We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more›
Montbell will be releasing an updated version of our top pick, the Alpine Light Down Jacket. We’re testing that new version and will report back. Our current pick is still available in men's sizes. Winter Down Coat
A high-quality down jacket can keep you comfortable during everything from backyard social gatherings to winter snowshoe adventures. To choose our favorites, 10 testers romped across every corner of New Hampshire’s iconic Presidential Range and throughout the Pacific Northwest in 45 insulated jackets, covering more than 220 miles. We took on conditions that ranged from frosty to wet to mild. After all that, we concluded that Montbell’s Alpine Light Down Jacket (in women’s and men’s sizes) is the best puffy jacket for most people because it is lightweight, warm, and weather-resistant.
This jacket is the best at providing ample warmth for most outdoor excursions, and it has enough pockets to comfortably tote the necessities of daily life. It’s our go-to insulator for commuting or backcountry adventuring.
Matching the quality and performance of the women’s model, in a taller and slightly broader version, this highly packable go-to insulator continually rose to the task, no matter the context.
Compared with other low-cost puffy jackets, this women’s REI option is warmer, with well-lined cuffs and a fit that’s ideal for layering.
REI’s standard down jacket also comes in women’s sizes 2x and 3x, in a range of colors.
The jacket offers the same warmth (without the extra features) in men’s sizes.
REI also makes this jacket in tall sizes, with 2¼ inches of extra height.
Fitted for active use, this jacket—insulated with a synthetic alternative to down—can handle rugged wear and tear.
This is the men’s version of the same great synthetic-fill jacket.
This down jacket has lots of cozy features—like graduated wrist cuffs and a cinch cord on the hood—that set it apart from the rest. Plus, it feels as soft as butter.
With the same great features as the women’s version, this down jacket sets the bar for warmth and functionality.
Our hikers logged over 220 miles while wearing these coats, testing both their comfort and how well they insulated.
Our testers wore these jackets while summiting the Presidential Traverse, as well as hiking throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Whether via down or synthetic insulation, we chose the jackets that kept our testers warm and toasty when temperatures dropped.
A good down jacket should also keep you dry. We chose jackets with water resistance to protect from winter snows and rains.
This jacket is the best at providing ample warmth for most outdoor excursions, and it has enough pockets to comfortably tote the necessities of daily life. It’s our go-to insulator for commuting or backcountry adventuring.
Matching the quality and performance of the women’s model, in a taller and slightly broader version, this highly packable go-to insulator continually rose to the task, no matter the context.
For over three years, the Montbell Alpine Light Down Jacket (available in women’s and men’s sizes) has been our pick for the best down jacket. This jacket is lightweight but has a high volume of 800-fill-power down, which kept our testers warm. Our testers also appreciated this jacket’s extra luxury features, such as its microfleece-lined hand-warmer pockets and collar, a drawcord hem for an adjustable fit, sturdy YKK zippers, large interior drop pockets, and an included cinch sack. The Alpine Light is also wind-resistant and packs down smaller than any of our other picks. And it has a durable water repellent (DWR) coating, which will help keep you dry even when you’re walking through socked-in, super-wet alpine zones. Unfortunately, this jacket doesn’t come in extended sizes.
Compared with other low-cost puffy jackets, this women’s REI option is warmer, with well-lined cuffs and a fit that’s ideal for layering.
REI’s standard down jacket also comes in women’s sizes 2x and 3x, in a range of colors.
The jacket offers the same warmth (without the extra features) in men’s sizes.
REI also makes this jacket in tall sizes, with 2¼ inches of extra height.
Our testers found the REI Co-op 650 Down Jacket 2.0 (which comes in men’s and men’s tall sizes, and women’s and women’s plus sizes) to be the best low-cost option. Unlike the makers of other budget jackets, REI actually lists down-fill-power numbers—and the 650-fill jacket performs well in moderately cold climates. The jacket also comes in a wide range of sizes, is easy to layer under, and looks attractive. For those who live in climates that don’t require you to look like the Michelin Man to survive, this jacket is perfect for just-in-case scenarios when you need extra warmth. And due to this coat’s sturdy-seeming stitching, we think it should last for at least a few seasons. It also packs down small. The cost savings show up in the form of sometimes-sticky zippers and in the wide baffling (which started shedding down fairly quickly). More susceptible to rips and tears because of its less-durable nylon taffeta shell, this jacket isn’t puppy-proof, but it is capable of brushing against undergrowth and backpack straps without noticeable wear. It also has a DWR coating, which will help keep you dry for a short time, but the jacket is not fully waterproof.
