After 14 years I’m going to have to replace my trusty Rab down pull on. I had it down as a true 1 for life item, but its now too big, so I need a replacement that is equally durable.

Phd, alpkit, patagucci, chav face…… What’s worth a look?

Ta

What size is it?
Theres nothing as good as old rab

Errr……Rab ?

Love mine, still going strong. One of two British brands I choose to sponsor (endura being the other) as their products are great as is their customer service

primaloft…the new daown !

Love mine !

Rab are like Mercedes.

Old was excellent, new is excellent. Middle period was bad!

Rab, Montane, ME…. all the usual suspects.

Look for a water-resistant outer.

Yeah – consider Primaloft too. I just bought a second Montane Prism as the one I had is never off my back 🙂

I read you can get waterproofed down these day. I’d get that or primaloft.

Norrøna

if you can find em. they are a Norwegian brand and are quite excellent

I love my klattermusen.

http://www.klattermusen.se/produktsida.php?lang=EN&ID=1015&sex=2&curr=EUR

Not cheap though.
Bought it for the euro bike trip.
It can fit in a pint pot, but is the warmest bit of kit I own.

I’ve a mountain equipment down jacket. The only problem is that it has to be near sub zero before you can wear it as it so blinkin’ warm. It really does only get about two months use a year.

Berghaus do Hydrodown© . Each feather is flouro-carbon treated so it stays drier and less smelly. I’m guessing other brands have something similar.

Cheers folks – I sense a jolly to Aviemore to look at some stuff in the fleisch

Blacks have the Berghaus and North Face stuff in (and Montane at the moment).

PHD

Got a RAB last year, really good, also got a 10 yr old NF parka that is still brilliant. RAB pretty tight fit.

Waht to get really depends on what temperature range you’re looking at and if you run hot or cold.

My TNF Nuptse is getting on for 15 years old and still going strong, not sure if the new ones are still as good. Although partly it’s due to only getting used in the coldest weather. Mind you the Rab Microlight would be a serious contender if I was looking to replace it now.

Although for damp pritish conditons the primaloft (or similar) jackets have to be a serious consideration. Recently bought a Montane Prism, love it, haven’t worn any other outer wear for weeks now. If you wanted a little more warmth than the Prism, I’d say the Flux is worth a look, or the Arc’teryx Atom, or…… well there’s loads to choose from.

I have a Rab Infinity for around camp in winter, very light and compressible, but a bit short round the back and looks like a hot water tank lagging jacket. I’ve also got a PHD minimus vest which lofts like a bastard. I’m just back from an evening stargazing and my Montane Prism did a decent job of keeping me warm if you fancy synthetic.

If I was buying another down jacket now, it’d be a PHD.

Whatever you choose go for a dark colour, unless you 1)are happy looking like a dirty tramp 2) don’t mind the expense and/or faff of laundering it or paying to have laundered regularly.

PHD is not an option IMO unless you are rich, not fashion continuous, only wanting to use it for it’s proper intended purpose (bivi, winter camping, bothys / draughty camping barns, winter Alps, Himalaya etc).

TBH you’d have to give more detail of it’s intended use for realistic advice.

Primaloft is all well and good, but it is no where near as warm as a high fill power down jacket. But it is slightly better suited to UK conditions in that it doesn’t matter of it gets wet.

Montane Prism is a pretty thin jacket in the grand scheme of things.

From looking around, the only synthetic fill jackets that come close to down are the ME Citadel and the Paramo Torres.

Alpkit are one to look at when they bring out their new Filo jackets in December. Other than that, just get the one with the highest fill power that fits (don’t confuse EU fill standards with US). Get one that fits snug as it will keep you warmer, and realistically you wont be layering up much underneath a thick one!

I like my Keela Belay jacket. It is Primaloft, and very warm. Though fairly bulky/heavy, depends on what you will be using it for. Probably too warm for actually walking or cycling, but great for sitting around in the cold. Quite reasonably priced too (£60 from Amazon).

+1 for the Torres from Paramo. It can be treated with Nikwax to make it very moisture resistant too.

My Rab is huge and fantastic. Don’t know which model though

Had an Alpkit one which is now relegated to dirty wear as it has a rip or two taped with black nasty. Replaced with Mountain Equipment and there is a definite increase in quality between the two.
Some good deals in the samples sale at the Columbia outlet in Portsmouth. Mountain Hardwear stuff very cheap! (Like £400 reduced to £95 type cheap…)

Forget teh niche/brand-meisters – get yersel dooon tae TKMaxx!

