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With durability and warmth high on our list, we tested these on bitterly cold Dartmoor
Whether you’re halfway up an alpine peak or shivering in the away end of a football pitch on a Saturday afternoon, a down (or puffer) jacket can really take the edge off when the temperature starts to tumble, and they’ve come a long way since they made their way off the mountain and onto the high street.
Before we get into that, let’s get technical for a second and talk about “fill power” – not the latest World Darts champ, but a measurement of the jacket’s all-important insulating profile. The higher the fill power, the more air pockets in the down, and the warmer the jacket will be for its weight. However, not all the jackets we tested had this rating, as some were filled with synthetic down rather than the traditional goose or duck variety.
No matter what the filling, it will be held in place by baffles, which is what makes a puffer jacket, well, puff, as well as ensuring the down stays in place and provides all-over insulation. Where the manufacturer decides to place the baffles is very important and will determine how effective the coat is in the cold, with well thought out placement and construction eliminating cold spots.
Of course, all this talk of down in a puffer is rather useless if it gets wet, as the down’s loft collapses, reducing the effectiveness against cold. So, a puffer’s outer either has to work well underneath a waterproof shell or have a good level of water resistance itself and be treated with a good durable water repellent (DWR) finish.
Durability also applies to the outer, in that it needs to be rugged enough to withstand snags on thorns while taking the dog for a walk, or being taken in and out of a day pack when hiking. If you’re looking for a puffer for day walks or longer treks, it also needs to have a good warmth to weight ratio, so you get all the benefits of the insulation without it weighing you down while walking.
The best jackets will do all this without feeling restrictive and making you move like the Michelin Man, so read on to find out which shells are best suited for your plans.
We had a good window for testing in January this year when the arctic winds blew into the UK and there was a prolonged period of dry and very cold weather. This gave us just the environment we needed to put our assessment criteria – such as warmth to weight ratio and fit – to the test with all the jackets worn during day walks on a bitterly cold and windy Dartmoor, where the high granite outcrops offered plenty of opportunity to test each jacket’s ability to withstand cold, wind, rain and general abrasion from the environment. As always, we also looked at the price of each product to assess its price to quality ratio.
Made for a windswept summit, the Mammut taiss IN has really got your back with its mix of technical know-how and wearability. For a jacket that packs in so much, its profile seems to eliminate the bulk that you get with many puffers and effortlessly moves with your body, rather than fighting against it. The styling means it won’t look out of place in urban environments either.
It’s also worth mentioning the Thru Dark melee, which we think pulls off a very neat trick of looking great without sacrificing any functionality in the key areas of insulation, weight and durability. The kind of jacket that will see you comfortably through a winter’s day walk, but will look sharp when you finish at the pub.
Put your best foot forward with our pick of the best walking boots for men for a blister-free hike