Down and Insulated Jackets

Salomon Elixir Ultra Down | Review

A lofty down jacket with a smart cut and some nice details to ensure insulation efficiency when out on the hill

This is one of those down jackets that is incredibly lofty and that means it’s super comfy to wear – it’s like a duvet.

It’s filled with an 800 fill power down housed in stitched through baffles. 800 is a pretty good thermal efficiency; OK you can find plenty of jackets with the same price tag but also a higher fill power, but it’s still a decent rating and the jacket definitely feels warm. At 402g, it’s also a pretty decent weight and it’ll pack down to about the size of a pint glass too.

Who is the Salomon Elixir Ultra Down For?

This is a versatile jacket. During our tests during cold and windy conditions in the Cairngorms when there was snow on the tops, it was the ideal warm layer during a day of hiking. While it’s not technically made for skiing, we can also see it being useful to wear during sunny days on the slopes or as part of a layering system on the not-so-nice days.

Pros: Excellent warmth-to-weight,
Cons: Pockets cut off by hipbelt

Our tester Cat using the Elixir in the Scottish Highlands. Photos: Dave Macfarlane

It’s got a long cut, as you can see in the pictures, so if you’re looking for a down jacket to wear underneath a waterproof jacket, you’ll want to have a suitably long waterproof jacket too.

Features and Materials

One interesting thing about this jacket is that it has a reflective lining designed to reflect heat back to your body. Salomon explained to us that this is a vapour-deposited metallic coating that’s directly applied to the fabric. We’ve seen linings in jackets before – including the Rab Mythic Ultra and Columbia’s Omni-Heat range – but we’ve not seen them applied in this way.

The company behind the tech say that this helps to bring down the overall carbon footprint of the jacket as it reduces the need for extra insulation material within the fill – supposedly by up to 50%.

The stretchy cuffs are also a nice touch. They seem to lock in that extra bit of warmth into the jacket and they simply just have a nice and soft feel to them. The downside is that they make the cuff opening a little narrow, so it’s hard to pull the jacket on when you’re wearing a thick pair of gloves.

There are four pockets in total – all of them are on the outside of the jacket. The two handwarmer pockets are cut off by a hipbelt but you can still access the chest pockets. These are reasonably large. You can fit a smartphone in them comfortably and they’ll also take a folded up map. All of the zipper tabs are glove friendly.

In terms of adjustment, there’s a simple cinch on the back of the hood and then one at the hem too. The hood holds well when cinched in, it moves nicely with your head and it’s comfortable when worn with a helmet over it.

It’s good to see Salomon have opted for a PFC-free DWR. We’d previously stated here that it’s a shame no recycled materials appear to have been incorporated but Salomon reached out to inform us that, in fact, the fabrics throughout this are made from 100% recycled Nylon. Credit to them there then.

Tester’s Verdict

Cat Nicol, Cairngorms based hiking and winter sports enthusiast

This is designed to be suitable for those cold winter days up on the mountain and I immediately felt super warm when I put it on. It has that great comfort and flexibility to move freely in. I found it to be easy to pack into a bag as it’s super lightweight and compresses to a small size. Having this jacket with me in the cold mountains of Scotland has been a big plus.

For all outdoor clothing I normally wear sizes small to medium. The Salomon down jacket is a size medium and thought it was also a perfect length and fit for my height, again I could add more layers underneath if I wanted to but it’s a super cosy jacket with just a baselayer.

Some other key things answered

Is it machine washable? Yes, but make sure to follow the instructions on the care label
Does it come with a stuff sack? No
Is there a men’s version? Yes