Page 41 - 2019 AMA Winter

KITREVIEW
DOWN vs SYNTHETIC
The reoccurring questions is always ‘Which type of insulated jacket is best?’. This is normally a straight choice between down and synthetic. Although many people will have a personal preference the recent advances in technology means that the performance gap between the two is narrowing, but it’ll still be your choice as to which one will suit your needs best.
Even the most experienced summer mountaineer will pause and think what extra kit will be required to
transition to winter for the first time. This could be any thing from a trip to Alps or Greater Ranges through to operating in the harsh Scottish Conditions. Incredibly low temperatures, driving snow, horizontal rain, and gale force winds all whilst being at a distance from the nearest shelter makes the dependency on quality equipment all the more important. While most bits of kit will be able to operate happily in both summer and winter, some will not.
For arguments sake, I am going to describe ‘Down Materials’ as the small soft feathers found close to the bird’s body (duck or goose normally). Although it’s a little more complicated than that with other non-feathery and fluffy particles (Tendrils and Fibres) making up the down. Down is a natural lofting material that can be compressed and will expand over and over again if properly cared for and stored.
This lofted space in the jacket from the down traps the heat generated from your body and stores it.
The outer of the jacket is usually in a light weight pertex (type) material and will have a ‘Fill power’ number printed on it. This fill power refers to the quality of the down that has been forced into garment. In essence, a jacket with a higher fill power
‘This lofted space in the jacket from the down traps the heat generated from your body and stores it’
will have better down in it and conse- quently the warmer you’ll be. The reason for this is that better quality down has more fibres and tendrils in the feathers and therefore traps more air between them in these spaces. So you can get a better performance from a jacket with less down material and bulk by having a higher
Elvar Jacket
ARMY MOUNTAINEER / 41