Further, $275 is no small price for a casual item (you can save with the REI 650 above or Cotopaxi below), and some will appreciate the even more casual appearance of the Silent Down. REIs original 650 Down Jacket was our top budget pick for years, and their latest 2.0 sticks to the winning formula. Always designed with a specific purpose in mind, Arcteryx offers a wide range of insulated jackets, and the Cerium LT is one of its most popular. of 700-fill-power downWhat we like: Super warm and tough, looks good, and a great value.What we don't: Lower fill power than the more premium options. of 750-fill-power down; syntheticWhat we like: Thoughtful design boosts weather resistance and durability.What we dont: Heavy and limited storage. And a final consideration is availability: Even in normal years (Covid notwithstanding), there can be a delay before the jacket ships out. Put another way, achieving the same amount of warmth with a lower fill power requires more down, adding weight and bulk to achieve the same comfort goals. Finally, we have noticed that the Stretchdowns fabric has a tendency to hold stains, and the elastic in our cuffs has grown tired over time. Budget-oriented products almost always come with compromises, and REIs Down Jacket 2.0 does fall short for serious performance use. In terms of competitors, the Fjallraven offers a similar level of warmth as of our top picks like the Patagonia Down Sweater and Arcteryx Cerium LT above, but its not quite as light or packable, limiting its backcountry appeal. Well start by noting that you dont get the 800-fill-power down or higher that brands like Arcteryx or Patagonia offer, but for casual use and done-in-a-day adventures, its a quality option. If ounces matter and you intend to use the jacket in the backcountry, treat yourself to an ultralight. This is noticeable when you get into premium levels of down (800-fill and above), which pack down to seemingly impossible sizes yet bounce back after only a few minutes out of the bag (as long as you dont store it compressed too long). From our experience, Arcteryx jackets like the Cerium LT Hoody fit the slimmest of all, which we refer to simply as the Arcteryx fit. Guides and ultra-athletic folks who frequently use the gear are a key contingent for Arcteryx, which helps explain the fit. We also like the use of Down Composite Mapping, which includes synthetic insulation in areas prone to getting wet. Category: Light/midweightWeight: 15.4 oz.Fill: 3.9 oz. Tack on some clean stylingeven the logo is understatedand the Stretchdown is a practical and good-looking jacket for everyday use. Youll still want to don a waterproof layer if the skies open up, but the Microlight Alpine stands out as one of the more weather-resistant midweight down jackets weve tested. Despite these nitpicks, the rebooted Ghost Whisperer is very light, warm, and a favorite among serious outdoor adventurersRead in-depth reviewSee the Men's MH Ghost Whisperer See the Women's MH Ghost Whisperer. Many down jacket brands keep their styling fairly close to the cuff, but Cotopaxi stands out with its fun, retro designs. They also are far puffier than the other categories with more down, and as a result take up quite a bit more space in your pack. For jackets, 550 to 650-fill down is what youll find on most entry and mid-level models, which is perfectly respectable for daily wear but falls short for performance use. With 3.4 ounces of 800-fill-power down, the jacket is light and packable enough for backpacking and travel yet offers enough warmth to use as a midlayer for skiing. With an impressive 3.7 ounces of 900-fill down in a 10.8-ounce build, it offers more warmth for the weight than just about any jacket here. Fill weight is the actual amount of down stuffed into a jacket, measured in ounces. Unfortunately, two elements that have not changed with the Ghost Whisperer/2 are its fit and cuff design. We wore the Falketind Down750 for a winter of travel (including a 16-day trek in Nepal and backcountry skiing in BC), and it proved itself a capable companion in fall and winter conditions. Welcome to our outdoor gear buyers guides and reviews here at Switchback Travel. of 700-fill-power downWhat we like: Extremely soft and cozy design that excels for everyday wear.What we dont: Not a backcountry-ready piece. But for sleeping-bag-like loft and warmth on a cold winter day, it fits the billRead in-depth reviewSee the Men's Rab Neutrino Pro See the Women's Rab Neutrino Pro. A lower denier rating means the material is less durable and more prone to tears or punctures. Along with warmth for the weight, compressibility is an area where down dominates the vast majority of synthetic-insulated jackets. Category: LightweightWeight: 14 oz.Fill: 800-fill-power downWhat we like: Retro styling with premium down fill.What we dont: Materials aren't very soft; not everyone likes the striped colorways. Category: HeavyweightWeight: 1 lb. Fit is jacket-specific, but there are two main considerations here. Our picks for the best winter jackets and parkas below are among the warmest on the marketthey are packed with down fill (or synthetic on occasion) and built to stand up to An iconic Patagonia jacket named after an iconic Patagonian peak, the Fitz Roy has gone through a number of iterations over the years. Ultralight down jackets are focused pieces designed for backpacking, climbing, backcountry skiing, and other outdoor pursuits where every ounce matters. For fast-and-light missions, the Ghost Whisperer/2 remains a go-to choice. For everyday use and casual winter adventuring, the Coldfront is a very well-rounded option. But circling back to value, the 650 Down Jackets combination of warmth, build quality, and price are simply unmatched (we even dedicated an article to breaking down why we think the REI is the best cheap down jacket currently on the market)Read in-depth reviewSee the Men's REI 650 Down Jacket See the Women's REI 650 Down Jacket. But all gripes aside, the Cerium is an exceptionally well-built piece of gear, looks great (we frequently get compliments when wearing it around town), and can more than handle its own in the backcountryRead in-depth reviewSee the Men's Arc'teryx Cerium LT See the Women's Arc'teryx Cerium LT. Category: MidweightWeight: 1 lb. The Cerium LT Hoody is the companys leading lightweight down jacket and one sleek piece of gear. Lastly, Patagonia products don't come cheap, although again, we love the sleek styling and you should get a very healthy lifespan out of this jacketRead in-depth reviewSee the Men's Patagonia Down Sweater