HOME AND DRY
Our weather is anything but predictable, so invest in a versatile layer for all year round. Sian Lewis hiked, walked and cycled to bring you nine premier insulated jackets
The Great British weather is anything but predictable. In March alone we’ve seen sub-zero temperatures thanks to the Beast from the East and sunny spring days that have left us sweating in our heavy winter coats, as well as an early dose of April showers. So, how to layer up for days in the great outdoors in changeable weather (which, let’s face it, blights the UK all year round)? A lightweight insulated jacket is the answer. Swap puffy, winter down jackets for lighter, sleeker down or a fleece – they’re ideal for sticking underneath a thick jacket on icy mornings, wearing with a waterproof shell on rainy days and worn alone as a light outer jacket when the weather is milder.
How light is lightweight?
Pick a jacket that is both lightweight (ideally under 500g) and easy to pack down small. Some insulated jackets will pack into their own pocket, which is ideal for commuting or for stuffing in a backpack on the fly. Fleeces are breathable and quick to dry, but not as warm as a padded jacket.
Note that down and synthetic insulated jackets aren’t usually waterproof, so you’ll need a light waterproof jacket in heavy rain, but some are water resistant – a jacket treated with Nikwax is a good choice – and will withstand a light shower, and are thus a more versatile pick.
Should I opt for down or synthetic fill?
The main difference between jackets stuffed with down or synthetic insulation is that down (the soft, warm feathers that lay under harder outer feathers on a bird’s body) is usually lighter, can feel bulkier and is sometimes warmer. If you want a mid-layer for high-intensity activities such as hiking or cycling, a synthetic jacket is probably a better option. If you’re all about keeping cosy, down has traditionally been your best bet, but many synthetic insulations do now perform as well as down. When wet, animal down quickly loses its warming properties, but synthetic down retains some heat when damp.
There’s an animal welfare issue with the production of some down jackets. The cheapest down is harvested from live (and sometimes force-fed) animals, a cruel and unnecessary act. You’ll see other down jackets labelled “humanely harvested”, which means the down is a by-product of food production. Ethically traced down is more expensive.
Synthetic down jackets avoid the problem all together. If you’re on the market to buy one good-quality jacket, we’d recommend picking something that either uses synthetic insulation or a company using humane, traceable down – Patagonia has a great track record of ensuring the down used in its jackets is ethically sourced.
What other features should I look out for?
Other useful design elements to look out for include a hood and a drawstring waist, both useful for retaining body warmth. External and internal pockets – zippable, preferably – will give you somewhere to stash valuables.
How did you test the jackets?
We tested all these jackets on long hikes and cycles in cold winter weather, and whenever possible wore them in rainy and snowy conditions to check for water repellence.
Rab Microlight Alpine Jacket: £190, Cotswold Outdoor
Fill: Ethically-sourced down Size range: 8-18 Waterproof: Water resistant Colour options: Eight colours available Men’s equivalent: Yes Rab’s down jackets are firm favourites in the worlds of climbing and mountaineering and the Alpine Microlight is a chip off the old block – it’s lightweight (375g), with an adjustable waist and a longer cut than most jackets we tested, which we felt kept us warmer around the waist, and sports a nifty stiff-peaked hood which stays put well, as well as a chest pocket. It’s stuffed with ethically-sourced, weather-resistant down, and we found it kept rain at bay in even over two hours of sustained rainfall. Worth the spend if you’re headed for the hills this spring; later on it will double as a mid-layer for snowsports.
Protest Aaliyah 16 Jacket: £69.99, Protest
Weight: N/A Fill: Synthetic Size range: XS-L Waterproof: Water repellent Colour options: Black and dark blue Men’s equivalent: Yes Protest’s clever Aaliyah design is half down jacket, half thinner hoody, with padded insulation around the torso and a stretchy upper and hood – our tester thought this felt nicely fitted and was easy to layer under heavier jackets and waterproofs. It’s water-repellent and stood up well to a light shower, and we like the elasticated cuffs and waist. Available in black or a pretty, floral blue, this one is a good choice for easy wear in both city and country, but wasn’t the warmest jacket we tested. We’d say that it is best worn alone only on milder days.
Icebreaker Merinoloft Hyperia Lite Jacket: £140, Wiggle
Weight: N/A Fill: Wool Size range: S-XL Waterproof: Water resistant Colour options: Black Men’s equivalent: Yes A brilliant all-rounder, the light, water-repellent Hyperia packs into its own pocket and is slim fitting and smart enough to wear to work (we prefer the subtle black to the purple). Well-spaced shoulder seams mean we found there was no rubbing when worn with a backpack, and we liked the high, comfortable neck, which provides extra warmth and is good for layering under waterproofs. The insulation used here is Merinoloft, a merino wool mix that retains warmth when wet (unlike down) that’s easier to machine wash and to air dry than down, which requires special down wash and needs tumble drying.
