Everything you need to know before buying an insulated layering jacket

Thinner than a puffer and lighter than a parka, it's a fall layering must-have.

Thinner than a puffer and lighter than a parka, it's a fall layering must-have

Truc Nguyen · CBC Life · Posted: Sep 26, 2019 3:52 PM EDT | Last Updated: September 26, 2019

The lightweight, packable insulated jacket might just be this season's must-have layering piece. Thinner than a puffer and lighter than a parka, it can be worn as an outer garment for cool, early-fall days, and styled between layers for added warmth when temperatures really drop.

It's not a new style, having long been an outdoors-apparel and travel-wear staple, but seems particularly ubiquitous this season. And, lightweight puffers are now available in a rainbow of colours and wide range of price points and materials options (for example, it's $69 for a PrimaLoft option from Joe Fresh and $650 at Canada Goose for a domestically-made, goose-down version).

Considering the vast number of insulated jacket options out there, most of which look relatively similar, we asked two experts who work with both down and synthetic-fill outerwear — Audrey Paiement, Director of Sales and Merchandising at Montreal label Kanuk, and Greg Grenzke, Design Director at North Vancouver-based Arc'teryx — what you should know before selecting an insulated jacket, whether it's a lightweight layering puffer or a true parka made for peak winter.

Here are their expert puffer-shopping tips.

Know your needs

Both Paiement and Grenzke stress the importance of geographic realities and lifestyle when it comes to outerwear choices. "Are you an active person? Where do you live? What kind of activities are you going to be doing with your jacket. That's the kind of question you need to ask yourself," says Paiement. "Because both [synthetic and down] insulations have positives and negatives about them, it's really a question of making sure you're finding the right one for you. If you know you're going to be really active, or if you know you live in an area where it's super humid, then you'd better go for something synthetic. If you live in an area where it's more dry…then down is a great option for you."

Grenzke adds that a lot of websites now offer filtering by criteria such as activity and material, so when you're shopping online for a mid-layer jacket, it's possible to quickly narrow down the options to find the right product for you.

Understand the benefits (and drawbacks) of the two primary insulation types

"Down has the best warmth-to-weight ratio compared to synthetic," says Grenzke. "So you can have a [warmer jacket] with ...a lower weight as compared to a synthetic." In addition to being lightweight, according to Paiement down insulation is very compressible and durable, and offers excellent thermal properties; unfortunately, it loses insulation capacity when it's wet and is very slow to dry. Synthetic insulation can be hypoallergenic, has excellent thermal properties even when wet, dries quickly, and is vegan, easy to wash, and less expensive. "The great thing about synthetic insulation is that it works well even at a high a humidity level or if it's wet…[but it] is a bit more heavy, a bit more stiff," says Paiement.

Keep in mind, too, that there are several different types of synthetic-fill insulation: synthetic fibre insulation, which is, according to Grenzke, "typically fibres bonded together using heat or some kind of bonding agent;" continuous insulation which consists of very long strands of fibre; synthetic down which mimics the appearance and loft of down, and knit insulation which is very stable and doesn't even require a textile on top. "With knit-insulation technology…you can have your insulation that's also your jacket lining," explains Grenzke.

Consider your budget

Synthetic-fill options will be generally, but not always, be more affordable than down. Prices will vary depending on construction and style and other materials, says Grenzke, but for very similar styles down will typically be more expensive, and there can be more labour involved with manufacturing down jackets.

Note the fill power and down type

"The fill power is a [number] that helps you figure out how warm your jacket is," says Paiement. "A down jacket's warmth is based on the mix of air and down; when you get the proper recipe with the proper fit, you get to a very high fill power rate." A higher number means a loftier jacket with "the perfect warmth ratio," according to Paiement, who recommends looking for a jacket in the 800-900 range if you're able to make the investment. "When you go lower than that, it's not necessarily bad, but it means the feather is more heavy, the combination with the air is a bit less efficient…your jacket is going to look less puffy," says Paiement.

Try the hybrids

Beyond the simple choice of down versus synthetics, at the higher price points companies are also offering jackets that utilize both insulation types in a single garment. "You can hybridize down insulation with synthetic insulation, you can also hybridize down and/or synthetic with fleeces or other textiles, depending on the [goal] that you're trying to achieve," says Grenzke. Aided by body mapping know-how, an Arc'teryx jacket might, for example, feature synthetic insulation in the collar or around the mouth (areas where there might be more moisture vapour from our breath), and down insulation elsewhere.

Here are the stylish, lightweight puffers to try: