Nice . BIG problem with top brands is that they nowadays use too much of low quality material . Primaloft is just recycled plastic , or made with ordinary polyester , nothing special , just marketing gimmick to sell expensive jacket made out of very cheap material . Primaloft in down jacket ?! I do NOT want that , I want down , or at least feather . Recyled is just not same quality as virgin synthetic . I do not wanna pay so much money for low quality . It's well made and designed , but material is just not good . And using down in one part of jacket , and in another part using primaloft , shady and deceptive . Why ? Because what they do is to cut the cost of materials , not to help buyer . It's so nice to buy bunch of cheap and recycled junk and transform it to hiking jacket and advertise it as something special and new , better . It's NOT better , it's not even new , all insulation types are here for decades in one form or another . If I am spending a fortune on down jacket , I want at least virgin polyester and nylon lining , NOT recycled ( because quality is way lower and feel is not the same , not as comfortable ) . And down inside I want to be new , NOT recyled .
Not 1000FP, but 950FP!!! Went to that link and it says -> 950 fill power down insulation. Also, FP Isn't everything, how much grams of down is inside is what counts!
Outstanding review on all great 1st class quality outdoor gear for us passionate outdoors people, thank you for what you do, all the very best, health and happiness.
If you are doing this again this year, check out the Rab mythic range and the mountain equipment Kryos (also the mountain equipment Fitzroy if looking at synthetic)
Hello readyme! In my opinion, those are two winning options. The OV is a great jacket and fantastic value for sure. The only downside for me, is the lower coverage on the hood. I prefer the more substantial hood and neck coverage from the Patagonia and Arcteryx.
Wicked comparison, Shawn. Some seem super interesting. A little disappointed that the Rab mythic Alpine and Ultra is not on this list. I believe it won a few awards. Really looking forward to the more detailed review of the jackets that don't have one yet. I really appreciate your work.
Thank you!! I will get with Rab to see if we can test those jackets out. Good call on that! We like Rab quite a bit and have worked with them on other reviews. Thanks for the support! Take care!
I like the comparison videos. I am very surprised you picked the OR jacket as your top pick. It seems pretty “boring” other than the waterproof areas. Can you detail why you like it so much?
It does kind of look boring, I agree with you on that. But the fit, features that I care about and function are ideal for me. Not as attractive as the Arcteryx, not as light as others, but I like how it works. Plus, fuzzy hand pockets are nice :)
Love the comparisons and contents! I’m curious why Rab isn’t in the mix as they have a lot of awesome down jackets with great technologies. They also have a 1000+ FP jacket and their expedition down jacket has pit zips too.
Good question! I will reach out to RAB and see what we can get from them to work on. We di work with them and have reviews on their ski clothing. Good stuff!
I am currently running the TNF Summit Series Breithorn. It’s just okay. The cuffs are meh. And not a huge fan of the silky, soft feel of the material. Great fit though. The Patagonia Down Sweater is the front runner. The Arc’teryx Cerium would be a 10/10 banger if it had a storm flap behind the zipper and a more robust zipper.
Much appreciated! I usually wear KUHL shirts, but this one is a super cheap t shirt my wife grabbed at the craft store for ~$15 LOL. Nothing fancy about the matierial - half poly half cotton. But good value!
I'm staying in a cold place for a few weeks doing outdoor activities. I have a 350 black diamond jacket and a mountain Hardwear 60 dollar jacket. I've been using the cheap one in -30 degrees and can't feel the difference between the expensive black diamond, other than the extra pocket or so. For me is arctericx is for Asians, Patagonia por petite guys and the rest for the rest of us. 😅 I would choose the OR with no hesitation.
Thanks for this video, very usefull. If the decition would come down to the Patagonia and the Cerium, which one would be a better pick from your point of view? Thanks for your advice!
Oh dang! You got my on this one. Let’s break them down 1) Patagonia. Love the fit. Love the ethos. 2) arcteryx. Love the 850 fill. Love the looks and dead bird vibes. Had to pick just one…. Patagonia. But it’s super close!
