20 Best Down Jackets (Review) In 2020

Things to Consider When Purchasing a Down Jacket

Size - Size ranges from how it fits on you, to how puffy the jacket looks. Part of the reason we chose this lineup of jackets is because they offer a wide variety of sizes, and all have a form-fitting appeal.

Weight - You’ll most likely be using these while camping or hiking, so the weight is huge here. Since down and feathers don’t traditionally weigh a lot, you’ll see a lot of lightweight jackets here. If you’re grabbing these for casual use when you go to work or head out of the house, weight won’t be an issue for the purchase decision.

Filling - This is the whole reason we came here: the filling is either going to be goose down, duck down, or a blend with some feathers possibly thrown in there. If you look at some of our picks, like the Adidas Outdoor down jacket, they have 10% duck feathers mixed in, giving comfort without reducing your fill power.

Shell Material - We’re looking primarily at nylon, which offers some of the best environmental benefits: water resistance, proper heat retention, and a general comfortable feeling, even for those of you who are particular about the materials of your coats.

Pockets - These are designed for heat retention, so we’re not really looking at having a lot of pockets as a huge plus, though it can be convenient. Depending on how big the pockets are, less down may be used between the lining of the pocket, and the lining of your jacket. This could minorly impact your warmth, so it’s best to keep these pockets closed when not in use.

Warmth - We’ve chosen down specifically because of how much body heat retention it offers. Jackets don’t keep you warm; they insulate you, and hold onto your body heat that you naturally throw off. Warmth comes down to the filling, the shell material, and everything else in between. The more pockets you have, the more it may affect your warmth rating, depending on how much they cut into your down materials.

Compressibility - Packing this up and heading down the hill? Puffy jackets take up a lot of space, but with down jackets, you’re able to compress them down super small. Stuff them in the drawstring bag that they come with, or find other ways to compress it in your external frame backpack, or whatever else you can think of.

Design - These traditionally have a slim-fitting design, to avoid the puffy jackets that we were all blighted with in our adolescence. Most jackets are either going to come with a couple of side-access pockets, or potentially a few chest zipper pockets. We’re focusing on heat retention first and foremost, but added design elements are always nice.

Color - If you’re going to be hiking while the sun’s up, even if there’s persistent snow on the ground, heat can still penetrate the color of your jacket. As with most things, a black jacket is far more susceptible to absorbing heat from sunlight, while colored jackets offer different levels of protection. Since you have a layer of down between the shell color and yourself, this issue will be minimized.

Water Resistance - This usually comes down to the shell materials. Since we’re primarily dealing with nylon, as it’s the best heat shield to keep your body warmth in, nylon has a certain waterproof ability to it. Some coats might come with additional coatings, but these can often be damaged during washing and drying. It’s best to rely on the waterproof level of the actual base material.

Hood - Not all of these come with an attached hood, but the ones that do are totally awesome. The hood is usually not included in the fill power rating, since they’re done a little more thinly than the rest of the jacket. Most manufacturers will state this on their sales page, so you won’t be left with any nasty surprises if you go for a hood, but find it’s not as warming as the rest of the jacket.

Fit - Most down jackets try to maintain a slim look. Everyone had that puffy coat when they were a kid, the coat that they didn’t like. Down jackets have a certain compressibility about them, so even if it look s a little fluffier on the marketing imagery, it compresses a little bit from your body pressure inside of the jacket (on slim-fitting only). Men with a lean physique will look like runway models in this stuff.

Down Jackets FAQs

Q: What is a Down Jacket?

A: Down jackets are ultra-insulated coats with a unique filling: duck or goose under, or feathers. Some brands use a unique blend of the two to give you a very specific feeling, giving their brand a unique identity. For them, it’s not just a down jacket: it’s their down jacket, and one that you’ll remember for ages.

These generally have a slim fit to them, and act as a shield from your wrists to your collar, and all the way down to the bottom of your jacket. WHile most of our body heat leaves through our nose, mouth and ears, the most vital areas that you need optimum body temperatures is in your torso. Down jackets provide killer insulation, but they’re also excellently portable. Due to the filling, they can have huge fill power (which we’ll get into in a minute), making them portable when not in use. You can stuff them in a drawstring bag, and keep them compressed for travel.

Q: What is Fill Power?

A: Without sounding too simplistic, it’s basically how puffy the jacket is. The more fill power your jacket has, the more insulated it’s going to be. Your body heat doesn’t just stay 100% on-point while wearing these; it still disperses through your torso, but it gets trapped in the down fabric and creates a warm atmosphere within the jacket. Your shell is usually non-conductive, meaning heat isn’t going to penetrate it going outward, and cold isn’t going to penetrate it going inward.

