Morning all,

What’s your opinion on best value synthetic jackets? My montane featherlight has been great, but it’s looking a bit tired now and a bit tight! I guess I’m after something about this warm.

Tell me your thoughts, or in true STW fashion, recommend what you’ve got!
Cheers

This is about my favourite jacket thing now, I think it’s better than my montane jacket (which was a cheap one)

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/trek-100-mens-padded-gilet-black-id_8502012.html

Not sure if it would be a bit too warm but the Paramo Torres can be found for a similar-sh price to the Montane. I’ve always found the fit of Montane stuff a bit weird – tight round the shoulders / armpits. The wash in waterproofing works really welll on the Torres and they wash and dry quickly too.

Snugpak are good value, rather warm. Though maybe a bit bulky if you want to put it in your bag. Quite generous sizing, good if you want to put on over other layers.

I just got a cheap HiGear one from GoOutdoors and its been great. Was about £20 or so. Had it a couple of years now and still wearing well and toasty as. Not sure what an extra £100 or so would buy you if you were to get one of the big brands. I’m sure they’re better but not £100 better. It’s not very breathable so if you’re exerting yourself it gets a bit sweaty but for me its way to warm to wear while actually doing any exercise anyway so not an issue, so make sure you get one that is breathable if you’re going to wear it for cycling or running Fine for walking but anything more than that and it gets properly toasty.

Not sure what an extra £100 or so would buy you if you were to get one of the big brands. I’m sure they’re better but not £100 better.

It’s not very breathable

you answered your own question

Arcteryx atom lt here. Not cheap but I’ve had it for years and worn it loads so works out well.

Keela Belay jacket is also good. Available for about £70. It is quite thick Primaloft, rather warm, maybe too warm. Though no hood.

+1 for the decathlon trek 100, warm, good fit; £29.

Not had it long though so I’ll see how it wears.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/x-light-mens-down-jacket-black-id_8318546.html

very good.

Arc’teryx Atom

Decathlon but look at the mountaineering range rather than the hiking ones, fit can be all over, I am in 2 xl in some, L in others.

Montane are good and probably the best.

Mountain Hardwear excellent

Try ferjn on sports pursuit really good but more lightweight

Alpkit survived a couple of trips to India and Nepal with daughter.

Arcteryx, I own a couple and they are not so good for the money.

Try tk maxx as they have always have some thing in…

Not sure what an extra £100 or so would buy you if you were to get one of the big brands. I’m sure they’re better but not £100 better. It’s not very breathable so if you’re exerting yourself it gets a bit sweaty

It’ll get you – generally – a better warmth to weight ratio, probably a branded fill like Primaloft (possibly the recycled version, Eco) lighter fabrics, a better cut and possibly a better designed hood etc. If you’re a mountaineer or someone who needs those benefits they make sense, if you’re someone who basically just wants a big, warm jacket for wearing after, say, a mountain bike ride, not so much.

Patagonia has a synthetic fill that’s as warm or warner for its weight than high quality down these days, but it’s ruinously expensive.

I still use a first generation Rab Xenon for winter emergency mountain biking use. It has the first super lightweight, shiny Pertex super-lightweight Quantum fabric, but is surprisingly warm and packs tiny.

Lightweight synthetic insulation, counter-intuitively, turns out to often be warmer than down equivalents, because the sheet-type construction eliminates all the stitched seams used for micro-baffled down jackets. Go figure.

If you do a search for Primaloft on Sport Pursuit, a whole bunch of stuff comes up.

Almost counter-intuitively buying a cheap jacket works better for me; I don’t really want to use the expensive jacket because I recognise its value and it is more likely to spend a long time in a dry bag tucked into my rucksack. The cheap jacket gets dragged out and used and abused with little or less thought for the consequences and is therefore the better value of the two.

I had a Rab microlight until it went missing and replaced it with the Montane featherlight. Had to size down on the Montane, but overall, not much to choose between them. Rab was probably a bit more generously cut.

Montane Prism, my fav bit of kit.

I’ve got a Mountain Equipment Superflux. Indistinguishable from my down jacket.

I like Rohan Icepacks. Im so middle aged 🙂

I like Rohan Icepacks. Im so middle aged

I had a Rohan synthetic down jacket for years, was really good, then when it came to replace it, they didn’t have anything I liked. Now have a Black Diamond one….

Do you class value as cheap or best for the money?
If the latter look at a PHD Alpha or Kappa jackets – the Alpha is in their sale starting shortly.
PHD Alpha Belay

what do you want your jacket for? Riding/ walking in or just normal wear?

Evening,
Thanks for all the replies folks. Bit more googling to do…
4ags4, best value, not necessarily the cheapest, so will check out the Arxteryx and the phd (always fancied a bit of their kit- proper bling!)
Trumpton, is like to say it’s for all my bivvy bike packing expeditions, but the truth is it’ll be worn after cold rides, for dog walks, maybe riding back from the pub after a night ride. Nothing too extreme!

I’m back in fleeces.

My big Patagucci puffa is ace for sitting around a bonfire or end of a cold when I get changed. For all else, all of them I’ve tried a sweaty.

I’ve a good selection of fleeces, mainly lightweight, and I just keep adding layers.

I was sat out on Saturday night in sub zero wearing hat, waterproofs, good thermals and three thin fleeces. Toasty warm. Same get up worked paddling down the river, including a near full dunking. It dried way faster than my puffa world have done.

Berghaus hypertherm is my favourite synthetic jacket. Ridiculously light, surprisingly warm, reversible to vary breathability. Sadly no longer made

If you don’t need water resistance Arcteryx atom (in lt or ar versions) and Patagonia Nano Air are great when being active.

for an on-bike jacket 7mesh do a stretchy synthetic jacket that is beautifully cut, but isn’t wind proof.

mountain hardwear do a similar stretchy insulated jacket with a bit more wind resistance in the body for a lower price.

patagonia fo a fully waterproof version of the atom. It is quite expensive.

Montane Icarus jacket here (pertex quantum & Primaloft thermoplume) – lovely and warm and pretty good in the rain – so far. Think I paid 79 quid in Blacks.

https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/cairngorm-treks-review-montane-icarus-jacket-i1519

Also have a Prism but it’s no where near as warm and can get a bit sweaty.