Best Down Jackets for Outdoor Adventures

The Ghost Whisperer 2 (click here for women’s version) is the most versatile jacket we’ve ever had the pleasure of wearing and is ideal for everything from cool days at the crag to summit missions, ice climbing, and general hiking.

The GW2 is made with 800-fill, RDS-certified, fluorine-free goose down. While the fill weight of 3 oz. leaves a bit to be desired, it does make it very packable. It’s also a sustainable option, using completely recycled face and trim fabrics. The insulation is also bluesign® approved, meaning harmful substances have been removed at each step of development.

Made with 10-denier x 10-denier ripstop nylon, it focuses on saving weight rather than durability. Although the ripstop weave will help strengthen the fabric, it’s still pretty fragile. The jacket’s ultralight shell fabric is 100% recycled ripstop with a DWR finish to help you stay dry and warm.

Weighing in at 8.8 oz, it’s not the lightest on this list but still considered lightweight compared to other jackets on the market. It also packs into its pocket with an internal carabiner clip loop.

With an elastic hood and wrist cuffs, and a drawcord hem, you can keep your body heat-sealed in and the cold out. In an especially endearing touch, makers Mountain Hardwear also filled the first baffle at both cuffs with synthetic insulation to prevent your wrists from getting damp and the down from wetting out.

A close second to the Mountain Hardwear GW2, this hooded down jacket has 6.7 oz. of 800-fill European goose down with a Nikwax hydrophobic finish so you can stay exceptionally warm even in wet conditions.

The Rab Electron Pro (click here for women’s version) is highly durable and has a wind- and water-resistant shell made from Pertex® Quantum Pro ripstop nylon. It also features a full-length front YKK NATULON® zipper, hipbelt-compatible hand pockets, and a helmet-compatible hood with a drawcord adjustment.

The zoned midi- and micro-baffle stitch-through construction on the Electron ensures that the insulation doesn’t spread thin, while the low-bulk elastic cuffs make it easy to tighten up and seal in extra warmth.

All that durable material and the high fill weight make this one of the heavier options on this list at 18.5 oz. Although, thanks to the high fill power, it’s still packable and packs into its own stuff sack. The Electron Pro also contains recycled materials and RDS-certified down.

This 800-fill traceable-goose-down-filled jacket (click here for women’s version) is a great choice for people looking for responsibly sourced down that packs plenty of warmth. This jacket’s down is certified to the Global Traceable Down Standard, which means the feathers have been produced without causing unnecessary harm to animals. It also contains recycled materials.

The shell fabric of this Patagonia down sweater is made from recycled ripstop polyester with a DWR finish that helps repel water. It also features a front zipper with a wicking interior storm flap, so it can still keep you warm in slightly wet weather.

A few nice features elevate this one’s comfort and convenience game. These include a zipper garage at the chin, a single-pull adjustable hood, and nylon-bound elastic cuffs. The hem also adjusts by pulling a cord in the handwarmer pockets. For easy packing, an internal zippered chest pocket converts to a stuff sack with a carabiner clip-in loop.

This mixed-material hooded jacket (click here for women’s version) is a great choice for fast-and-light adventurers.

It combines 850-fill goose down with Coreloft synthetic fibers for more warmth and enhanced performance in variable conditions.

The Down Composite Mapping™ used in the Cerium, essentially, means that synthetic insulation is strategically used in place of down in areas most vulnerable to moisture, including the hood, collar, underarms, and hemlines. This makes it an especially good pick for wet conditions.

At just 1.9 oz., the Cerium SL has the lowest fill weight on our list, but it also has the highest quality down (850 fill power) and is the lightest model on our list at just 7.6 oz.

However, all that lightness doesn’t equal durability, as it’s made with super lightweight Arato™ 7D nylon fabric. While this shell fabric’s DWR finish can shrug off light precipitation, it might not survive too many coming-togethers with branches or rocks.

The Rab Microlight Alpine (click here for women’s version) is one of the heavier options on our list, but it’s also one of the best suited for harsh environments.

It’s made with recycled 30-denier nylon Pertex® Quantum ripstop nylon fabric that is both highly windproof and encourages insulation to fully loft. It also has a DWR finish for water resistance in wet conditions. The lining is made from recycled 20D nylon.

For those looking for sustainability, this jacket is GRS-certified with a fully recycled shell, insulation, and lining. The 700-fill P.U.R.E recycled down is hydrophobic, so will keep you warm even when worn in light precipitation.