@@carlosdelcastillo6770 I suppose there is that bias in my decision. But both are technically great. The fit on the Arcteryx is a bit more trim and the down is a bit higher value. So there is a bonus.
My daily driver is a Patagonia down sweater, I wear it under my shell skiing and around town. I use a Montbell Plasma 1000 for backpacking. It’s super light and does the job, I have the matching pants. My next big item will be from Feathered Friends or Western Mountaineering. You generally get what you pay for. Cry once. It would be nice when reviewing jackets that have hoods if they fit over helmets. Nice review
I got the Outdoor Vitals Loftek jacket($100) a year ago instead of the down at the time so I could use it as a mid-layer under my hard shell ski jacket and even with the pit zips it was actually too warm so I switched to a fleece mid-layer. However, I now use it as a daily jacket in winter and also on snow shoeing peaks, hiking etc. I however would not recommend it for temperatures below 25F or lots of precipitation. This last bit is both a pro and con. While snow shoeing Big Slide Mountain in the Adirondacks, there was so much snow on the trees and falling on me that the outside of the jacket started to gradually started absorb moisture. Fortunately it dries almost as fast as it gets wet. The synthetic insulation kept me warm the whole time. I think my next purchase from them with definitely be the Nova Pro. Note: Definitely get a size up as they say on their website sizing is "athletic" and I had to pay shipping to exchange my jacket with the next size up.
Thanks for the note and intel! Heck of a deal on the Loftek! I am all about water resistant down, for this reason. Heck, I was camping last night in a storm and thank goodness the quilts I was using were water resistant down! The snow found its way into my tent when I opened the door. Hope you get a chance to get the Nova Pro. OV makes such good stuff and at such a fair price.
@@Engearment I also got OV's Solo plus hammock to replace my Eno doublenest. Got my whole sleep system down under 5lbs, super excited to try it out this summer. These real-world comparison videos are really helpful for decision-making on new gear.
@@jcb5011 Nice! I will have to check out the Solo hammock! Nice work on dialing the kit down to under 5lbs! Thank you for the helpful note. This is the kind of feedback that fuels me to do better videos. Much appreciated my friend!
How does the warmth of the OR helium compare to the Patagonia Down Jacket? I’m considering grabbing one at 30% off but unsure if it’s enough for -10C with a regular fleece and T-shirt
Did you order the same size on the Crazy Levity as the others? Their sizing chart shows that I should wear an XL and I wear medium in most jackets in the US
I did go with the same size as normal. Which is xl for me. I was on the fence and it looked like xxl was going to be better fit (on paper) So I was surprised. The material stretches quite a bit.
Please consider Feathered Friends, they make the world's warmest coats and use some of the best 900 fill-down for every product. The cherry on top with FF is they use the MOST down of any brand and list in Oz how much 900 fill each garment utilizes.
Thank you for this video! I tried on most of the jackets in your review. The OR was our choice. Grabbed an OR for me and my girl. We love love the jackets.
Thanks for making this comparison. I think I've narrowed it down to the Patagonia and OR jackets. I'm a pretty skinny guy and Patagonia usually fits me well, but I haven't tried many OR items. It almost never goes below freezing where I live, but I occasionally go up to the Sierras for skiing or mountaineering. Which one would you recommend? Which one do you think is warmer?
Hello! Dang, that is a tuff call. I feel like the Patagonia and OR fit almost identically. In a good way (at least for my build). I would say, if you have good luck with the way Patagonia fits you, stick with that. The Down hoodie is slightly warmer than most of the jackets (has a little more fill). Hope that helps!
Been looking for a down jacket for my upcoming mountain trip to Shasta, I got the mountain hardware ghostwhisper2, but after trying it I’m not sure if it’ll be warm enough in the 20-30F temperature range. Which of these jackets did you think was the warmest?
Thank you!! I believe we had the Marmot one ii this… Maybe in part II. Heck, I am wearing a Marmot hybrid hoody right now, while camping at 10.5k ft. It’s great!
