Down or Synthetic?

[AndrewLyonsGeibel]

I prefer down simply for the packability. I also hate near freezing temperatures so usually stay home then. I’d much rather hike at 0 F than 32 F. The shoulder season is my nemesis.

[Hoot]

I don't have much experience with expensive hi-tech jackets, but my thin down jacket under a softshell works great for me for nearly all cold days in Colorado. If it's going to be super cold, I bring along my big down puffy. And I usually carry my super-cheap DriDucks jacket and pants for rain or added warmth over everything else on very cold and windy days.

[mikefromcraig]

Synthetic is a lot easier to wash, however.

[AndrewLyonsGeibel]

People wash stuff? All joking aside, down isn’t hard to wash, just time consuming.

[Sean Nunn]

You want one of each. You wear the synthetic on the ascent. You wear the DOWN on the descent.

[Wildernessjane]

Okay, so I know puffy jackets. I'm a bit of a hoarder actually. I own and have owned many, many down and synthetic insulated jackets over the years. In my experience, down has a wider "comfort window" than synthetic. With the advent of hybrid synthetic/softshells and new technologies in highly breathable material, however, I don't this is really true any more when it comes to jackets. Personally, I prefer down to synthetic because it is generally lighter and more packable. Why limit yourself to just one puffy though? I generally wear my lightweight synthetic hybrid on the ascent (or in the summer) and pull one of my down jackets on over the top once I hit the summit or for the descent. This combination works really well together. If you are going to limit yourself to one jacket, then I would say it depends on what you want to use it for. If you are looking for that emergency/summit parka then I would definitely go with down. It's really impressive how small my Rab Positron packs down.

[Brimstone10]

I am pretty tempted to try the nano-air hoodies though...

Best "puffy" I own. Arc'Teryx also makes a comparable version. 9 times out of ten when I'm out BC skiing, in bounds skiing, hiking 14ers, I reach for the Nano Air over my down puffy, because of how well it breathes. It does not compress as well as down (not even close) but is so much more versatile and breathable. Only when it gets nasty (super windy, cold, especially in shoulder season hiking) do I reach for the down puffy, usually in addition to the Nano Air Hoody underneath my shell jacket.

I 100% agree with this, and to echo what others are saying, I take both a synthetic and down jacket with me. My nano air hoodie is one of the best, and most used pieces of gear I have. I run hot so I wear it on the ascent with typically just a base layer underneath in the winter. The wind can pass through it keeping me regulated, as well as dry my base layer. If I stop for an extended break, I'll throw my shell on over it and stay warm. I keep a down jacket in my pack (Arctyerx Thorium) since it packs down small for those really cold / windy summits & breaks, but it hardly comes out.

[mindfolded]

gander

Good one.

[Isto11]

Down jackets are warmer and better. However, the feathers are often plucked from living birds, often to the point of death-by-shock. So seems like a pretty easy decision to me....

[Skimo95]

Down jackets are warmer and better. However, the feathers are often plucked from living birds, often to the point of death-by-shock. So seems like a pretty easy decision to me....

https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice ... -gear.html

[CaptainSuburbia]

The monkey knows

[SkaredShtles]

The monkey knows

Man... love The Refreshments!