when dry), it is highly compressible and with proper care will maintain it’s shape and loft for many years. Synthetic insulation is predominantly made from polyester (many of which are now recycled), it is easier to care for and will retain most of its warmth when wet.
In our generally warm wet climate here in the UK, the versatility of using an insulated jacket as part of a layering system means you can get the maximum use of all garments throughout the year. If you buy your clothing to allow for layers underneath/on top then you can happily use your insulated jacket under a waterproof of really grim days or simply as an outer layer on crisp cold dryer days. There are specialist products on the market from Grangers and Nikwax you can use to add water resistance to your down garment.
Baffles are sewn into a jacket to keep the insulation in place. Most common are baffles that are sewn through creating little “pillows” of insulation. These are used in lighter weight garments and ideal for activities, as where the stich lines are there is little insulation. Box wall construction is generally used on jackets that have more loft and are designed for colder environments as baffles are stitched to ensure there is a continual depth of insulation.
It is important to understand that a jacket will not generate warmth by itself – it is your body that creates heat either through movement/exertion or by eating and drinking. The jacket will then trap the warm air to keep you insulated. When it comes to a down garment you can use the amount and quality of the down in the garment as a guideline. As we mentioned above, the more loft: the more insulation and loft is measured and described as fill power. Higher quality down will have a higher fill power. Check the weight of down alongside the fill power too as the more down there is physically in a garment the better it will insulate, it may just be a little heavier and less compressible. For synthetic garments the weight of the insulation is measured in grams per square metre to help understand how much insulation is inside the jacket and therefore how warm the jacket may keep you. The higher the weight; the warmer the jacket.
Finally, how a jacket fits is critical to how warm it will keep you out on the hill. A jacket that is too big will allow all that lovely warm air your body has worked hard to warm up to leak out of the base or get squeezed out of the back if there is too much room. Conversely, insulation cannot work efficiently if it is crushed, so a jacket that is too small will not work. If you are planning on wearing layers underneath, it is worth taking this into account when trying on before you buy. Different manufacturers pattern their garments differently so make sure you buy the right one for your shape – not necessarily the colour you like best!
Hoods are a vital part of how your insulated jacket will keep you toasty warm whether it is on a belay stance or sitting around a campfire on a cold starry night. An astonishing amount of heat is lost through your head and a well-fitting hood will ensure the majority is kept within your jacket.
Look for down products containing down that is RDS approved or the Mountain Equipment down codex allowing you to trace the down in your garment back to source to ensure animal welfare has been taken into consideration during production. All of our key brands offer a variety of insulated garments that are made from either recycled down or recycled synthetic insulation and some even have outer fabrics made from recycled nylons and polyesters. Just ask our staff or look in the product descriptions if you are buying online.
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