Fitted for active use, this jacket—insulated with a synthetic alternative to down—can handle rugged wear and tear.
This is the men’s version of the same great synthetic-fill jacket.
For those who have a tendency to play hard, the Arc’teryx Atom LT Jacket, in women’s and men’s sizes, is up to the task. If you’re allergic to down or prefer to avoid animal products, or if you’re headed to an environment where you’re likely to sweat heavily or hit a spot of damp weather, a synthetic-fill jacket is the right choice. And this one also has a DWR finish to help protect you from light rain. With its ultra-stretch side panels, the Atom complements active motion in all sorts of scenarios, making this coat ideal for alpine climbing and trail running. However, the narrow Arc’teryx fit isn’t right for every body shape, the jacket doesn’t come in a broad range of sizes, and it’s not the warmest option of our picks.
This down jacket has lots of cozy features—like graduated wrist cuffs and a cinch cord on the hood—that set it apart from the rest. Plus, it feels as soft as butter.
With the same great features as the women’s version, this down jacket sets the bar for warmth and functionality.
If the outdoors industry were a classroom, Stio’s Hometown Down Hooded Jacket, available in men’s and women’s models, would be that front-row student who throws off the grading curve. Every square inch of it has been carefully constructed with a trifecta of warmth, durability, and performance in mind. The attention paid to finishing details—such as a cinch cord that allows you to adjust the hood to accommodate peripheral vision—truly makes a difference. The coat’s 800-fill-power down keeps you warm on long chairlift rides, when you’re building snowmen, or while you’re watching hockey or figure skating. And the DWR coating helps to stave off most moisture. The true kicker is the jacket’s ripstop nylon fabric, which feels like butter. Sadly, it’s not offered in extended sizes.
This guide’s primary author, Catherine Harnden, grew up with a wolf contingency plan: She and her brother were supposed to run up their platform play fort’s slide if animals of a predatory nature showed up. All of this is to say that cold weather—and the jacket to combat it—has remained a constant in her life since she was born. When she was researching this guide, she lived at the base of Mount Washington in New Hampshire, home of infamously volatile weather and the highest recorded wind speeds in the Northern and Western Hemispheres. Plus, she’s a multi-sport—including skiing—professional athlete, which has given her the opportunity to push a broad range of gear to its limit.
To reinforce what she’s learned from a lifetime spent outdoors, Catherine visited Dawn-Marie Jackson, manager of Sport Thoma ski shops and Waterville Valley Ski Resort, who has more than 25 years of outdoors-industry product experience. She interviewed Outdoor Gear Exchange’s consignment gear expert Aaron August. She also tapped eight accomplished athletes and testers to determine the elements that make and break a jacket.
Freelance journalist and frequent Wirecutter contributor Jenni Gritters updated this guide with the newest models from 2020. Jenni has a decade of experience writing about health, the outdoors, parenting, and purchasing. She has covered items ranging from headlamps and down jackets to hiking poles and backpacking tents to baby swings. She grew up in the wet and cold cities of Boston and Seattle, and she currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with her son, husband, and dog. She spends her summers hiking, her falls and springs tromping through the rain, and her winters wearing snowshoes. Which means she’s a pro at evaluating the best—and worst—winter gear.
In the past, Jenni contributed gear reviews to the REI Co-op Journal, which is an editorially independent publication run by the REI Co-op. To keep the findings of this review objective, we based our conclusions both on quantitative data (such as weight, compression size, length of the torso, and so on) and qualitative data from third-party testers who had no affiliation with any of the gear companies in this guide. The findings for this guide were also reviewed and affirmed by two additional Wirecutter outdoors editors who have never had any professional relationship with REI.
We sought an everyday stand-alone insulator that could also serve as a layer for people who enjoy outdoor pursuits (like skiing and backpacking) but who need a jacket that easily transitions to the demands of work, school, or home. If you’re looking for one dependable daily driver to dominate your coat rack with warmth and functionality, this guide is for you. If you’re constantly chilled and wishing you had brought an extra layer, this is also for you. But if you’re aiming to stay warm while you summit Everest, sorry, these jackets haven’t been selected with you in mind!
