A thinner down jacket works for many occasions and can either be worn by themselves or in combination with a shell jacket year round. When being active it may be wise to consider if the down jacket should be under or over a shell layer. Are you doing high activity, with short breaks or being inactive? The shell layer compresses the down, which reduces the insulation properties. With the shell layer on top, sweat will be trapped which leads to condensation and moisture inside. So if you’re doing challenging activities with short breaks, it’s better to wear the down jacket as the outer layer to ensure good isolation.

An extra thick down jacket is a more heavy duty garment that is designed for more challenging weather conditions and activities such as expeditions. A solid layer of down gives excellent insulation. In such conditions it is often dry and therefore the need for a waterproof garment is not as big.

The down jacket featured in the picture has a down blend of 95% and 5% feathers with a fill power of 750 cuin.

Down garments made using what is known as ‘box construction’ insulate best and are warmest. “Box construction” means that there are internal partition walls sewn between the inner and outer fabrics. This creates boxes with down inside, which prevents thermal bridges from forming. A down product with box construction takes maximum advantage of the down’s insulating abilities.