6. La Sportiva Lumina 200

Price: £300
Weight: 250g
Best for: fast hiking, high aerobic outdoor activities
What we liked: light and packable, good sustainability credentials, great warmth-to-weight ratio
What we didn’t like: not much adjustment, some down leakage at the seams

La Sportiva can be commended here for using both a 100% recycled liner and a 100% recycled shell too. The Lumina 200 is also free from any intentionally added PFAS chemicals meaning it avoids the long-lasting environmental pollutants that can be found in some water-repellent treatments. What’s more, it comes with a simple repair kit; a small touch that not only extends the jacket’s life, but also helps to promote the message of repair over replacement.

And the performance? We loved how light and packable it is and appreciated the amount of articulation at the arms which allowed for a full range of movement during our tests. Our sample was pre-production so we didn’t get to try the full 1000 fill power down but all signs are good for the finished article.

The Pertex Quantum fabric – which uses Diamond Fuse technology – is impressive. It looks and feels very light – almost in a flimsy way – but actually it’s a lot stronger than meets the eye. It comes across as being strong enough to withstand repeated abrasion from the straps of a backpack or from coming into contact with some rough rock while you’re scrambling.

Read our full La Sportiva Lumina 200 review.

Buy the La Sportiva Lumina 200: £300 at Alpinetrek.co.uk

7. Rab Cirrus Ultra Hoody

Price: £230
Weight: 548g
Best for: alpine hiking, mountaineering
What we liked: more water resistant than traditional down, hardy insulation
What we didn’t like: on the heavier side

Disclaimer: this jacket is technically not made from down but the PrimaLoft® insulation lofts and acts in much the same way.

PrimaLoft have updated their technology, releasing a new iteration called ThermoPlume+ which the company says is able to offer the same loft as before, but with 20% less material. It’s also made from 100% post-consumer recycled materials – mainly recycled bottles.

The Rab Cirrus Ultra Hoody features ThermoPlume+ fill combined with Rab’s TILT technology, a reflective lining that enhances warmth by reflecting body heat back toward the user, improving thermal efficiency without adding extra weight or bulk. 

We’ve been using the Cirrus Ultra Hoody synthetic insulated jacket this autumn, most notably on a cold few days in the Lake District, and for daily dog walks through some very miserable wet and cold weather. Weighing 548g , we’d call it a mid to heavy-weight insulator; it’s not the kind of jacket that you’re going to scale Everest in but it’s the right kind of insulation for winter hiking, climbing and alpine pursuits.

We’ve found it repels light rain very well and although it does eventually wet out in heavy rain, it still manages to loft and still provide warmth. The durability is impressive too; it’s a jacket that seems to have relatively good abrasion resistance to it – for a puffer jacket anyway. We can see it lasting well.

Check out our full Rab Cirrus Ultra Hoody review.

Buy the Rab Cirrus Ultra Hoody: £230 at Rab.equipment

8. Arc’teryx Thorium SV

Price: £550
Weight: 695g
Best for: cold hikes, casual use
What we liked: durable and protective fabrics
What we didn’t like: heavy, quite boxy

What impressed us during our tests with this jacket was its wind and water resistance. Across the hood and shoulders it uses Gore’s Infinium fabric which, while not waterproof, does bring a lot of rain resistance to the table. We found we could wear the jacket through drizzly conditions without the whole thing getting wet through and cold within an instant. 

It’s also very lofty and cosy, with a lot of down feathers packed into it and a thermally efficient box wall baffle construction. There’s a downside though and that’s the fact that this is a pretty heavy garment, coming in at just below 700g. As such, we found it’s not really the best thing you can buy if you’re looking for something that you can squeeze into your backpack just in case it’s needed. Instead, it’s one of those jackets for those days where you know you’re going to be wearing your insulation all day long. 

Read our full Arc’teryx Thorium SV review.

Buy the Arc’teryx Thorium SV: £550 at Ellis-brigham.co.uk

9. Rohan EOS Insulated

Price: £150 (sale)
Weight: 570g
Best for: winter hikes, casual wear
What we liked: lofty down, well insulated hood, longer cut
What we didn’t like: a little boxy, not the best performer in wet weather

This is a well made down jacket that we enjoyed using during our tests. The thing that stood out the most to us was its cut which is slightly longer at the hem than most of the other jackets in this round up. This means that you get just a touch more warmth and protection from the elements, plus it stays nicely below a backpack hipbelt or climbing harness.

The down feels good quality and the outer shell is light but it still passed our durability tests. There’s no skimping of insulation in the hood either, particularly around the neck. Said hood is supremely comfortable and with the adjustment cords cinched in, it moves nicely with the head. 

Like the Arc’teryx Thorium SV, this is another down jacket that is a touch on the boxy side, particularly around the shoulders.

Read our full Rohan EOS Insulated review.

Buy The Rohan EOS Insulated: £180 (sale) at Rohan.co.uk

10. Peak Performance Helium Utility FLO Jacket

Price: £290
Weight: 375g
Best for: trail hiking, everyday and campsite use 
What we liked: made from leftover fabrics, unique design, comfortable fit
What we didn’t like: not the warmest in its category, some unnecessary details

First launched over 10 years ago, the Helium down jacket has been revamped and relaunched and, as part of Peak Performance’s commitment to circularity, it’s now made from leftover fabrics (hence the name FLO which stands for from leftover fabrics). 

As well as using leftover fabrics, the Peak Performance Helium Utility FLO jacket is free from eco hazardous chemicals and uses a responsibly sourced down fill that can be traced using a site called Track My Down. The jacket certainly feels quite lofty and warm. We used it on a cold trip to the Lake District and found it to be pleasantly warm when hiking.It did, however, feel a little cold to wear when we weren’t moving and we found ourselves wanting a thicker layer at times.

