How to choose a really warm jacket? 12 men’s down jackets for every temperature

Sportmaster PRO expert

“Winter is a magical time. Walks in snow-covered parks, hikes in the forest, where you can admire the slopes and actively spend time. In theory… But as soon as the first frosts come, there is only one desire – to get under a blanket and keep your nose out of there.

What to do if your body requires movement and you want to spend time outdoors, but it’s terribly cold outside? You will say, and you will be absolutely right. Let’s find out how to implement this plan as effectively as possible”.

The most important thing in winter is a jacket. What kind of jacket should it be? It all depends on several factors. The first is the type of activity in winter. And the second is the weather and climate in which you’ll be wearing it. The materials, insulation and technological fabrics are equally important. Let’s talk about everything in order. What should you consider when choosing a winter jacket?

Types of activity

For everyday activity, any sports models or casual variants are suitable. If you spend time a little more active – walking with children, dog, sledding or skating – a tourist jacket will be good. You can also consider clothes for alpine skiing or snowboarding. It is hard-wearing and brightly colored – it attracts attention and is great for these purposes.

For cross-country skiing, running, biathlon, dog sled racing, trail running, winter skyrunning you need outerwear for winter running and cross-country skiing. Snowboarders, skiers or kiters should choose a jacket designed specifically for these sports. And for winter hiking, trekking, hiking, mountaineering you need specialized clothing for tourism or mountain hiking.

Jacket Fjallraven Expedition Down Lite Jacket M 560 (off-season and small frosts), 53 922 rubles / Wildberries

Weather conditions

At temperatures down to -5°C there are no high requirements for jacket density, but windproofness and moisture resistance are important. In such cases, in addition to design, it is necessary to take into account the technology. For example, whether the product is equipped with waterproof and windproof membranes and treated with special impregnation. We will talk about this a little later.

Columbia Great Bend 780 TurboDown Parka down jacket for men (for extreme cold weather), 39,999 rubles.

For temperatures as low as -15°C, a jacket with down or synthetic fill will keep you warm. For average temperatures of -25°C and above, choose a voluminous jacket and, if necessary, add extra insulation with a fleece, thermal underwear, down sweater or vest.

If the temperature is below -25°C, you can look at expedition models – these are jackets for long-distance expeditions, including the Arctic and Polar Regions. Usually they are long jackets with a membrane, a voluminous layer of insulation and fur down.

Natural or synthetic fillings?

One of the main elements of a really warm jacket is the internal insulation: synthetic or down. Let’s understand what are their differences, pros and cons.

Down is a natural material. It is of three types:

• the heaviest and least warm – duck;
• the medium warmest, goose down;
• the warmest and most expensive is loon duck down.

The quality of down is assessed by its filling power (Fill Power, or F.P.). Simply put, it is the down’s ability to recover after compression. The simplest and inexpensive down has an index of 350 F.P., and the warmest and most expensive down has a maximum index of 1000 F.P..

Arcteryx Cerium LT Hoody men’s insulated jacket (natural down, for different types of activity), 51 999 rubles / Sportmaster

In sports stores, quality down jackets have indicators from 350 to 600 F.P., but in specialized stores, where clothing for hiking and mountaineering is sold, from 600 to 1000 F.P. already.

Deadvantages of down are that it is:

• is lighter than synthetic;
• has a wide range of comfortable temperatures;
• durable with proper care.

PUMA men’s down jacket, 26 499 rubles (synthetic filler) / Sportmaster

However, here lies one of the disadvantages of down – it is difficult to care for. Not every machine will be able to wash it properly without spoiling its structure. Areas of down are knocked into clumps, which then need to be straightened. Such things are better to give them to the dry cleaner. Another disadvantage of down: it takes a long time to dry, and when wet, it ceases to retain heat.

Synthetic fillers consist of hollow polyester fibers, and they are much easier to care for. Synthetics can be washed in any spin machine. It dries faster, costs less than down and retains warmth when wet.

Salewa Ortles RDS Down Hybrid Men’s Jacket, 33,992 rubles (down hybrid insulation) / KANT

There are technological synthetic insulators that continue to keep you warm even if the jacket is completely soaked. For example, cluster have heat capacity and wear resistance at the level of natural down 550-700 F.P. quality.

Minuses of synthetics: it is heavier in weight and has a very narrow range of comfortable temperatures.

When choosing synthetic or down, be guided by your preferences. For someone is important ease of care: put the thing in the machine, easily washed, quickly dried. For someone the comfort of the jacket at different temperatures is important, and he has the opportunity to give the thing to dry cleaning (as in the case of down).

But what about warmth?

The easiest way to determine the heat capacity of the jacket is to find out the weight of the insulation. In a jacket with a weight of insulation 100 grams per square meter will be warm in weather -10°C. The weight of 200 grams per square meter corresponds to the weather -20°C. A weight of 300 grams per square meter will insulate you at -30°C.

However, specifying the temperature mode of the jacket is not quite right, because there are other factors that affect its thermal capacity: type of insulation, type of fibers, the characteristics of your body. All people have different heat exchange and microcirculation. Someone in a jacket designed for -10°C will be cold at -5°C, while another will be warm at -30°C.

