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Topic Date User

Synethetic Downies - the new softshell? 18-May-2011 At 2:52:57 PM strerror

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On 18/05/2011 citationx wrote:
>Depending on how you use this, i might dispute it. While moving around,
>skiing, snowshoeing, whatever, during a daytime blizzard, then yes, any
>synthetic jacket will do and you wouldn't be cold.

That was primarily what I was doing but ...

> If you get a <400g fill
>synthetic jacket (which is quite a few of those that are around) and you're
>stuck belaying in the shade for an hour and a half at blue lake or buller
>or you broke your ankle back-country skiing without a sleeping bag and
>tent and that's all you have overnight then i claim that you'll be freezing
>yer nuts off. I have found that two of my synthetic jackets (around and
>just under the 300g fill) were woefully lacking for Backcountry night camping/sitting
>around. If i'm out overnight, down it is. it's all subjective, anyway.

The parka, as opposed to the jacket has ~60% more fill. It's noticeably warmer, but still incredibly light.

Back at the camp at Blue Lake I did end up putting on more layers, but then that was because I was completely soaked and only in a tshirt and wet jacket and stationary for a few hours. The thing is, in the same situation the down wouldn't be providing you any warmth at all as it would be saturated. Obviously if I wasn't an idiot I should have also had a waterproof layer ;)