The hood holds well thanks to the bungee cord adjustment. Although we weren’t able to try this with a climbing helmet, it did seem like it would fit comfortably under one. There are also bungees with toggles on the cuffs and at the waist. The jacket can be stuffed into the left handwarmer pocket too, and there’s a pocket on the left arm which is ideal for a lift pass or smartphone. 

With its simple plastic components that aren’t embedded in the jacket and easy to remove zip, you can tell that Peak Performance have made this with repairability in mind. Also, the fact that its shell and liner fabrics are all made from the same material suggests that they’ve made it to be easy to recycle at the end of its life. So, credit to Peak Performance for their sustainability efforts and not just on this specific jacket but with their whole commitment to circularity.

Here’s our full Peak Performance Helium Utlity FLO Jacket Review. 

Buy the Peak Performance Helium jacket: £290 at Peakperformance.com

11. Klättermusen Liv 2.0

Price: £419
Weight: 469g
Best for: climbing, hiking, backpacking
What we liked: warm and very lofty, smart design details, sustainable
What we didn’t like: boxy shape

This is one of those classic all-rounder down jackets, the kind of thing that’ll suit anything from mountaineering and climbing to hiking and backpacking. Basically, it’s made for any pursuit where you want a top notch warmth-to-weight ratio. That comes from the premium 800 fill power down, generous fill weight and excellent down-to-feather ratio of 93% goose down to 7% feather. The first thing that struck us is just how lofty it feels – it’s like wearing a big down sleeping bag.

The face fabric is made from 100% recycled Polyamide and no nasty eco-hazardous PFCs are present in the durable water repellent coating and impregnation. On top of that, the down is all certified by the Responsible Down Standard and comes with bluesign approval to boot.

Perhaps best of all, and this is where this jacket has a real edge, Klättermusen have gone for a box wall construction. This style of baffle structure tends to make for a much warmer jacket than one with a ‘stitched-through’ method as the chances of warm air escaping through the seams are minimised. The downside with box wall constructed jackets is that they tend to be heavier than ones with stitched through seams but this is by no means a heavy jacket.

Related: Best Headtorches For Running

The zip is an unusual offset design, which adds comfort around the neck and throat. The handwarmer pockets are comfy, though they’re not particularly backpack or harness-friendly. There’s one more pocket on the inside of the jacket that’s quite large, big enough to fit an OS map, and this doubles as a stuff sack.

During our tests, we found that this had quite a boxy shape to it, but it felt very warm and comfortable. The outer shell fabric is a little on the thin side, though it still held up to our test period. It’s a shame that Klattermusen don’t make a version of this with a hood too.

Selected for our Green Gear Guide – here’s our full Klättermusen Liv review.

Buy the Klattermusen Liv 2.0: £419 at Klattermusen.com

How To Choose a Down Jacket for Men

The best down jackets will strike a perfect balance between warmth, weight, breathability, packability and wet weather performance. A good down filled jacket will also have a long lifespan and ideally won’t cost you an arm and a leg either.

Down itself is a layer of fine plumage found under the tougher outer feathers of ducks and geese. The best down insulation tends to be goose down as it’s more thermally efficient than duck down. Because of this, goose down is usually more expensive.

If you’re looking to buy a down jacket, it’s worth checking the fill power when measuring the quality of down insulation. The higher the number, the better the quality. The best down jackets tend to have a fill power of over 750. A fill power of 900 or higher is premium.

The best down jackets usually have a box wall baffle construction to lower the risk of heat escaping through any stitching. That said, this design does usually result in a slightly puffier and heavier jacket than down jackets with stitched-through baffles. Patagonia’s Nano Puff jacket is an example of a stitched through jacket that is very popular. On this page, the Rab Mythic Ultra shows an example of a jacket with box wall baffles.

Down can be rendered ineffective if it gets wet, as its loft collapses, reducing its insulating power. Therefore waterproof down jackets or water resistant ones are extremely useful. Some will come with a durable water repellent coating (DWR) to repel water, but you can also add this yourself. Nikwax, Grangers and Storm Care make treatments that can be applied at home.

Some Key Terms Related to Down Jackets

Warmth-to-weight ratio: this refers to the balance a jacket strikes between weight and warmth. The best jackets will be very warm but also very light and that balance can be hard to hit. The jackets on this page that hit the mark there include the Klattermusen Liv and the Rab Mythic Ultra.

RDS: This means Responsible Down Sourcing. It’s a certification that down has been procured through methods that prioritise the welfare of the animals and the environment.

PFC-free DWR: Down loses its capacity to insulate when it gets wet and because of this some companies will add a water repellent coating to their down jackets. In the past, these coatings have contained PFCs which are bad for the environment, but these days more and more brands are using alternatives that are non-hazardous.

Fill power: This refers to the thermal efficiency of the down fill. The lower the number the lower the efficiency. Anything upwards of 700 tends to indicate good thermal efficiency.

Fill weight: This gives an indication of the volume of down fill that has been used. It is usually measured in gsm (grams per square meter). A higher gsm tends to signify a warmer jacket, though fill power and the jacket’s overall design are a big part of the equation too.

For more on what makes the best down jacket, including the synthetic jackets versus down jackets question, plus our guide to ethical down, check out our full down and synthetic jackets buyer’s guide.

How to Wash and Reproof a Down Jacket

Here’a a useful guide we put together that explains exactly how should wash a down jacket – and why it’s so important towards the longevity and performance of your garment.

You May Also Like:

Best Walking Boots Reviewed

Best Walking Shoes Reviewed