Men’s Outventure insulated jacket, 6999 rubles (budget version, synthetic filler) / “Sportmaster” / “Sportmaster”

Even though you want warmth and comfort in winter, it’s not a good idea to overdo it with a jacket that’s too warm. It can be comfortable in it in static, but when moving will not be so pleasant – you will be pining from the heat. Therefore, depending on the expected load you can choose a warmer jacket or, conversely, lighter.

What makes a jacket warmer?

The jacket can be with or without a hood, as well as with different types of collars and structural details. Don’t like scarves? Then choose a model that has a high collar. Top brands have an inner hood trim made of natural or artificial fur, as well as fleece lining in the pockets to quickly warm your hands.

It is worth paying attention to the sleeve cuffs and tucks at the bottom of the jacket, on the waist and hood. They prevent cold air and snow from getting inside, especially if the jacket is wide and the weather outside is windy.

Millet TRILOGY DIAMOND DW HOOD M down jacket, 37 800 rubles (lightweight mountaineering jacket with goose down) / Trial-Sport

Specialized ski jacket, a model for winter hiking and mountaineering must necessarily have a visor, which prevents snow from getting into the eyes.

Ski brands also have waterproof rubberized zippers, through which not only moisture, but also wind does not get in. If the zipper is ordinary, then on the inner and outer sides additionally put a shelf that protects from wind and snow. Such a model is also equipped with a “skirt”, which protects not only from the wind when riding, but also from snow when falling.

Pelliot parka, 33,199 rubles (for hiking and outdoor activities in freezing weather) / Sportmaster

Moisture-wicking, windproof, and vapor permeable

If you plan to be outside for more than half an hour or wear the jacket in extreme conditions, for example, during heavy frosts, snowfalls or wet weather with strong wind, then, in addition to insulation and cut, it is worth paying attention to such materials as membrane and impregnation.

Amembrane is a lamination applied to the inside of the outer fabric that keeps moisture out but allows vapor to escape freely from the body. The main qualities of a membrane are moisture wicking and breathability.

Moisture resistance is what keeps the jacket from getting wet. It is estimated in grams per square meter. And breathability – is the amount of vapor from the body, which is able to vent membrane size of 1 square meter per day. The higher this indicator, the better the vapor permeability and the more comfortable the jacket will be in harsh weather conditions under intensive load.

BASK Asgard Mj jacket, 42,669 rubles (warm jacket for outdoor activities with moisture-resistant goose down) / “KANT”.

The presence of a membrane is usually indicated on the label, sleeves or lining of the jacket. Lifehack, how else to check the presence of membrane: look whether the jacket seams are glued. If the seams are glued, it means that this jacket is definitely with a membrane, otherwise there is simply no point in gluing.

With the membrane sorted out, let’s talk about the impregnation of the outer fabric. What is it for, if there is a membrane? It’s simple – impregnation allows the outer fabric not to absorb moisture and get less dirty: water drops simply roll off the fabric and do not have time to be absorbed into it.

Men’s down jacket Mountain Hardwear Direct North Gore-Tex, 40,399 rubles (for skiing) / Sportmaster

For additional thermoregulation, special fabric is sometimes added to the lining to help retain warmth. For example, take Columbia’s Omni-Heat technology or Outlast Thermo. This is active thermoregulation that keeps you warm thanks to the special composition of the lining. It was invented by NASA to protect astronauts from temperature fluctuations. It is now used in premium brands such as Descente and Colmar.

Outventure has a Pro Reflect lining with ceramic particles that retain heat. Regatta uses Thermo-reflect lining strategically placed to retain heat and add comfort.

THE NORTH FACE 1996 RETRO NUPTSE Jacket, 38 690 rubles (goose down with water-repellent impregnation) / AlpIndustriya

How to choose the size and fit?

There are different cuts and styles of jackets: oversize, standard fit, medium-fit and tight-fitting – the so-called slimfit. The latter is designed for cross-country skiers and those who need speed. Due to the fit, it has less sailing.

Choosing a jacket for snowboarding, you should take into account that under it you will wear at least two full layers of clothing – thermal underwear and fleece. And perhaps an additional layer in the form of a sweater or vest. Therefore, the jacket should not fit snugly. It is better that it was a size, or even two more.

For skiers a moderately fitting and not too loose silhouette is suitable, for kiters something loose too, so that you can raise and lower your arms.

Millet TRILOGY ULTIMATE DOWN J M Down Jacket, 104,060 rubles (for extreme frosts) / “Trial-Sport”.

For normal use, just choose the most comfortable fit that suits you. For example, a fashionable over-size jacket in a casual style. It can be a down quilt jacket, in which you can wrap yourself upside down, or a short voluminous down jacket. If you do not wear oversize, look at the classic cut: straight or fitted.

As you can see, there are a lot of options for winter jackets for men. To thing was for you optimally warm, when choosing a down jacket you need to take into account:

• what material it is made of;
• what kind of insulation it has;
• in what conditions you will wear it.

It is also important that the thing you like and provide comfort. Therefore, study the range of the store, look at different options and try on several models to find your ideal warm jacket. Then the purchased thing will become not just a functional unit, but a favorite closet item. In the cold season, it is important for us not only to keep warm, but also to enjoy more.