A great jacket is one that provides reasonable warmth for daily tasks and for outdoor activities. Instead of a fashion pick or a specialized, sport-specific one, we were seeking the most functional, multi-use insulated jacket for a mix of activities. After peppering the above-mentioned jacket enthusiasts and experts with questions, we found the following features to be the most important for a great, multi-use insulated jacket:
For the first iteration of this guide, we tested 33 jackets. For the 2020 edition, we looked at 12 more. When the jackets arrived, we made short work of packing them down, and then measured their sizes and weights. We found that most online specs were correct (although it was often hard to pack the jacket down as small as the advertised size).
Catherine and eight enthusiastic friends collectively trail ran, hiked, skipped, crawled, and climbed through four laps of the Presidential Traverse and 26 separate individual summits. The group totaled more than 220 miles and over 170,000 feet of elevation change (the combined total of all our elevation gains and losses over that distance, as measured by a Garmin tracker).
In 2020, Jenni took the updated models of our original picks and 12 new options on adventures in the Pacific Northwest, ranging from drizzly camping trips on the Olympic Peninsula to late-night strolls on the San Juan Islands to long alpine hikes in the North Cascades.
This jacket is the best at providing ample warmth for most outdoor excursions, and it has enough pockets to comfortably tote the necessities of daily life. It’s our go-to insulator for commuting or backcountry adventuring.
Matching the quality and performance of the women’s model, in a taller and slightly broader version, this highly packable go-to insulator continually rose to the task, no matter the context.
Note: Montbell will be releasing an updated version of the Alpine Light Down Jacket. We’re testing that new version and will report back.
Montbell’s Alpine Light Down Jacket (available in women’s and men’s sizes) is lightweight (just over 10 ounces in the women’s and 12 ounces in the men’s), insulated with 800-fill-power down, and designed with cozy features for extra warmth, such as hand-warmer pockets and a collar with microfleece lining. This jacket is warm enough to wear in the winter for skiing, snowshoeing, camping, sledding, commuting, and other activities.
In 2022, Montbell told us that it had updated the fit of this jacket. After testing the latest version and comparing it with the previous model, we found that the jacket still has a boxy fit that makes layering easy. The adjustable cords around the waist allow you to cinch the jacket to keep cold air from getting in and prevent warm air from escaping. The jacket still has the features we liked in the previous version, including two large inner pockets, two microfleece-lined hand-warmer pockets, a microfleece-lined collar, YKK zippers of appropriate sizing to the jacket, high-quality elastic cuffs, a DWR coating that actually keeps out some moisture, and a drop-back, drawcord hem. This coat was also soft enough to comfortably sleep in.
The Montbell jacket packs down to fit into a cinch sack. Many of our testers preferred a jacket that could pack into one of its own pockets and did not require a stuff sack. Although the Montbell comes with a stuff sack, it’s also capable of compressing into one of its own pockets.
We appreciated all those extra features on a multi-day trip during which we comfortably stashed cell phones in a hand-warmer pocket for easy selfie-taking access without experiencing any pack-strap/pocket conflicts. This jacket met and exceeded our expectations as an insulator to take into the backcountry, keeping us warm at night. And it behaved beautifully as we walked through late-fall rain clouds—the moisture beaded off the surface, keeping the down inside from getting matted.
Our testers went for a multi-day backpacking trip in this jacket, putting it through rock scrambles, contact with pack straps and grabby undergrowth, and, on one memorable occasion, hugging a scraggly pine tree to avoid falling into a stream. Throughout our adventures, there were no glaring signs of wear and tear. In fact, over multiple seasons of long-term testing during the winter months, the Montbell jacket has held up beautifully. But if you do end up needing to repair your coat, Montbell offers “reasonable rates” for repairs; it will also fix manufacturing errors for free, for the lifetime of the jacket.
Since we first picked this jacket three years ago, it has risen in price by $40, despite the jacket itself remaining essentially the same. It’s now more expensive than any of our other picks, except for our upgrade pick from Stio. The Montbell Alpine Light Down Jacket has held up well for us throughout multiple winters, so we continue to recommend it. But if you have a tendency to destroy your gear, the downside of this jacket’s exceedingly soft feel is that it likely wouldn’t survive, say, puppy-training sessions; for that, we’d prefer the Arc’teryx Atom LT. Also, the down that Montbell uses in its jackets is not certified by the Responsible Down Standard (RDS), although the company pledges on its website to avoid live-plucking methods and to use only feathers that are collected as a by-product of waterfowl raised for the food industry. We also wish this jacket came in plus and petite sizes, like the REI Co-op 650 Down Jacket 2.0 does.