Fill power has a few numbers tossed around, so we broke it down for you:

• 400 Fill Power: Decent body heat retention; rated for down to 32 degrees Fahrenheit
• 500 Fill Power: Good body heat retention; rated for down to 24 degrees Fahrenheit
• 650 Fill Power: Improved body heat retention; rated for down to 18 degrees Fahrenheit
• 800 Fill Power: Advanced body heat retention; rated for down to 10 degrees Fahrenheit
• 900 Fill Power: Maximum body heat retention; rated for down to 0 degrees Fahrenheit

Everything you buy, no matter what industry, has some sort of system worked out to give you quick reference into just how powerful it is. While fill power isn’t the only thing you should be looking for in a down jacket, it’s extremely helpful.

Q: Who Makes The Best Down Jacket?

A: It’s a toughie, but based on our head staff, we’ve laid-out the favorite three brands and why. If you’re after some personal opinion after all the facts have been cleared, this is our personal selection.

The North Face is our editor’s favorite (perhaps because he owns nine of them, and has since high school).

One of our researchers is a huge fan of Tommy Hilfiger down jackets, especially when it comes to having a little more fashion than function.

Last but not least, this writer’s a Columbia man. I even wrote an entire article just on their jacket brand and why they’re one of the top dogs.

When it comes to fact, it’s all about what you’re going to apply it to. Certain brands hit the target mark for different activities and general uses, whether it’s simply heading out to the store in Vancouver winter weather, or roughing it on the peak overnight. Take your intended purpose into consideration first and foremost, and read the reviews above carefully to determine which jacket is right for you.

Q: How Good Are Down Jackets?

A: They’re all about insulation, and we’ll get into fill power in a little bit, which is basically your way to identify how good a jacket is at insulation. Down jackets help to provide some of the best heat retention when you’re out there in the woods, or even if you’re just commuting every day after work.

While most of your body heat escapes through your head, it’s required to keep your vital organs running properly. Down jackets give you that extra shielding against the elements, which is where it gets a bit more in-depth.

Don’t just assume that any down jacket will be sufficient for that first-time camping trip with your buddy. Match the down jacket that you have your eyes on with the temperature range and time of year in the region you’ll be camping in. Down jackets are excellent additions to your camping gear and insulate you beyond well, but a sliver of common sense is needed. They’re going to help you survive out there, so long as you get the right rating.

Q: How To Clean A Down Jacket

A: We’ll go into greater details on cleaning it later, but washing is fairly simple. Be certain to check the tags and brand-specific instructions before handling it, but most can just be put into a washer. That being said, there’s a few things to keep in mind to upkeep these jackets and their ideal shape and fit.

• If you have an HE washer without that center turbine, you’re putting less stress on the nylon shell, and therefore, keeping the integrity of that down filling much more intact. If you still have a washer out of 1998, just pay careful attention to the next tips.
• Always put it on cold, and when available, you should always do a light tumble. High speeds are okay in HE washers, but in a turbine washer, if it whirls around too quickly it could get jammed beneath that bottom plate. Either that, or it could get roughed up by the spirals and put your jacket through hell.
• Only wash it when necessary. You don’t have to wash it after every single expedition into the wilderness or each week from heading out. You have layers underneath keeping you warm (and soaking up sweat), so you won’t run into too many cleanliness issues here.
• Don’t use chemical-enhanced “wet wipes” or anything of the sort to clean the exterior. Either let it be, or give it a proper wash. Some of those cleaning chemicals stay on your jacket for weeks on end, breaking down the composition and waterproofing of your shell.
• Last but not least, ensure that when you toss it in the washer, your arms aren’t twisted all around or half pulled inside-out. You’ll have more spots that this can get stuck on a turbine, and it won’t wash everywhere properly.

Maintaining your down jacket can be fairly simple. Clean it when it’s dirty, don’t take shortcuts, and be certain to take a second to toss in the necessary detergent. If you’re throwing in dollar store high-abrasive detergent that’s specifically not recommended by the jacket manufacturer, you could be doing more harm that good.

Q: How to Fluff a Down Jacket After You Wash It?

A: You want it to retain its shape, power, and above all else, be nice and clean. There’s a specific way to go about it: we’re not dealing with standard insulation, here. Follow these steps, and you’ll upkeep this down jacket for years to come.

1. Follow instruction; if it requires cold only, HE washers, special detergent or a low spin, you have to adhere to those. These are all lab tested, meaning they’ve put it through numerous experiments and destroyed plenty of their products in the process. Listen to these, avoid destruction.
2. Take a sneaker and throw it in the dryer. You’re going to need it to knock around the wet clumps of duck and/or goose down, otherwise they’re going to dry like big balls of fur. Problem with this is, even if they feel dry, the interior could be wet, and bacterial mold could begin to grow. Having a sneaker in there helps to break it up, while the dryer will fluff it up
3. Put it on a low heat and tumble setting, and if possible, set it for a ten minute cycle. This and the sneaker should be the only thing in the dryer, so ample heat can get to the jacket and dry it quickly. If ten minutes isn’t long enough, increase in five minute intervals. If this is your first down jacket or just a new one from a brand you haven’t purchased from before, you may need to experiment a little bit.
4. Check the fluffiness level. That shoe keeps banging around to fluff the material, while the heat from the dryer keeps it that way. The dryer isn’t going to do all of the work for you: you’ll have to fluff it up a little bit on your own, just like you would fluff a pillow.
5. Hang it upside-down to maintain that fluffiness. This helps it not settle right back into place in the grooves of the shell, so it’ll essentially get a mini fluff when you go to take it off the hangar, and flip it the right way.

