Everyone will agree that a warm, puffy jacket is required equipment for backcountry skiing. It’s your ticket to comfortable transitions and lightweight insurance for staying warm in the case of an emergency.
When it comes to lightweight, packable warmth, nothing beats the insulation value of natural down. A high-loft down jacket creates warmth you can feel as soon as you pull it on. Down also compresses better than synthetics, making a down jacket the warmest, lightest, most packable insulation available. But choosing the best puffy jacket for your intended use is not as clear-cut. Down jackets come in a wide range of grades and options.
The first thing to consider when choosing a warm, packable puffy jacket is how you intend to use it. Is this your go-to layer for every transition and break, your in-case-of-emergency layer that doubles as a basecamp jacket, or do you need a jacket you can hike and ski in?
Puffy Jacket Strategy
My puffy jacket strategy for routine tours and extended trips features two jackets — a light-to-midweight synthetic puffy and a warmer down jacket.
The lightweight synthetic puffy is my go-to for short breaks and routine winter temps. I wear it at some point on every tour, usually at breaks, sometimes uphill, sometimes down and sometimes all day. As a result, it’s important that it’s breathable and resilient in all weather. It must handle the repeated abuse of being stuffed into my pack, wet or dry. Jackets like the Patagonia Nano Air and the Arc’teryx Proton Hoody are great examples of highly breathable mid to lightweight synthetic puffys. A down jacket is not the best choice for an active layer, as described here.
Choosing the Best Down Jacket
Down jackets best serve situations where warmth is the primary purpose and breathability is secondary or unimportant. Down jackets rarely offer functional breathability for active wear (like hiking uphill). They require a shell fabric that contains the down, and such fabrics do not allow for breathability.
So when choosing a down jacket, think lightweight, packable warmth for use during transitions, on cold descents, and for extended breaks and emergencies. You can opt for mid-layer-level warmth or standalone basecamp-grade warmth. The warmer you go, the larger the jacket and the more space required to pack it.
You might be surprised how much warmth a lightweight down jacket like the Arc’teryx Cerium, the OR Helium or the Patagonia Down Sweater offers for short breaks and general wear. But when it comes to offering standalone warmth that holds up for the coldest conditions, base camp wear and emergencies, I recommend thinking bigger. While you pay a premium for a warmer down jacket, we’re talking about your safety.
The Arc’teryx Cerium SV offers pinnacle standalone warmth for the coldest days
Standalone Warmth
When it comes to a standalone warmth, my down jacket of choice is the Arcteryx Cerium SV. It goes in my pack on all winter tours. It’s the jacket I pull on if I get cold and wet on a storm day. It’s the jacket I know I can count on to keep me warm for extended breaks. It’s also the jacket that lets me hang out in comfort on a ridgetop or summit. I’ve even been known to wear it on the descent on very cold days. And there are also days it never comes out of my pack. Nonetheless, I know it’s there should there be a need or an unforeseen delay.
Ar’teryx Cerium SV Jacket vs. the Cerium Hoody packed size
Why the Cerium SV? In a word, it’s remarkably light and small for the level of warmth it offers. The size and weight penalty for the Cerium SV is minimal compared to the Cerium Down Hoodie is only 100 grams/3.5 oz (and the Cerium Hoody is seriously light for its category; for example, it’s almost 100 grams lighter than the Patagonia Down Sweater).
In the Arc’teryx product line, SV stands for severe conditions. The Cerium SV offers expedition-grade warmth in an incredibly lightweight, packable design. Here is what sets it apart from the competition:
- It uses high-loft (1000-fill) down insulation, which means it’s a very warm jacket with incredible compressibility. It’s made for standalone warmth on the coldest days in the mountains. Arc’teryx nails it when they describe the Cerium SV as “pinnacle alpine insulation.” It’s the puffy you want when you need the most warmth you can get in a packable, backcountry jacket.
- It’s very light and packable. It’s hard to emphasize enough that we are talking expedition-grade warmth in a 430-gram/15-oz package. Its lightweight build is largely due to its Pertex® Diamond Fuse shell fabric. This stuff is impressive. It’s incredibly light, windproof, and has a diamond-filament construction with durability that defies its lightweight feel.
Pinnacle Alpine Insulation
Arc’teryx has a well-deserved reputation for setting the bar for performance mountain outerwear. Just look at the Alpha SV GORE-TEX Pro Jacket. It’s the shell you want when staying dry is required. Similarly, the Cerium SV down jacket is the puffy you want when staying warm isn’t just nice, it’s a necessity.
Of course, the technical warmth and refined design of the Arc’teryx Cerium SV come at a price—$600, to be exact. Regardless of how you feel about the cost, it’s hard to put a price on the safety value of staying warm. It’s also hard to argue with the craftsmanship of the Cerium SV. It lives up to the SV name and sets a high bar for warmth that weighs less than a pound and is smaller than most water bottles. You can save a couple hundred bucks by going with the Cerium Hoodie, but it’s better not to put a price on your comfort and safety.
Ar’teryx Cerium SV Down Jacket
Size M – 436 grams
$600
Check the availability of the Arcteryx Cerium SV Down Jacket directly from Arc’teryx or from REI
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What Do Down Fill Numbers Mean?
Down insulation is the undisputed winner of the warmth-to-weight ratio competition, but not all down insulation is created equal. The warmth of down varies by fill rating or fill power, referred to with numbers like 500-fill, 600-fill, 800-fill, etc. The fill power number reflects the quality and loft of the down used in a given jacket.
Fill power is calculated by placing one ounce of down in a graduated cylinder and measuring the volume it occupies in cubic inches. Generally, the higher the fill power number, the warmer the jacket. While you can compensate for lower fill power by using more down, 800-fill is generally considered the benchmark for defining a high-quality down jacket.
Read more about down versus synthetic insulation.