Compared with other low-cost puffy jackets, this women’s REI option is warmer, with well-lined cuffs and a fit that’s ideal for layering.
REI’s standard down jacket also comes in women’s sizes 2x and 3x, in a range of colors.
The jacket offers the same warmth (without the extra features) in men’s sizes.
REI also makes this jacket in tall sizes, with 2¼ inches of extra height.
If you’re looking for an inexpensive down jacket to wear occasionally, the REI Co-op 650 Down Jacket 2.0 (which comes in men’s and men’s tall sizes, and women’s and women’s plus sizes) got top marks from our testers for its warmth and fit. The 2.0 is made with ethically sourced down, and it weighs around 10 ounces, depending on the size (like our top pick). Its 650-fill-power down is better than that of budget competitors, which don’t even list information about fill power on their websites. Though this jacket doesn’t match the warmth of our top or upgrade picks, we found it to be just right for shoulder-season adventures.
During a cold and wet fall camping trip to the Olympic Peninsula, the REI 2.0 coat emerged as a favorite. Its boxy fit allows for easy layering, and the jacket blocked light wind and fended off light rain and overall dampness without the down turning into clumps, thanks to the material’s DWR finish. The jacket cinches around the waist, and the wrist cuffs are comfortably lined with soft nylon fabric. It also has two zippered hand pockets. And a major bonus: The 2.0 packs down smaller than most of its competitors, fitting easily into its own pocket; this, combined with the jacket’s light weight, makes the coat simple to stash in a backpack if the weather changes.
However, that’s where the extras stop—and where you can see the cost savings. The baffles on this jacket are wide, which means the down occasionally moves around and could clump up over time. After just a day of wear, tiny feathers started to emerge from the seams (the sign of a jacket that will hold up for a few seasons but that won’t retain its warmth over the long haul). And the zippers tended to catch on the nearby fabric, just as they might on a poorly designed tent.
We did appreciate that this jacket comes in many shapes and sizes, offering options for tall men and plus-size women. Unlike many of the brands that offer plus-size clothing, REI’s extended size options for this jacket actually lived up to the quality of the standard-size line; rather than just adding a side panel to make the jacket larger, the REI 650 plus and tall options have continuous baffles for consistent warmth, and they contain all the same features as the standard offerings. Several online reviewers noted that the women’s plus-size line can be a bit too short and boxy, depending on your body shape. The men’s model also comes in a hooded version.
Should you find that this option doesn’t work for you, REI has a 100% satisfaction guarantee, which means you can return any purchase for any reason within a year. Ordinary wear and tear is not covered by the warranty (although some stores have repair shops, or they can direct you to their favorite down pros), but manufacturing defects are covered at any time. The down in these jackets is RDS-certified.
Fitted for active use, this jacket—insulated with a synthetic alternative to down—can handle rugged wear and tear.
This is the men’s version of the same great synthetic-fill jacket.
If you’re the accident-prone friend no one will lend gear to because of your tendency to shred equipment, or you live in or are headed to a damp area, the Arc’teryx Atom LT Jacket (available in both women’s and men’s sizes) is our pick for you. This jacket is as durable as they come, not showing any signs of wear, even after we play-wrestled with a 1½-year-old pitbull puppy. This is just one of the advantages of choosing synthetics. Some of our testers are avid rock climbers, with accolades that include climbing Jungle King in Laos and Lost Arrow Spire Tip in Yosemite National Park. Their go-to jackets are earlier variations of the Atom LT because of how well it breathes, fits, and holds up to abuse. Even if you stand too close to a bonfire and embers burn holes into this jacket, no filling will come unstuffed. (Yes, we’ve tried this.)
Features include one inner zipper pocket at chest level: For anyone with a tendency to become hangry during or shortly after high-intensity aerobic sports like trail running, being able to comfortably stash a Clif Bar in the inner chest pocket will prove invaluable. This coat also has buttery YKK zippers, as well as two fleece-lined hand-warmer pockets and stretch cuffs, which make for very comfortable and warm wrists.
