Nothing can be finer than slipping on a real down jacket - it's like coming home to a real fire.
Our men's outdoor clothing range of goose-filled down jackets includes the legendary Nuptse II Jacket from The North Face, a classic example of hi-loft insulation for plush warmth in the most brutal of conditions, and the Berghaus Mount Asgard Hybrid, a lightweight, technical jacket inspired by the Asgard Project, the first free ascent on the North Tower of the Arctic's Mount Asgard on Baffin Island.
Mountain walkers, trekkers and Alpine climbers can also check out The North Face Ice Jacket, and Craghoppers Icefield II.
Gear Zone...for all your men's fleece, down and softshell clothing requirements for active outdoor enthusiasts, whatever the season.
More about Down
What is Down
Down is possibly nature's greatest insulation, and the one of the easiest to adapt to human use. Down is basically a very lightweight and 'feathery' feather, which when combined with more down, traps a very large amount of air. This air is then heated by the body to provide insulation.
Most fowl produce down under and between their outer and flight feathers to give them insulation; we can see how effective down is as insulation by marvelling that geese and ducks can quite happily survive in extremely cold weather - which would kill all but the most specialised mammals.
Birds of course, are perfectly adapted to the environments they live in, so the outer feathers, oils and fat/blood circulation systems all help, but down is a primary weapon in their insulation layer.
Humans and especially outdoor folk admire down for four key reasons:
- It is very lightweight
- It is very warm
- It is very breathable
- It is very compressible (and recovers well from compression)
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Down jackets are one of the hardest pieces of outdoor wear to clean at home, and if in any doubt we recommend a professional company be used. 3-4 season down sleeping bags should always be professionally cleaned.
Please note that this is intended as a guide. Always consult the manufacturer's washing instructions, found inside the jacket.
Washing
Before washing, a down jacket should be gently shaken to remove any loose dirt or dust. Stain removers should not be used, as this can harm the fabric. For stubborn stains Nikwax Down Wash (or similar soap cleaner) can be applied neat.
Most down jackets can be machine washed, although often hand washing is preferable. Make sure to check your garment's instructions.
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