PATAGONIA Micro Puff

RRP: £220 Target price: £180 This is a jacket you’ll enjoy putting on and taking off repeatedly; and, when you’ve had enough of that, handing to people and saying “Go on, feel that”. That’s because it’s startlingly light; less like a jacket than a whisp of fabric it feels like they’ve forgotten to stuff. And yet it’s much warmer than that leads you to expect. Patagonia says its PlumaFill synthetic insulation gives the Micro Puff the highest warmth-toweight ratio of any of its insulators, even the down ones. And it feels it. And because it’s not full of delicate, dampfearing down it’s much more practical. You may find yourself using it all the time – as an outer on cool, breezy days (and never mind if it spits a bit); as a very warm, unemcumbering mid-layer on cool days and chilly lunch stops; as an afterthought grab-and-go in case it’s cold on the walk back from the pub. Two zipped handwarmer pockets (into either of which the jacket packs) combine with two capacious inner pockets to complete a super-light stunner. The hooded version (‘Hoody’) is £30 – and a few grams more. NH

INFO: Sizes: XS-XXL Weight: 230g Insulation: Patagonia Plumafill (synthetic) Colours: Black, grey, blue, orange, red, green Contact: 08000 260055, eu.patagonia.com

A versatile, packable, surprisingly + warm and startlingly light layer. Warmer than it has any right to be – but for walking, not standing around.

BEST FOR: Winter walks with more go than stop, for lightweight lovers.