6 Things to Look for In Your Next Winter Camp Jacket

A puffy down jacket is an essential piece of gear in any outdoor arsenal. But details about materials, weight and other specifications can make choosing the right jacket a dizzying prospect.

Here are the most important details you need to know when you’re picking a puffer.

1. Natural vs Synthetic Down

Natural down insulation is made from the soft, warm and light feathers a duck or goose has under its exterior coat. Synthetic down jackets emulate this, usually with strands of polyester, for a warm but slightly heavier end result. Synthetic down boasts advantages in durability and water resistance that can outweigh the downsides if you don’t care about a few ounces here and there.

2. Fill Power

Fill power is a measure of how efficient natural down is. The higher the fill power, the more air the down can trap per ounce of weight. Premium goose down can reach a fill power of up to 900fp, while duck only gets to 800fp. Synthetic down’s warmth is measured not by fill power, but by weight in grams.

Typical synthetic jackets fall between 50 and 130 grams of fill; the more, the heavier, the warmer. But unlike natural down, you can’t easily compare one formulation of synthetic down to another.