The jacket also cinches around the waist, to keep warm air in and cold air out as well as possible. But the goal of this jacket is not so much extreme warmth as it is breathability. Ultra-stretch, breathable side panels allow for easy movement, which made the Atom our favorite for winter trail runs and alpine climbs. It’s lined with Coreloft insulation, which we found dries much more quickly than down.
If you’re looking for a super-warm winter jacket, look elsewhere. But if your goal is to wear one layer and be comfortable running errands, exercising, and commuting to the office, this jacket is fantastic, with the bonus of venting appropriately. We should also note that the fit of the Atom is quite narrow; it will not work for all body types, and the size range isn’t as inclusive as we’d like. (For a more size-inclusive synthetic option, try the L.L.Bean PrimaLoft Packaway.) It can also be hard to layer under this jacket (beyond a base layer) because of the narrow fit. Arc’Teryx offers a limited lifetime warranty program for its gear.
This down jacket has lots of cozy features—like graduated wrist cuffs and a cinch cord on the hood—that set it apart from the rest. Plus, it feels as soft as butter.
With the same great features as the women’s version, this down jacket sets the bar for warmth and functionality.
Stio’s Hometown Down Hooded Jacket (in men’s and women’s versions) has an abundance of pockets and offers a significant increase in warmth over other jackets we tested, making the additional value for cost instantly apparent. (We’ve seen this jacket retail for as low as $100, though, so watch for sales.) The Hometown jacket feels like butter and features a tailored fit that still allows for easy layering. It boasts a soft yet durable DWR-treated shell; a drop-back, drawcord hem (which makes the front and back long and adds additional warmth); and fleece-lined hand-warmer pockets. The 800-fill-power, water-repellent goose-down insulation and an elastic-seamed hood (to seal against the elements) also provide warmth and protection.
Though both models have microfleece-lined hand-warmer pockets, the men’s jacket also has an exterior zipper chest pocket that is microfleece-lined; the women’s coat’s zipper chest pocket is an interior pocket, so the equivalent microfleece is in the collar of the jacket instead. The other notable variations can be found in the finish of the cuffs and the outer fabric. The women’s cuffs are angled, reminiscent of a high-low dress, but with function rather than fashion in mind. The angled cut makes the pinky-finger side longer than the thumb side, keeping rogue elements like snow and wind from going up your sleeve. The women’s version’s outer fabric made the jacket soft enough to sleep in but still durable enough to play hard in, and it was surprisingly much better at shedding water than both the men’s version and the vast majority of the competition.
Both jackets feature drop-back, drawcord hems; massive inner dump pockets; YKK zippers; and a helmet-compatible hood complete with a drawcord. An elastic inner seam gives the hood a perfect seal to keep the elements from sneaking down your neck or around your face. These features worked together to make the après experience enjoyable and unlimited. After a hard workout, a limiting social factor is usually how quickly chill will set in, requiring you to leave to change into dry, fresh clothes. But the immediate increase in core warmth when we put on this jacket, even after mountain biking or running, allowed us to stay out, celebrating adventures indefinitely with friends. Tester Tristan Baldwin anticipates that the extra element protection would enable him to comfortably fit in a full day of skiing at the East Coast’s windiest mountains.
Stio’s down is RDS-certified, and you can even track the origins of the down in your specific jacket using the product lot number on the hang tag that came with it.
A few downsides: This jacket definitely won’t stuff into its own pocket, and it packs down only to the size of a 2-liter bottle or growler. Although this isn’t a jacket to stash for just-in-case scenarios and then forget, you wouldn’t want to, given all of the additional features and fill weight. The Hometown coat also doesn’t come in as wide a range of sizes as our budget pick.
We also heard complaints from our readers and online reviewers about Stio’s customer service team; at times, it can be slow to respond or even unavailable during regular business hours. We didn’t experience any issues with customer service during testing.
If you’re looking for a jacket made of recycled nylon or want more stylish color options: Consider the Patagonia Down Sweater (in men’s and women’s sizes). We liked the previous version of this jacket when we tested it in 2020. In 2022, Patagonia released an updated version that still contains 800-fill-power down (as our picks from Montbell and Stio do) but now uses recycled nylon, and we like this version even better. The recycled fabric felt a touch smoother than the previous nylon. We liked that this version had elastic cuffs that we could easily roll up, a number of color options (including some patterns), well-made zipper pulls, and a waist cinch. It comes in a hooded model (men’s and women’s), too. It’s also pricier than any of our picks, except for our upgrade pick from Stio.