See the Women's Patagonia Down Sweater. Nowadays, a lot of gear manufacturers treat down to make it more water resistant. It's tough to beat a great down jacket, whether its for casual use or tearing around the backcountry. And with 7.5 ounces of 800-fill-power down (for the mens medium), you get about twice the warmth of most jackets here, which is a steal considering the Neutrino Pros $375 price tag. For all types of outdoor activities including everyday use around town, the Thorium arguably is the more versatile option and one that you wont have to worry about as much. First off, both of our handwarmer pockets have stitching on the inside that reduces the usable area by a sizable margin (we undid the stitches in one pocket but our handiwork resulted in a damaged zipper). As we touched on above, the main limitation of the Silent Down is its casually focused build. And it ups the ante in terms of warmth, with 6.1 ounces of 700-fill down compared to the Stretchdowns 4.3 ounces. But unlike down sleeping bags, which have an official EN rating system that tests and measures their warmth on a concrete scale, down jackets are more like the Wild West. More fill will help you move toward the bottom end of the range and less will push you toward the middle. For all their inherent strengths, down jackets arent perfect: Namely, they perform poorly in wet weather and their thin fabrics are often lacking in durability. Neither a DWR finish nor hydrophobic down will keep your down completely dry, but they make nice lines of defense against light to moderate precipitation. Warmth is quite impressive with 5.3 ounces of 700-fill down, plus you get more weather-ready VerticalX ECO synthetic insulation at the shoulders and cuffs. Many of the models are the same but the names and colorways sometimes vary. When gear companies really prioritize cutting weight, youll see changes to zippers, a trim fit, and a lack of pockets. Finally, the Norrna is heavier than much of the lightweight competition (you can get comparable warmth for almost 5 oz. of 800-fill-power downWhat we like: Extremely versatile and looks great.What we don't: A bit heavy for backcountry use. While most jackets on this list are strictly down, Arcteryx has created a really nice balance of lightweight warmth and functionality. What we dont: Pricey for a casual piece. Most notably, OR upped the fill power from 650 to 700 and added 1.1 ounces more down, but the addition of synthetic fill and a more durable shell (30D vs. the Transcendents 20D) increased total weight by more than 4 ounces, which is significant. Read more about us. REI honed in the design for the newer version by adding recycled shell fabric, box-like baffling, and a nice variety of good-looking colorways. less with the Eos above), although many will consider this a fair trade for the added water resistance and durability. The temperature range for these jackets depends on factors like layering and exertion, but we find that lightweight models are typically suitable for approximately 35 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit (more on this in Our Estimated Temperature Scale below). For example, if Jacket A has 6 ounces of 800-fill down and Jacket B has 3 ounces of 800-fill down, you can expect that Jacket A will be significantly warmer (we estimate that it would increase comfort levels in low output activities by approximately 10-20 degrees). The down jacket market ranges from performance to casual and everything in between, but you wont find a more versatile option than the Patagonia Down Sweater. And we can't help but love the build quality. Fill: 5.3 oz. In addition, the shell minimizes the swish-swish sound common among down pieces (hence the name), and the hood can be zipped into the collar when not in use (a handy feature when layering under a shell). is how the quality of down is measured, and the higher the fill the better the down. Optimally you would have both, but if youre only in the market for a single jacket, theres simply no better insulator than down. Its worth noting that the Coldfront replaces Outdoor Researchs well-loved Transcendent but differs in a few key ways. However, down still has no replacement (at least for now). This Japan-based company makes gear for those who depend on it, and doesnt spend much on paid athletes or splashy marketing campaigns. Other factors like premium down (it provides the most warmth for the least amount of weight) and ultralight zippers play a role as well, but the shell fabric is most important. For a more detailed explanation of this topic, see our article on down vs. synthetic insulation.Back to Our Top Down Jacket Picks Back to Our Down Jacket Comparison Table. Third, we really like the Lightlines clean looksits a nice choice for everything from technical use to everyday wear in cold climates. Of course, the retro styling is what stands out most and Cotopaxi currently is offering the jacket in nine colorways, all but one with the signature multi-colored baffles on the front. The jacket is reasonably light at 11 ounces, provides solid warmth with over 4 ounces of 650-fill-power down, and stuffs into its own hand pocket. And last but not least, its a great value at $325, especially considering many jackets with a fraction of the down cost more. In 2013, Patagonia experimented with a 1,000-fill down jacket, the Encapsil, but hasnt yet brought it back to market, and Montbell currently offers the 1,000-fill Plasma Down Jacket and Parka with thin 7D shells. The number is calculated based on how much space one ounce of down clusters takes up in a cylindrical tube. Keep in mind that the higher the fill power the more easily it will compress. That said, neither jacket is a true performance piece, so this doesnt necessarily change the equation for us, and we appreciate the Coldfronts tougher exterior for both front- and backcountry use. Category: LightweightWeight: 1 lb. For a deeper dive into the topic, see our article: Does Your Down Jacket Need a Hood?. And for hauling in a pack, its on the heavy side at 1 pound 1 ounces, but that extra weight does come with a boost in insulation. In addition, we have created a round-up of the best womens-specific down jackets covering that category in particular. As a result of all the fun tech, they also cost considerably more than your typical down sweater. Apparently the fill power numbers are far sexier, and as a result, we sometimes have to call the manufacturers to track down fill weight as its not always listed (for more information, see our article: Down Fill and Insulation Explained).