Best Down Jackets for Backpacking of 2024

Your insulating midlayer is a key component of your backpacking setup, and rarely is there a time when you should hit the trail without an insulation layer wedged in your pack. Here are our top picks for the best down jackets for backpacking from our gear review team, editors, and writers, as well as our tips for choosing and caring for a down jacket for backpacking. We considered features like weight, warmth, materials, and fill power to identify top-performing midlayers for every type of hiker.

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Best Down Jackets for Backpacking: Quick Navigation

Best Down Jackets for Backpacking: FAQs

Down vs. Synthetic Jackets for Backpacking

Insulated jackets, commonly known as puffies, are usually filled with either natural goose or duck down or with some form of synthetic polyester insulation. Both have their pros and cons. Down is much more expensive than synthetic fill and doesn&#;t retain loft when it gets wet. However, it is loftier on average than synthetic fill, has a better warmth-to-weight ratio, and is highly compressible.

Choose a down puffy if you&#;re trying to go ultralight and want superior warmth and next-to-skin softness for a fraction of the bulk.

Choose synthetic if you&#;re on a budget or anticipate needing your jacket a lot in wet conditions.

Choosing a Down Jacket for Backpacking

Beyond a few basic recommendations (listed below), your down jacket choice is up to personal preference. For fit, aim for a slim-to-medium style to save weight and bulk. This middle-ground sizing allows the jacket to be layered over base layers as well as under rain gear.

As far as fill weight goes, consider if you run warm or cold, and the climates you&#;ll be hiking through. Will you be spending multiple nights camped in the alpine zone? Hiking through chilly shoulder seasons? Opt for a heftier option. You can always send it back or trade it out if it&#;s too much.

Remember that you will occasionally be hiking in this layer, so it should allow freedom of movement without being too bulky and leaving excess air space to heat up. Keep durability in mind as well. If this is your thru-hiking puffy, you&#;ll want the insulation and face fabric to have some protection against dampness, as well as some level of abrasion resistance.

The Best Way to Care for Your Down Jacket

This layer will spend a lot of time smushed into your pack. Take it out of your pack during breaks or on town days, shake it out, and let it air dry in the sun. This will help keep the insulation lofted (maintaining insulating properties) and prevent clumping.

Launder it at least once per season with down wash in a front-loading washing machine (the agitators of top-loading machines don&#;t always play nice with delicate gear), then tumble dry on the lowest setting with a few tennis balls to re-loft the down.

Some down jackets have a durable water repellent (DWR) coating on the shell fabric, which helps protect the insulation from moisture. This coating will wear off over time, but you can use an after-market treatment to re-up the jacket&#;s DWR coating.

Avoid sweating in your down jacket or wearing it without at least one layer of clothing between it and your skin, as body oils can reduce loft over time. Down doesn&#;t like getting wet&#;it makes it clump&#;so keep your jacket in a waterproof bag inside your pack during rainstorms.

Budget-Friendly Down Backpacking Jacket Recommendations

Why are down jackets so soul-crushingly expensive?

You can read more about our number-one budget down puffy pick below (spoiler alert, it&#;s the Decathlon Forclaz Trek 100), but our list definitely skews toward more expensive/higher-end puffies.

It&#;s a list of the best down jackets on the market, and we think our picks truly are the cream of the crop &#; but for those who don&#;t need the cream of the crop, just a half-decent puffy to keep them from freezing during their thru-hike, here are a few more budget recommendations. Bide your time and shop the sales for even better prices.

Also, check out our list of the best synthetic jackets for backpacking; synthetic insulation is much less expensive than down, but it&#;s also heavier.

• REI Co-op 650 Down Jacket Men&#;s | Women&#;s
  • $130
• Costco down jackets
  • Costco occasionally stocks name-brand down puffies for mind-boggling prices (often less than $50); can&#;t predict what they&#;ll have and when, but if you have a membership it&#;s worth keeping an eye on their online inventory
• Uniqlo Ultra Lite Down Parka Men&#;s | Women&#;s
  • $90
• Eddie Bauer Cirruslite Down Jacket Men&#;s | Women&#;s

Features to Look For in the Best Down Jackets for Backpacking

These are simply guidelines but should narrow down a pretty packed field.

Weight: Under 14 ounces.
Fill power: At least 750 fill.
Percent fill: Weight of down divided by weight of total garment = percent fill. The higher the better.
Treatment: Treated down may protect your insulation, as will a DWR-treated shell. Different brands have varying names for their treatment for both insulation and fabrics. However, some feel that treating down doesn&#;t improve its performance enough to be worth it.
Pockets: Should be placed high enough to be accessible under a hip belt. Zippered side pockets are best; a chest pocket doesn&#;t hurt either.
Hood: Optional, but a hood is nice as it prevents drafts from blowing down the back of your neck. Increases warmth, weight, and price.
Ethics and sustainability: Look for recycled materials in the shell fabric, PFC-free DWR treatments, and Responsible Down Standard (RDS)-certified down.

Here are our favorite down jackets for the year, specifically for backpackers. They have a variety of fits, fill powers, and features, but are all lightweight, warm, and packable for long treks.