If you don’t live in a very cold place, or if you need a just-in-case jacket to stash in a go-bag: Consider the Uniqlo Ultra Light Down Jacket (in men’s and women’s), which had been a budget pick in this guide for many years, mostly due to the fact that you can sometimes find it for less than $30. It’s not well fitted and not very water-resistant, the zippers feel like they might break at any second, and the down gets clumpy quickly if it’s squished down in a pocket (which it does well) or if it gets wet. Uniqlo’s customer service is generally hard to come by, and though this jacket sometimes comes in extended sizing, online reviewers note that the plus-size jackets tend to be of lower quality. But for the price of this coat, we really can’t complain. Some of our staffers have even seen these jackets in airport vending machines.
If you’re looking for extended sizing for wet, active adventures: Consider the L.L.Bean PrimaLoft Packaway (available in both men’s and women’s sizes), a synthetic option that packs down beautifully and comes in both women's petite and plus size ranges. Compared with our also-great synthetic choice, though, the Packaway didn’t provide as much warmth, and it was tough to layer under or over, given its boxy shape.
If you’re looking for a cheaper down jacket that’s more fitted than our budget pick and more stylish for the city: Consider the men’s Eddie Bauer CirrusLite Down Jacket, which comes in “regular” and “tall” and was another favorite budget option among our testers. In most ways, it was comparable to our budget pick, though slightly more expensive: It has simple, wide baffles, large inner and outer pockets, and a narrower profile, which makes it more stylish but still easy to layer under. The 650-fill-power down is warm, but as with our budget pick, feathers quickly started emerging from the seams, indicating a lack of long-term durability. The women’s version didn’t perform as well as the men’s.
We found the down Swix Romsdal (in both women’s and men’s sizes) to be both surprisingly puppy-proof and durable. This promising offering was form-flattering and functional, and it would have been a top contender—if not for the difficulty of actually finding it in stock online. Should you find it in-store, though, it’s a quality purchase.
The synthetic-fill Patagonia Nano Puff, available in both women’s and men’s sizes, is popular and widely accepted as setting the standard in fit. It allows unconstricted motion without bunching or binding, and sees shoulder seams and sleeve lengths falling to appropriate lengths, allowing someone to order their standard US size medium with confidence in fit. But unfortunately this option remains underwhelming in warmth when compared with other options in our pool, and it’s not as flexible or comfortable as our also-great synthetic-fill pick.
The women’s Eddie Bauer CirrusLite Down Jacket leaked at the seams, even in a light rain shower. The down clumped when it got wet and didn’t recover, and the jacket fabric was nearly see-through, allowing for an oddly unbalanced look with the clumpy down. The cuffs aren’t lined, and the coat felt restrictive across the chest and shoulders—even for our petite testers—which made layering difficult. That said, we like that it comes in widely varying sizes, from petite to tall to plus.
The Mountain Hardwear Super/DS Stretchdown (in men’s and women’s) was stylish but less warm than many of its similarly priced competitors. The 700-fill-power down—matched with a weight of 15-plus ounces and the fact that it didn’t pack down small—put it lower on the list than we’d hoped.
Beautifully fitted, the Helly Hansen Verglas Down Insulator (in men’s and women’s sizes) is exceptionally warm for its weight and easily packs into its own hand-warmer pocket. Those pockets function beautifully as hand warmers, but there wasn’t adequate room for storage—even a cell phone and car keys fit uncomfortably. Some of our readers also noted escaping down after just one season of wear.
The Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody (men’s, women’s) is a good attempt at solving the age-old issue of light packable warmth versus waterproofing. This jacket does manage to serve the same functions as the Nano Puff—at a fraction of the weight—and we found it to be almost waterproof (thanks, DWR!). Unfortunately, the stitching seams that hold the PrimaLoft insulation in place are still, at the end of the day, stitched. This means that water was able to bead through at each of these holes. Our testers also took issue with the crinkly feel of the outer material.
