Best Insulated Jacket For Alpine Climbing

Give our down and synthetic insulated jacket buyer s guide a read to get a real in depth look into the designs and technologies behind both fill types.

Best insulated jacket for alpine climbing.

Best synthetic insulated jackets of 2020 best overall. Bombproof weather protection and unrestrained mobility are essential features of the best hardshell jacket. Built as a technical jacket to take on alpine conditions it s almost weatherproof incredibly packable and insanely warm for its midweight construction. Not as waterproof as a true rain jacket softshell jackets are much better suited for athletic activities like hiking climbing biking and even running.

The arc teryx nuclei fl is one of the newest insulated jackets recently added to the arc teryx line and it blows the competition out of the water. The arc teryx alpha fl also boasts a simple lightweight design with a near perfect blend of these attributes which we ve found to make it the best overall. The rab microlight alpine earns a top choice award for being an amazing jacket for wet conditions. At this price point and intended for high mountain use the beta ar above is the natural competitor to the sharp end.

Softshells are highly breathable and mobile while still protecting you and your layers from the elements. While the active mid layer has become the most popular style of insulated jacket the nimbus is a straight up puffy complete with overstuffed horizontal baffles designed for maximum heat retention. The proton lt is a superb active insulation jacket with 80 gram coreloft compact in the body and 60 gram in the hood coreloft compact is more breathable and packable than the regular version used in the atom. Arc teryx atom ar hoody men s women s 299 the arc teryx atom ar has been in my alpine and higher elevation rock climbing kit for years.

Arc teryx beta sv jacket built for brutal alpine conditions the beta sv is arc teryx s latest all round waterproof shell jacket following the very popular arc teryx beta lt which is also designed for climbing and other mountain activities. With a 16 ounce weight burly 70 denier fabrics and features like pit zips and harness compatible pockets the jacket is well rounded for both serious alpine climbing and casual uses like resort skiing.