-Maggie Slepian

Best Down Jackets for Backpacking of

MSRP: $409
Total Weight: 10.8 ounces men&#;s | 10 ounces women&#;s
Fill Weight: 4 ounces men&#;s | 3.7 ounces women&#;s
Percent Fill: 37 percent men&#;s | 37 percent women&#;s
Fill: 900-plus-fill goose down
Size range: XS &#; XXL

This light, super packable jacket from the Seattle-based company is as versatile as it gets. It can layer over or under, is packed with insanely lofted 900-fill down, and is made in Canada and the US. The fit is slimmer than others on this list, so keep that in mind when figuring out sizing. It works well as an active layer and doesn&#;t feel bulky under a pack.

We&#;ve long wanted to see a chest pocket or an inner pocket on the Eos, and in Feathered Friends delivered with the addition of both a chest pocket and an adjustable drawstring component on the jacket&#;s deep hood. These updates, combined with durable Pertex Quantum face fabric and 3.7 ounces of premium-quality down, give this jacket top marks. &#;Editors

If you want to learn more, please visit our website PPF ELEMETNS.

Note: The Eos is frequently out of stock, so if you&#;re looking to add this to your collection, just sign up for the notification.

Materials and Features

Feathered Friends is famous for thoughtful designs, premium materials, and outstanding attention to detail. The Eos is no exception. 3.7 ounces of extra-fluffy 900+ fill down give this jacket plenty of loft and warmth, while the windproof, 20D Pertex Quantum nylon exterior provides durable protection and water resistance thanks to a DWR finish.

Unlike most jackets, the Eos uses Lycra, rather than elastic, to seal out drafts at the cuff. The jacket also features an adjustable hood and hem and two zippered hand pockets. As of last winter, the Eos also has a handy (and very cunningly concealed) zippered chest pocket.

Pros: High-quality down; deep, adjustable hood; warm; windproof; chest pocket; made in the USA.
Cons: Frequently sold out; expensive; slim fit makes layering tough.

For a similar made-in-US ultralight down jacket, check out the Western Mountaineering Flash hooded down jacket.

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MSRP: $249
Weight: 8.6 ounces men&#;s | 7.3 ounces women&#;s
Fill Weight: 2.5 ounces men&#;s | 1.9 ounces women&#;s
Percent Fill: 29 percent men&#;s | 26 percent women&#;s
Fill: 800-fill down
Size range: S &#; XL

The Montbell Superior Down Parka is one of the best values for a down jacket&#;$249 for an 800 fill-power down jacket with hood and pockets that weighs 7.3 oz. Basically, it&#;s the Ghost Whisperer, but more than $100 cheaper. The square baffles keep the down in place, and the high collar protects from drafts. I&#;ve also had the Montbell Plasma Jacket, which is lighter and more expensive, but the Superior Down Parka is more versatile. &#;Megan McGowan

Materials and Features

Two-and-a-half ounces of 800-fill down and ultralight 10D ripstop nylon shell fabric keep the weight down in the Superior Down Parka. The quilting pattern stops down migration in its tracks, but we&#;re leery of all those extra seams, which can create cold spots and also represent potential future failure points. The jacket features an adjustable hood and hem, elastic cuffs, and two zippered side pockets.

Pros: Great price for the weight and quality; quilting functionally eliminates down migration.
Cons: Lots of sewn-through seams reduce warmth and durability; not a whole lot of insulation (functionally limited to mild conditions).

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MSRP: $400
Weight: 11.8 ounces men&#;s | 10.2 ounces women&#;s
Fill Weight (Down)*: 4 ounces men&#;s | 3.2 ounces women&#;s
Fill: 850-fill goose down/Coreloft polyester fibers
Size range: XS &#; XXXL men&#;s | XXS &#; XXL women&#;s

*Total fill weight (including synthetic) not reported

Our reviewer originally nominated the Arc&#;teryx Cerium SL for this list after thru-hiking the PCT with it. Sadly, that jacket is no longer widely available, but we still recommend that you check out the slightly heavier (but still awesome) Cerium. &#;It uses Down Composite Mapping, which places synthetic insulation in the &#;high use&#; areas (cuffs, armpits, top of the shoulders, and facial area),&#; wrote Carl Stanfield of the Cerium SL in . &#;Everywhere else uses 850 fill-power goose down, which does a solid job keeping you warm out on the trail.&#;

The beefed-up Cerium still uses Down Composite mapping and keeps the weight reasonable at 11.8 ounces for a men&#;s medium while featuring a more durable 15D shell fabric.

Materials and Features

850-fill goose down supplies the bulk of this jacket&#;s insulation, but Arc&#;teryx made the ingenious move to use their in-house synthetic Coreloft insulation in the armpits, cuffs, and hood&#;areas that are highly vulnerable to moisture. The Cerium was upgraded to a stronger 15D ripstop nylon shell, which is stronger than the former 10D model. Yes, this jacket is expensive, but it&#;s surprisingly hardy&#;just be sure to protect it from snags.

The shell has a DWR treatment to protect it from light moisture, while the nylon liner feels buttery-soft against your skin. The adjustable storm hood snugs down well and has better coverage than most, while elastic cuffs and an adjustable hem further cut down on drafts. The Cerium packs down into a baby stuff sack that comes with the jacket. The jacket has two zippered hand pockets.

For a loftier / more durable (but substantially heavier) version of this jacket, check out the 18-ounce Arc&#;teryx Thorium.

Pros: Areas of synthetic fill protect against moisture damage; very lightweight and packable; great hood.
Cons: Expensive; thinner shell fabric can be prone to snagging.

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