MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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Doesnt need to be especially waterproof or lightweight or packable
Does need to be very very warm
Synthetic or down considered
Alpkit for the performance at a price less than high street Rab/North Face etc...
Canada Goose for warmth.
edit: where are you going? A big down coat will likely be too warm in the UK if you are moving about. They don’t breath too well as the fabric needs to keep the feathers inside so it is tightly woven.
the new generation of stretchy synthetic jackets like the Patagonia nano air are more breathable but will let the wind in. Most outdoor clothing folks make a version.
PH Designs make some well performing cold weather clothing. Not cheap but very good and they have a sale on at the moment.
Give us a clue to usage. I have several from TNF waistcoat up to Mountain Equipment and Rab alpine/high mountain stuff.
Canada goose and a full length one at that. Warmer than an outdoors activity type jacket just don’t do anything above strolling around as you will boil.
I have a chateau parka and wear it a few days every winter but only if it’s freezing or below or I’m standing around outside on a shoot all day.
Snugpak have some warm synthetic jackets, quite reasonably priced. Warmest is the SJ12.
Not exactly lightweight or packable, but good for standing around. Generous sizing, so fits over other layers.
Where are you using this?
I'm still a layering fan - yes a big over jacket/belay jacket is ace. However I think that base layers are just as important, top and bottom, same with extremities and buff on the neck in real cold.
Jottnar FTW. The Fenrir for general wear, it’s an ultralight-style down jacket with hood and a fair degree of water resistance. I wore mine on a long afternoon walk that got progressively wetter as the a day wore on, and there was only a small amount of leakage at the seams. If you want a serious cold weather jacket there’s the Fjorm, which I’ve seen Steve Backshaw wearing during some of his more extreme expeditions.
https://www.jottnar.com/collections/mens-outdoor-clothing
I'm interested in this thread, its -7 outside at the moment and due to hit -20 tonight.
Are you talking artic / Everest warmth or UK around freezing ?
If you are using in a proper cold environment it doesn’t need to be waterproof in the slightest
I have a McMurdo parka, way to warm for the U.K. but was perfect for Finland.
Use case is important here, as others have said.
Standing around the edge of the rugby pitch watching the kids V spending a year in the arctic filming penguins V climbing in Scotland in winter
Etc.
All need warmth.
Thanks all
It's for my elderly father in law who back in the day was a top climber so has a leaning towards Rab/Mountain Equipment for nostalgic reasons
He doesn't weigh a lot and circulation not great so warmth is the priority - but we are talking UK winters only
Rab microlight gilet is my staple. Can layer under a coat or waterproof, leaves arms free, isn’t too hot. It’s my standard goto and I would replace mine in a heartbeat. I wear it all the time. Provides the insulation I don’t have.
Not the cheapest, but solid value for money.
OK, so UK and I'm guessing not particularly mobile and likely to feel the cold a bit more than most.
I've used the Alpkit Filo down to around -15C just walking around, i.e. mildly active. Like most down jackets it will stand a light shower but not sustained or heavy rain. I've replaced it with a PHD Yukon which has a "waterproof" outer shell - I suspect it will deal with sleet. You are talking significantly more cost with the PHD over the Alpkit though.
A slight aside: down products seem to have significantly gone up in price over the last eight years or so, more so at the lower end - the Filo has gone from £80 to £200 for example, even the sale price is £140. (my older Filo also has higher fill power down than the current version.) Whether the prices back then were "low" and the market is now more realistic or it's a response to increased demand I'm not sure.
BTW: Peter Hutchinson was the guy behind Mountain Equipment before he started PHD so some continuity for your dad there.
I have a McMurdo parka, way to warm for the U.K.
I used to have one of these and sold it for that very reason. Wore it to work in London once that included a trip on the tube, never made that mistake again!
If you don't want to spend lots then, as ever, Decathlon is well worth a look.
Like a few above, I'm a big layering fan. A good, down jacket like this or this if he can deal with the colour. Combine with a good fleece mid-layer like this and a merino/smartwool baselayer here and he'll be sorted.
Of course, as mentioned above, if he can get away from the hiking/walking look, a longer, padded parka style jacket would be a great option, https://www.decathlon.co.uk/parka-arctic-500-extra-warm-id_8504658.html
If packable, weight, waterproofing and (because you haven't mentioned it) budget are not important but warmth is Canada Goose it is then!
Thanks all
Interesting about Peter Hutchinson - my father in law knew him when they had the ME shop in Glossop
Rab Neutrino Pro. Trekkit have the stealth ones on sale for £225 at the minute.
As warm as any canada goose bar Expedition and Snow Mantra.
I've had a few canada goose and they are crap tbh. Built quality is rubbish. The stitching is poor. The materials they use is bad quality and doesn't wear well, looking tired and worn after a couple of years of use.
For a similar price, Woolrich are much better.
Loads on SportsPursuit.com for under £100 eg
https://www.sportpursuit.com/catalog/product/view/id/1848566
If you want proper warm, look at box-wall construction jackets rather than stitch-through, where you have a single thickness seam between down compartments. If lightness / packability aren't an issue, don't worry too much about down fill power, just get something with lots of down.