We’re big fans of the features on this one. There’s an adjustable hood and stiffened peak to maximize visibility whilst shielding you from the elements, a zoned baffle stitch-through construction to keep the insulation spread evenly and eliminate cold spots, internally elasticated cuffs, a drawcord-adjustable hem, zippered hand pockets, and a large zippered chest pocket.

The REI 650 (click here for women’s version) is by far the most affordable down jacket on our list and a great pick for peeps happy to compromise on packability and weight if that means saving a small handful of $.

The REI 650 is made from recycled nylon taffeta shell fabric treated with a DWR finish to help you stay dry from light rain. Although there’s no hood, it features stretch cuffs and hem for a snug fit to keep the warm air sealed inside with you. Instead of a stuff sack, it packs into its own left-hand pocket.

While not as packable or warm as higher-fill-power models like Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer 2 or Rab Electron Pro, the REI 650’s ideal for general hiking, camping, or cragging in cooler temps.

REI didn’t scrap sustainability for affordability though. The 650 contains recycled materials that meet the bluesign® criteria, so purposeful steps were taken during development to remove harmful substances and reduce negative impacts on the health of the environment, workers, and wearer. It is also Fair Trade Certified and RDS-certified.

This reasonably priced jacket is stuffed with 2.5 oz. of high-quality 800-fill down. While this makes it a little less warm than other ultralight down jackets on our list, it also means it’s highly compressible and a great option for users keen to save on pack space.

The Superior is made from 10-denier Ballistic Airlight nylon with a water-repellent finish. This fabric is a little on the thin side, so isn’t the most rugged, but it’s a reliable wind blocker and sheds light rainfall fast.

The features in the Superior are dialed in and on the nail. There’s a two-way adjustable hood, a built-in visor, Velcro tabs to keep the hood out of your eyes, elastic cuffs, two internal pockets, pocket hem adjusters, two zippered hand pockets, and a stuff sack for safe storage.

The fact that you get all this for less than half the price of jackets with nearly identical specs makes the Superior a great option for anyone seeking to maximize the amount of bang they get for their buck.

While the Rab Cubit (click here for women’s version) is the heaviest option on this list, it’s also one of the warmest and a shoo-in if comfort’s high on the list of your priorities.

The Cubit uses Pertex’s 3D Weave Technology and welded baffles to keep insulation evenly distributed without the need for stitching. This not only improves insulating performance and weather resistance but also allows the fabric to stretch as you move.

The Cubit is filled with 6.1 oz. of 700-fill recycled plumage. While this is middle of the road in terms of fill weight and power, it felt warmer in the field than most other jackets with similar fills.

As far as features go, the Cubit ticks every box. It has a fully adjustable hood, a fleece-lined chin guard for comfort, two zippered pockets, and a drawcord-adjustable hem that helps seal in warmth.

In choosing the winner of this award, the Cubit’s closest competitor was the Mountain Hardwear Stretchdown. While the Strechdown’s the lighter of the two, it’s also not quite as warm and lack’s a few of the Cubit’s performance-oriented attributes, namely the weather-resistant Pertex shell and DWR finish.

The Atom LT (click here for women’s version) is the only synthetic option on our list. We’ve included it because it’s a good alternative to feather-filled models for buyers who want plenty of warmth coupled with a lower price tag and enhanced wet-weather performance.

The Atom LT is made with 2.1 oz. of 60g Coreloft Compact synthetic insulation and stretchy, durable, 94% polyester and 6% elastane shell for added mobility. It also features a highly breathable Dope Permeair™ 20D liner. The DWR-treated Tyono™ 20 face fabric provides solid resistance against abrasions, wind, and moisture.

The jacket contains materials that meet the bluesign® criteria, ensuring harmful substances were removed and negative impacts were reduced during the development process. It also features an adjustable, insulated, low-profile StormHood, dual hem adjusters that let you get a snug fit and keep warm air in, stretch-knit cuffs, and stretch fleece side panels for ventilation.

Typically, the biggest benefit of synthetic over down is its ability to retain insulation and warmth even when wet. The downside is that synthetic jackets usually have a poorer weight-to-warmth ratio, meaning they need to be heavier to reach the same level of warmth as down. This jacket is on the heavier side, but if feathers ain’t your jam, this is the next best thing.