Clothing recommendations
Real recommendations based on clothing we personally wear or have tried. Its going to be an ever evolving list as time goes by and we buy/review new items.
Helly Hansen Elevation down feather jacket.
Down feather Insulated jackets are really popular at the moment, not just for casual wear but for adventurers and explorers, and for good reason. Down feathers are naturally very insulating and a fantastic natural material to keep you warm without bulky clothing and added weight. Amazing for packing down into a rucksack without taking too much room, and also suitcase friendly for keeping down the weight.
Our down jacket of choice is currently the Helly Hansen elevation down jacket, built with off duty skiers in mind so it's made for the cold weather from the get go. Sizing is on the snug side, fitting a thin mid layer and base layer underneath if you go by your usual sizing, or size up if you want to fit thicker clothing underneath. We like that it's a closer fitting garment so we can wear it under a rain coat to keep us warm while the rain coat keeps us dry.
We did get caught in a light bit of rain and sea spray and even though it's not marketed as a waterproof jacket, we stayed nice and dry underneath and the water shook off the jacket pretty well so it's a nice bit of peace of mind.
Down feather jackets are amazing heat retainers especially for when you're spending a lot of time standing still. The down side is that if you get a down jacket wet, the heat retaining ability greatly diminishes and they can take a good while to fully dry out.
If you're looking to layer clothing, it's the ideal choice as a mid layer in place of your usual fleece. If however you’d preffer a puffer jacket that you can wear over your fleece layer for a bit more layering, check out the synthetic insulated Helly Hansen Lifaloft jacket below.
Helly Hansen Lifaloft insulator jacket
Lifa loft, otherwise known as Primaloft is the newer kid on the block when it comes to insulation in clothing. It's the synthetic alternative to down feathers, promising the same warmth and light weight as a down jacket, but built for those who plan to wear it while being more active.
Synthetic insulations benefit from being able to dry quicker but also keeping you warmer when wet. For me (Jon) this is great because admittedly I perspire quite a lot when active and if I get the inside of my jacket damp, it's going to start making me cold quickly, not to mention the same issue if I get caught in a rain shower without my rain coat.
After receiving the Helly Hansen down feather jackets from Helly Hansen to review, I purchased the Lifaloft insulator jacket out of my own money and really enjoy the jacket for different reasons. The Lifaloft jacket is roomier than the down jacket, meaning it's perfect for wearing over thicker fleece mid layers to added warmth, but still not so bulky that I can't put my rain coat over it too. If I was really cold, I could even put my down jacket underneath and double up.
On first impressions it feels rather thin, but it's surprising just how much heat the jacket retains especially when moderately active. The hood is a bonus too to keep some of that icelandic wind out and my head warm.
Available in other colours aside from blinding bright orange, but I chose the orange for a jacket that helps keep me visible on low visibility days.