Rab's started doing some retro-styled down stuff that might work if he does nostalgia and doesn't want to look like a refugee from Everest Base Camp. Warmest down jacket I've used was a 1200g TNF Summit Series thing that was like wearing a sleeping bag and way too warm for 99.9% of UK use.
Rab Andes: https://rab.equipment/uk/andes-jacket
Rab Asylum: https://rab.equipment/uk/asylum-jacket
Something with ethical down
Pretty much all the main outdoor brands use ethically-sourced down these days. It's confusing because there are multiple standards - Patagonia and Mountain Equipment have both introduced comprehensive traceability measures. I'd be a little more wary of some of the lesser known brands you might come across on Sport Pursuit for example.
There no such thing as ethical down.
There no such thing as ethical down.
Being dumped by a vegan?
Rab still have a factory outlet just off the A38, some good discounts to be had.
I'm sure there are loads of brands that do warm enough jackets, so I'd just suggest looking for something a bit longer than the usual waist-length down jacket.
Covering his bum & gentleman's area, basically.
Loads on SportsPursuit.com for under £100
Scandiavian brands on there are the ones to look out for - some are really cheap and they know a thing or 2 about keeping out the cold!
I've got a Kilpi down jacket and its the snuggest thing evah.
I have a McMurdo parka, way to warm for the U.K.
I used to have one of these and sold it for that very reason. Wore it to work in London once that included a trip on the tube, never made that mistake again!
I've still got mine in case I ever have to work in Moscow again 🙂
Yep, I sold my 20 year old ME Down jacket as it was only any use in the Scottish Highlands in winter, way too warm to use anywhere else.
Modern jackets are generally much thinner, which makes them more usable in milder temps.
Canada Goose here in Sweden. Currently -12c .
@jamesgarbett - if you can afford it, just get a PHD one. They are simply the best quality you can buy, have genuine mountaineering and exploration provenance and have a full back up service in case of issues. They are based in Stalybridge and you can visit the factory in person. If your Dad knew Pete in the early ME days then he'll be very happy indeed with their products. Also every man and his dog has an insulated jacket from Rab, TNF, Jack Foreskin etc. nowadays so it'll be something different.
My Father-in-law bought one after wearing mine for a winter walk. He wasn't happy about the price but after owning it for a while he reckons it's worth every penny. What most people don't get is that they are expensive as they are UK made to very high standards (just think of grumpy northern people on sewing machines) and also the fact that they are insanely light for the level of warmth.
Ignore Canada Goose, Colmar, Bogner etc. They are fashion items for well-heeled skiers, or yummy mummys & daddys on the school run to pick up Tabitha and Farquhar
I'd always get one with a hood, in this type of jacket. If it's going to be down I'd buy a dark colour ie black, so it doesn't need cleaning regularly.
Personally, for general purpose I did away with down jackets years ago in favour of synthetic. Mostly for the cleaning reason but also because they're just too warm for day to day. You can basically Chuck a synthetic jacket in the delicates wash with Fairy, down has to be looked after (I used to hand wash mine in the bath with specialist down wash and then take to the launderette to use the big driers, right farce it was).
It’s for my elderly father in law
To do what? Hill walking, shopping, just keeping warm at home in the garden? I got my elderly mum a RAB vest years ago as she wasn't very mobile and getting a bit cold sat in a wheelchair or mobility scooter. It did very nicely.
@jamesgarbett – if you can afford it, just get a PHD one. They are simply the best quality you can buy, have genuine mountaineering and exploration provenance and have a full back up service in case of issues.
But unless you need the absolute best warmth to weight ratio for a 8000m peak attempt, it's just needlessly expensive. 99.999% of down jacket users can save a £100 by accepting a 100g weight penalty and be just as warm and comfortable.
I agree but they are still half the price of Canada Goose, Moncler etc
the canada goose one if have is close to 30 years old and was bought secondhand at a ski/snow bring and buy sale for around 40 quid. i'm happy with it @Elshalimo
Bargain !
There no such thing as ethical down.
In what sense?
I thought Canada Goose were one of the worst brands out there, their down is live plucked IIRC and the neck trim is real Coyote fur, who are hunted just for the jackets...
The Canada Goose Down Transparency Standard™ is our commitment to support the ethical sourcing and responsible use of down used in our products. Our suppliers are required to certify that our down comes as a by-product of the poultry industry and has not come from live-plucked or force-fed birds. We enforce this commitment through a third-party audit program conducted by IDFL Laboratory and Institute who conduct sample audits at all levels of our supply chain, from farm to factory. The Canada Goose Down Transparency Standard™ also mandates that all down used in our products adheres to the Five Freedoms policy set out by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
https://www.canadagoose.com/us/en/fur-and-down-policy/fur-and-down-policy.html
To be fair that's what they say and PETA claims otherwise. They say the geese are maltreated rather than live plucked fwiw.
https://www.peta.org.uk/features/canada-goose-down-jackets/
Personally I wouldn't be looking at Canada Goose anyway. There are plenty of UK brands producing good quality down clothing who've made an effort to ensure that their down is as ethically sourced as it can be, ME for example.