10 Best Down Jackets for Hiking

Down jackets are an integral part of hiking in cold weather conditions. Down insulation, unlike synthetic material is commonly warmer than synthetic material. The feathers from birds, mainly geese, and ducks, provide for a plush feel that is incredibly insulated, and traps in heat. Down jackets normally have a bracketed look from baffles. These pockets keep the down separated, and comfortable for usage.

While down jackets can be worn alone over a t-shirt, or baselayer, often times a layering system always works the best. This layer is not breathable like others, and is best used when taking a break, or while hiking with low output. Down jackets also act as the final layer of protection from the brutal cold. It’s the one layer that can go over everything else in the case of extreme temperatures!

Down jackets are best used in cold and dry weather conditions. Down jackets are the ultimate cold weather later for hiking. This is the layer that you should always bring with you in your pack, you never know when a cold spell can come through.

It is important to understand where and when down jackets should be used. A major pro of down is that it compresses down well, and has impressive insulation for its weight. That being said, if down gets wet, it clumps up and does not retain its warmth. That’s why down jackets are ideal for more stationary activities, or when hiking is severely cold, and the output from the hiker is not much. If you exert sweat while hiking in down apparel, it will again clump up and not retain its warmth and insulation. Some down jackets on the market now have a bit of water repellency, which may be useful for some hikers. A durable nylon outer layer makes for the best possible down jacket with some water repellency.

Something else to consider with down jackets is that they are normally not as durable as synthetic jackets. This is why again, active hiking is normally not the best usage of a down jacket.

The goal of a down jacket is for functional warmth. Other than a durable waterproof shell, this is arguably the most important layer to keep in your pack while hiking. This is what stays in the bottom of your pack until your warmth depends on it.

Fill Power and Fill Weight

One of the trickiest parts of purchasing a down jacket is understanding what the heck fill power and fill weight means. While down is sourced from both geese and ducks, geese down is generally considered to be of much higher quality. There are many ethical questions associated with using down, which will be addressed in a later section of the article. Production of down jackets is done with a ratio of down and feathers. Down is actually the layer of insulation on geese and ducks that is under the outer layer of feathers.

Fill power

Fill power is the rating that you see on a jacket. This usually ranges somewhere between 350-900 fill power. Fill power is part of a standardized test that measures the volume of down. When taking a look at the same weight of down in different fill powers, the higher the fill, the more space the down will take up. Hence, it allows less air to penetrate the jacket and is overall better insulation. The higher the rating of the down fill, the less mass of down is needed to retain and capture warmth. While jackets in the 700-900 fill contain the highest quality down and will often be warmer than lesser fills, this is not always the case. The higher fill power is also lighter, and more easily compressible.

Fill Weight

As you guessed it, fill weight refers to the actual weight of the down in the jacket. This is very important to take a look at when purchasing a down jacket, as this too is related to warmth. Bottom line, a jacket with a high fill weight and fill power will be the warmest jacket on the market. Theoretically, a 350 fill-down jacket with a fill weight of 10 ounces would have the same warmth as a 700 fill jacket with a fill weight of 5 ounces. Many different aspects of each jacket would dispel this theoretical comparison, but as a rule of thumb, it is critical to take a look at both fill weight and fill power.

The bottom line is the higher fill power and fill weight = the warmest jacket possible. The higher the fill power, the lighter, more quality, and higher compressibility the jacket has.

Understanding Responsible and Ethical Down Products

As down products come from animals, it is critical to understand how to look for ethically sourced down. The most popular label one might find when shopping for a down jacket is an RDS label or Responsible Down Standard. The main tenant of an RDS label ensures that “down and feathers come from animals that have not been subjected to any unnecessary harm.” This mainly refers to the act that live-plucking or force-feeding of birds for the use of down products is strictly prohibited. RDS is the main label one might find when shopping, big brands like Arc’teryx and Mountain Hardwear also have RDS products available.

Another popular down label with similar standards to RDS is the Global Traceable Down Standard, a popular standard among brands like Patagonia.

While RDS is the most popular standard in the outdoor industry, there are other ways to learn more about your down products. Trackmydown.com now supports several different companies in the outdoor industry and can give you a good idea of the ethics of your down products!

Now, for what you have been waiting for! A non-exhaustive list of some of the best down hiking jackets on the market. The below list includes heavyweight, midweight, and lightweight/causal around-town down jackets. While these three categories are subjective, think of the medium weight for jackets that are useful to carry in 3 season weather, the heavyweight for winter conditions, and the lightweight for around town and lighter hiking!

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Best Heavyweight Down Jackets

1. Arc’teryx Alpha Parka Men’s (MEN | WOMEN)

2. Patagonia Fitz Roy Down Hoodie (MEN | WOMEN)

3. Mountain Hardwear Nilas Jacket (MEN | WOMEN)

Best Midweight Down Hiking Jackets

4. Arc’teryx Cerium Hoody (MEN | WOMEN)

Check Men’s: Arc’teryx | REI | Amazon
Check Women’s: Arc’teryx | REI | Amazon

5. Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer 2 Down Hoody (MEN | WOMEN)

Check Men’s: REI | Amazon | Moosejaw | Backcountry Jacket: Amazon | Moosejaw | Backcountry
Check Women’s: REI | Amazon | Moosejaw | Backcountry Jacket: REI | Amazon | Moosejaw | Backcountry

6. REI Co-op 650 Down Jacket 2.0 (MEN | WOMEN)

7. Outdoor Research Helium Down Hoodie (MEN | WOMEN)

Check Men’s: Outdoor Research | REI | Moosejaw | Amazon | Backcountry
Check Women’s: Outdoor Research | REI | Moosejaw | Amazon | Backcountry

8. Rab Microlight Alpine Down Jacket (MEN | WOMEN)

Lightweight stylish down jackets

9. Patagonia Down Sweater Hoodie (MEN | WOMEN)

Price $329
Fill 800
Weight 15 ounces

What We Like Looking for a lightweight down hiking layer that also works as a great around town layer, look no further! This jacket features Advanced Global Traceable Down with a recycled outer polyester finish. While the fill weight of the jacket won’t make this the warmest jacket on our list, it is a great weight for those shoulder season hikes.

Check Men’s: REI | Patagonia | Backcountry
Check Women’s: REI | Patagonia | Backcountry

10. Cotopaxi Fuego Hooded Down Jacket

Check Men’s: REI | Moosejaw | Amazon
Check Women’s: REI | Moosejaw | Amazon

Conclusion

While finding a down jacket for hiking is no easy task, we hope this article will better prepare you to make this big purchase! Happy hiking!