Apart from this, preserving fluffiness between washes is all about being consistent. If you’re packing your jacket up in the drawstring bag from the campsite, don’t leave it in the bag for weeks before heading back out. While it’s still going to puff up, it’s going to take some time for the down to fill with air again, so it will feel dense rather than fluffy.

Q: Can You Dry Clean a Down Jacket?

A: Short answer: it’s not a good idea. You’re technically dealing organic materials here, and the chemicals that dry cleaners use will do nothing but damage, and potentially accelerate decomposition. Before we get ahead of ourselves, duck and goose down is treated to avoid this from happening, so you could feasibly have your jacket for one-hundred years without running into any issues, unless you dry clean.

Equipment in the dry cleaner’s also puts unnecessary stress on the shell, whether it’s nylon or not. In most cases, dry cleaning preserves clothing, but with this specific type of jacket filler, it’s just going to do harm.

Q: Do I Need Thermals When Wearing a Down Jacket?

A: Your heat retention (fill power) takes into account that you’ll be wearing something underneath, like an even layer of clothes. If you’re not sure what temperature ranges will drop to at night (especially if you like to go remote camping), you’re always supposed to plan for the worst-case scenario. Pack and wear thermals under your jacket to push that heat retention even further.

We personally recommend this set to keep you warm as possible. Down jackets are the perfect addition to your camping and hiking gear to maintain your body temperature out in the wilderness, but it can’t do all the legwork.

Q: Are Down Jackets Hypoallergenic?

A: Since you never see the down and it’s kept safe within the nylon shell, you’re good to use it even with pet dander allergies. Nylon doesn’t allow anything to penetrate it, and for the most part, that even applies to heat and cold. Now, the lining is a different story: it’ supposed to help intake heat, warm up the down, and give you a heat shield against the cold. You might have a slight reaction to the lining, but since the down is treated before being stuffed into the coat, it’s unlikely.

There are non-down jackets that try to emulate the same benefits and insulation. We didn’t focus on these, because they don’t have anywhere near the same ratings; they’re PETA-friendly, but to be quite frank, they suck.

Q: What Are the Real Differences Between Down Filling and Synthetic?

A: Synthetic isn’t all bad, but it’s not ideal, either. Down jackets provide better insulation, and since it’s a natural filler, it allows far more breathability. Whether it’s air travelling through the lining of your jacket, or just ensuring that you don’t overheat really bad, you get a more versatile and natural insulation with down material.

Synthetic material does tend to cost less. When you’re comparing synthetic and down jackets side-by-side, you really have to focus on the fill power. Some synthetic jackets will use different forms of measurement when defining how insulated or powerful their jackets are, which is why it’s very important to keep your eye on customer reviews here.

Synthetic materials also add more weight to your jacket, so if you’re bringing this along for camping, it’s either heavier on you, or an extra bit of weight in your pack. Either way, not the best thing to have. Synthetic also has a very difficult time compressing, usually bustling inside of their drawstring bags.

Q: Should the Wrist Cuffs be Tight on a Down Jacket?

A: To keep you properly insulated, they should at least be adjustable. If they have a tight fit, that’s better than them being loose. You’re relying on the down filling to maintain and reverberate your body heat, but if it’s just leaking out of your wrist slots like smoke out of a chimney, it’s only going to do so much good.

This is also a good time to mention that the bottom of your jacket should either be an equally tight fit, or at least have any space covered by your thermals/bottom layer. Many times, someone will go to buy a down jacket, complain about it in the reviews, and readers who understand the basics will shake their head: you have to know how to use it, or it’s not going to do you any good. These are simple solutions to maintaining your body temperature in harsh conditions, if you understand how to insulate yourself.

Conclusion

Winter is coming; get the right gear, and stay on top of your game. Lowered body temperature bring fatigue, a fuzzy feeling about your surroundings, and a general lack of awareness. Down jackets are your best defense against the elements.

We’re always researching, testing and reviewing more outdoor gear, from jackets to tents and beyond. If this down jacket is just the beginning of your equipment haul, be sure to scan our other reviews and buying guides to mentally and physically prepare yourself for the worst-case scenarios, and those little details you never knew about.

We hope you found this information regarding the best down jackets helpful and be sure to bookmark us and stop back regularly for more product reviews from the pros at Gearhungry.