The Patagonia Fitz Roy Down Hoody (women’s and men’s) proved there can be such a thing as “too warm.” Day-to-day functions caused testers to overheat, fluctuating between sweating and freezing. The Fitz Roy is not intended for indoor or commuter use. If a winter camping or ice fishing trip is in your future, though, this would be a great choice because the increase in price is matched by equivalent warmth.
The Arc’Teryx Cerium SL, in a men’s jacket and a women’s hoody, was one of the most expensive options we tested, but we found the performance to be slightly disappointing for the price. The 850-fill-power down was, indeed, warm. And the 7.6-ounce weight for the women’s small jacket (which was slightly heavier than the weight listed on the Arc’Teryx website) made it the lightest option in the bunch. During an overnight in 40-degree Fahrenheit temperatures, this was the jacket we liked best. But the narrow fit made for limited mobility and difficulty layering, and it had no lined cuffs, only basic pockets, a not-great zipper, and a simple drawstring hood. The narrow baffles keep the down from moving around or clumping, though, and this jacket would be a good option if you’re headed out on a long, cold ultralight backpacking trip.
The North Face L3 Summit Down, in men’s and women’s, is a popular jacket in Midwestern states, where hunkering down in the winter is a necessity. We can see why: Its 800-fill-power down is warm, and the jacket is very, very puffy. The wrist cuffs are nicely lined, and the fit is pretty run-of-the-mill (size up if you plan to layer extensively). The hood has elastic on it, too, to keep cold air from getting to your face. But this jacket is big and heavy, and it doesn’t pack down small. Compared with the similarly priced Stio jacket, there’s no competition.
We required all of our picks to be machine-washable, so you can wear your jacket anywhere you choose without living in fear of high dry-cleaning bills. For detergents, the Nikwax Tech Wash and Grangers Down Wash Kit are popular options. But a couple of tennis balls and a mild soap will also get the job done, as detailed in this easy method from CleverHiker.
If you don’t trust your front-load washing machine with high-tech gear, try adding two capfuls of regular Woolite to your bathtub, and then give the jacket a good scrub (or stomp!) with your hands or feet.
To dry, drain the bathtub, stomp out as much water as possible, then employ the towel-rolling method (which anyone who has washed clothes in a hotel sink knows): Lay a bath towel flat, lay the garment on top of the flat towel, then roll both together. To eliminate the rest of the dampness, move your drying rack in front of the wood stove and finish with a light dryer cycle, in case there’s any truth in the widespread instructions that the dryer has DWR-restorative properties.
No matter which technique you choose for cleaning your jacket, when it comes to storage, you should always unpack the jacket from its stuff sack to let it breathe. Long-term, packed-down storage is widely discouraged because it can potentially break down the jacket’s ability to return to loft. Your jacket’s ability to insulate is dependent on that loft. To ensure its longevity, simply hang the jacket for its summer hibernation.
We’ll be testing all of our picks and notable contenders throughout the winter in varying environments to see how they handle wind, sleet, rain, snow, and ice. We also plan to test updated versions of down jackets from Columbia, Cotopaxi, and Feathered Friends. The Feathered Friends Eos Jacket, in particular, is a top choice industry-wide. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company is experiencing production delays, and a representative told us that it would be back online by next winter.
This article was edited by Ria Misra and Christine Ryan.
Dawn-Marie Jackson, 25-plus-year outdoors industry expert, manager of Sport Thoma ski shops and Waterville Valley Resort, in-person interview, September 28, 2017
Aaron August, Outdoor Gear Exchange’s consignment gear expert, email interview, October 13, 2017
Beth Lopez, How to Care for Your Down Jacket, Backcountry, November 21, 2013
Dave Collins, How to Wash a Down Coat, CleverHiker
Andy Wellman, How to Choose the Best Down Jacket, OutdoorGearLab, November 19, 2016
by Nick Guy, Kaitlyn Wells, and Justin Krajeski
We found four great pairs of touchscreen gloves—in a range of styles, materials, and sizes—that are cozy and accurate for typing.
After testing 30 rain jackets and raincoats, we found six we liked in a range of sizes, lengths, and styles to keep you dry.
Stay warm and stylish this fall and winter with some of our favorite apparel and accessory picks.
It’s cold outside, but we have you covered with 50 of our cold-weather must-haves—like hand warmers, ice cleats and snow shovels.
Down Puffer Coat Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time).