MontBell

Ultralight Down Jacket - Women's

Warmer than a heavyweight technical fleece and lighter than a pair of expedition gloves, the Montbell Women's Ultralight Down Jacket means cold-weather protection without a weight penalty. Other down jackets eat up pack space, but this sub-seven-ounce goose-down layer packs down to the size of a water bottle, leaving plenty of room for your backcountry gear or other travel essentials. A trim fit flatters your fit physique and also makes it stunningly simple to slip a hardshell over this cozy piece.

Down insulation is the insulation gold-standard. Feathers and plumules intermingle, producing a lattice-like network of open spaces and solid bits. Air gets trapped in the open spaces and creates a stalwart barrier between cold outside air and warm air your body kicks out. So long as the down stays dry, you stay warm. Part of the reason down dominates the insulation world is that the warmth-to-weight ratio can't be beat; you get a whole lotta warm for very little weight. This is where you start paying attention to the number associated with the fill-power. Specifically, that number describes how much space a single ounce of down occupies. Since down works by trapping air, it follows that the more space a single ounce of down takes up, the more air it can trap, and the more warm you stay on a per-ounce basis. By using 800-fill power down in this jacket, you stay warm without schlepping a full flock on your back.

Sewn through construction means the down stays in place so you stay warm all over. This jacket shakes off spits of rain due its DWR coating, and ripstop nylon stops snags before they start. Two zippered hand-warmer pockets give your paws a protected place to park. A stuff stack comes with this jacket for easy and organized packing.