Under arm gussets, always important to me for comfort as I have a stocky build, could you mention which jackets have this feature in future reviews? Many thanks.
I hear you on hand pockets. But I find that I use this as a midlayer on really cold (0-15F) days. So I have the outer layer for pockets. I also really like sleeping in it when winter camping. It is like a bonus sleeping bag that moves with you.
It is a REALLy good jacket, especially at the price. We had the founder of Outdoor Vitals on the Engearment Podcast last week. It is really cool to hear how they started and how they design and test their gear. I would recommend them to anyone.
PHD Designs, a manufacturer of 1000 fill power down garments are garments which all others are measured/compared to. Top Tier, none better, non more expensive. I have the Outdoor Vitals jacket, however, I do wear a light weight outer shell jacket to keep out the wind & or rain. Warm Regards from Reno, Nevada
Thanks for the info! I will have to look into that brand. Always learning! Glad you are digging the OV jacket. They make great gear at a very fair price!
@@Engearment PHD Designs is located in the U.K. - it is the highly sought after gear for those on Expeditions across Greenland, up Mt Everest & other high peaks, & across the South Pole/Antarctica - their clothing is custom made. They also make Sleeping Bags & other items of apparel for the seriously COLD/WINDY weather conditions. To the best of my knowledge the only youtuber that has been given PHD Designs gear is Bushman and Blue(a dog) who are U.K based youtubers. It was Bushman & Blue that I first heard about PHD Designs. SOLO CAMP AFTER HECTIC SCAFELL PIKE SUMMIT is the specific video that shows off PHD Designs equipment Warm Regards from Reno, Nevada
Exactly the kind of video I needed thank you! Is the Patagonia Jacket or Outdoor Vitals much warmer than the Outdoor Research Helium? They all seem pretty great and I'm having a hard time picking lol
I hear you! 😆 It’s hard to say which is warmer. They are all sooo good! Those 3 are equally warm. I think it comes down to which features, fit and looks that you desire. Hope that helps!
Hello, great comparisons, check out the Stio Pinion Down Hooded jacket, would like to hear your thoughts on their gear. Stio based out of Jackson Hole WY. Cheers and thanks for your honest opinions!
Hello! Thanks for the nice note! I like Stio gear. I have had several jackets ad bibs (Environ line) and we have some writers that have that Pinion jacket. I will see if we can get them included in the next round of comparisons. Great idea! Take care :)
Ohhh that looks nice! I have not had my hands on that, yet. I will reach out to them. We do work with KUIU as well and really like their build. Thanks for putting that on our radar!
@@Engearment no problem! My friend had one, after he let me try his out I bought one for myself. I love it, but haven’t compared it to the other higher end down jackets.
i have really wanted the Patagonia but it's impossible to find anywhere in anything other then the red and blue color. not sure if its a supply issue. glad it's been improved. great review
Hello! Thanks for the helpful note. Bummer on being hard to find. It was just on sale, so that could be contributing to why it is hard to find. Spiderman color is not TOO bad LOL
Arc’teryx are tailored the best. So that’s the best one to go with. A waterproof shell on top takes care of that. My black Arc’teryx Thorium looks awesome with its gold interior.
Great detailed comparison!! Why didn't include the Micro Puff from Patagonia? Because of the synthetic insulation? I think is a perfect lightweight jacket for short stops when ski touring/splitboarding or even when moving in super cold days.
Hey! Thanks for the nice note! You are right, I did not include synthetic puffies in this review. I do love he Micro Puff and have been a fan since it first came out. We have several reviews and even a Micro Puff vs Macro Puff, and Micro Puff vs Down Sweater comparision. Agreed on it being great for splitboarding. Hope you are enjoying a great season!
@@Engearment Yes I've seen these comparisons and actually helped me pick the proper one (I actually got also the Nano Puff for around town haha). The Micro Puff is my always inside the backpack kit for emergency cover. Not a great season in South Europe, more of the great quest for snow. We must take what nature gives!