Mountain Hardwear Stretchdown DS Jacket: £220, Wiggle
Weight: 466g Fill: Nikwax hydrophobic down (ethically sourced) Size range: S-XL Waterproof: Water resistant Colour options: Black Men’s equivalent: Yes This one is so soft and velvety to touch and the matte finish is a nice change from shinier insulated jackets. The quilted Stretchdown feels very cosy. It’s stuffed with Nikwax-treated hydrophobic down, designed to trap warmth even when wet. This puts it at the heavier end of the spectrum, at 420g, but it’s not enough to
feel hefty when on. We found it performed well on warmth even on snowy mountains at zero degrees, and it kept us dry in light rain.
Trespass Yolanda Packable Down Jacket: from £47.99, Outdoor Look
Weight: N/A Fill: Down Size range: S-XXL Waterproof: No Colour options: Black, blue, pink and orange Men’s equivalent: No Our firm favourite for under £50, this effective down and feather-filled jacket feels light and flexible to wear. Its selling point is that the jacket packs down into a pocket with minimal effort. The outer shell, which isn’t water repellent, is thinner than some (we’d recommend avoiding brambles), but it’s a good extra layer to chuck in your rucksack on adventures. If rain is forecast make sure you have a waterproof shell to put on over the top. Available in four colours.
Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody: £250, Patagonia
Weight: 227g Fill: Synthetic Size range: S-XL Waterproof: Water resistant Colour options: Black, turquoise, grey, purple and red Men’s equivalent: Yes
This jacket is totally worth the price tag if quality is your priority. Patagonia’s much-lauded Micro Puff range is stuffed with PlumaFill synthetic insulation – a super-light down alternative that claims to be just as effective warmth-wise as down and retains its warmth when wet too. This was the lightest insulated jacket we tested at just 227g, but the Micro Puff still sports a cosy hood and water-repellent outer layer. It feels oddly light when you first put it on but we found it kept us as warm in the snow as any other jacket on test, yet felt light and breathable all day and repelled light snowfall for hours. It’s available in five colours and has a shiny finish that’s quite in-your-face. There’s also a version without a hood.
Black Diamond Cold Forge Hoody: £262, Black Diamond
Weight: 420g Fill: Synthetic and ethically-sourced down blend Size range: S-XL Waterproof: Water repellent Colour options: Black and white Men’s equivalent: Yes The thickest and bulkiest jacket we tested, at 420g, this nevertheless deserves a place on our list. Designed for climbers and any stop-start activities where you might get chilly, it’s ideal for general use in colder weather, and is a comfy, warm, water-resistant jacket. The fill is a blend of ethically sourced down and PrimaLoft and is ideal on chilly mornings, cycling trips (the hood is helmet-compatible) and spring ski and snowboard trips. That said, it’s still breathable enough to wear on warm days, or swap it for the lighter Hot Forge. Just remember to allow six days for delivery.
North Face Thermoball Jacket: £160, The North Face
Fill: Synthetic Size range: XS-XL Waterproof: Water resistant Colour options: Seven colours available Men’s equivalent: Yes One for the brand faithful, the Thermoball is designed to zip into North Face waterproofs to render them warm and insulated – that said, it works excellently worn alone, too. The Thermoball is specifically designed for wet weather, so while not fully waterproof it does repel rain well, and when wet, the synthetic fill keeps you warm better than animal down would do. A good choice for variable British weather, and when out in the mountains we liked the cinchable waist, which keeps warmth in, and how easy the jacket was to stow in its own hood when not in use.
Finisterre Cirrus Jacket: £160, Finisterre
Weight: 355g Fill: Synthetic (recycled) Size range: 8-16 Waterproof: Water resistant Colour options: Olive Men’s equivalent: Yes In a world of fluoro-bright down jackets it was nice to test out this pared-back, stylish olive number from Finisterre, which was probably our favourite on test for versatile wearing both in the great outdoors and down the pub. Slim fitting, warm and light, the Cirrus provides instant warmth from synthetic fill that’s recycled and is also resistant to light showers. It packs away into its own pocket, making it ideal for the commute. Our only downsides were that the pockets can’t be zipped or popped closed, and that when zipped all the way up the jacket’s neck is rather close-fitting.
The Verdict
Rab’s excellent Microlight is tough, warm and light, perfect for rugged adventures and good-looking when worn on city streets. If you can afford to go top price, pick Patagonia’s Micro Puff, which uses an ecofriendly alternative to animal down and is the lightest jacket we tested.
Sian Anna Lewis is a travel and outdoors writer and editor of the Girl Outdoors blog