2 things.
1 Down isn’t waterproof and nor are jackets as they have big holes in the tops. Treat anything with a proofing as a means of running from the car to the house or proof against a dusting of wet snow fall.
2. Construction. I have a Alpkit Filo. Nice jacket but like many it only has a stitched through construction so there are thin spots which have less insulation. A box construction will be thicker all over and thus warmer. A double layer of stitched through with offset stitching works well but you don’t see that so much nowadays.
Funny how the construction was always stressed in the good old days but not so much any more.
I assume this new duvet is for posing not taking on the hills where a mucky patched one is the sign of a real hill man. Spoken from the view pint of someone who must be ‘ard as I still use a jacket made in 1970. :lol:(but not when the wife is about though :oops:)

Rab summit and rab micro light here. Summit is massive, very warm, amazingly well made and very trustworthy!

Micro light is much smaller and tends to be worn as more of a casual jacket. Could be tempted to part if it interests you? Large Khaki.

Both brilliant.

I have gone down the manmade route – Montane prisms all round for my old team of instructors. Mrs Oab has Montane Flux and I a Patagonia. Never take the things off, and not bothered by wet, or using them when paddling, or letting kids in wet muddy kit wander round in them.
Much more practical than down IMO.

I have a nuptse jacket that’s excellent and was fine with a T Short under it even in -20 in Boston last winter. The mrs has an Alpkit Filo which has some really nice features and I’d consider swapping too but they don’t have any stock by the looks 🙁

A friend had a Rab down jacket and that looked like an excellent design but was expensive.

I only use down skiing, where it’s pretty much sub zero all the time, so no need to worry about it getting wet. For UK use, I just use synthetic stuff eg Primaloft. It’s great being able to bung it in the washing machine and tumble dry without worrying about damaging it.

Mmmm – I’m usually pretty warm, so synthetic may be the way to go.
It gets used for everything from bringing in wood to winter walks (low level) in the Cairngorms.

As above the Montane Prism is great, its all you need for walking and being on the move in winter, a down jacket will be overkill unless you are sitting about.

Also you wont look like this:

I was in town yesterday in a T-shirt and pertex shell and there were loads of people wandering around in Down jackets, hats and gloves etc. Was only 14C!

On a similar subject, I went to a concert in Keswick last night and had a little snigger at the number of people wandering around in full-on winter, very expensive, outdoor gear who had quite obviously not been anywhere near the fells all day. I’ve got my fair share of outdoor gear, me, but I made sure that my outfit did not include anything remotely ‘Outdoorsy’. Reverse snobbery? Yes. Arsehole? Suppose so. Cold? A bit!

I’m fairly well covered with warm outer layers
– 2 down jackets
– 3 down vests
– 4 primaloft jackets
– 2 primaloft vests
– 1 primaloft set of arms…!

Nearly all of them are of the lightweight style of jacket, rather than heavy duty winter use

The primaloft ones are definitely more use than the down ones as I’m generally not in places that are cold enough to warrant a down jacket, plus I find them too warm.

The real question here is what do you want it for? Is it winter pub wear, or are you using it in the outdoors. If so, is it for camp wear or when you stop for a break at the top of a hill. If you care about getting it wet then primaloft or other synthetic insulation is the way forward, otherwise down packs down better and will last longer

Finisterre Etobioke (or Sastruga if you need a hood). Both pack down into a travel pillow too which is ace if you fly a bit. Absolutely mega! (apart from the names). Warm but without the Michelin Man look.

http://www.finisterreuk.com/shop/mens/sastruga-black.html

The North Face have introduced thermoball. It is basically small bits of synthetic insulation, primaloft I believe, that better emulate goose down, but still insulates when wet. As already mentioned, synthetic is probably better in the UK given the humidity.

Rab are like Mercedes.

Old was excellent, new is excellent. Middle period was bad!

which is fine if you have an old one as they have outlasted the middle period.
had mine 18years, send it off to that place in sheffield every now and again for a professional clean otherwise just wipe it over with a dettoll wipe and store it uncompressed.
its not ready for a replacement yet.

earlier this year i replaced (not that it really needed replacing) my 9 year old rab with this:

rab neutrino plus

it is bloody brilliant. it arrived the morning of the first major snowfall we had and i paid significantly less than they are now. why they were so cheap is beyond me because it hasn’t changed at all for the new model year.

anyhoo, great jacket and I’m well pleased with it.
the wife got a nice berghaus one from tkmaxx at a bargain price too. they didn’t have a mens one in my size otherwise i would have done the same. so could be worth a look.

I’ve just picked one of these up from Decathlon…looks pretty decent for £90…

Decathlon?

also picked up One of these too…

RAB Xenon for £99
Its only 340g too
http://www.planetfear.com/item/Brand_RabXenonJacket_0_0_32676_1.html

I have this and is great when its cold..
Montane extreme jacket…

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MONTANE-MENS-EXTREME-MOUNTAIN-JACKET-COAT-WARM-HOOD-/250871409963?pt=UK_Sporting_Goods_Sports_Clothing_LE&var=&hash=item3a6919ed2b