Outdoors apparel brand Berghaus has launched three new winter jackets with a choice of down fill, synthetic fibre fill or a combination of both.
The Summit-Nomad and Trail-Nomad jackets are both designed in male and female-specific versions, while the Ridge-Nomad Hybrid Jacket is a men’s design. They all feature in a wider collection of new apparel by Berghaus for four-season hiking, including shell, softshell and legwear.
With 800-fill power, the Summit-Nomad Down Jacket aims to provide a high level of warmth but with a lower weight. The men’s jacket weighs 16.9oz / 480g in large and a women’s jacket in a US 8 / UK 12 weighs 14.8oz / 420g.
Berghaus has partnered RDS (Responsible Down Standard) hydrophobic goose down with what they call Reflect Technology, a material that harnesses the warmth created by the body and reflects it back inside the jacket.
Other features include a lightweight and durable ripstop nylon, an insulated fixed hood, internal zipped chest pocket and two zipped hand pockets. The inside of the upper area of the jacket has a soft fleece lining to give comfort against the skin when the jacket is zipped up.
The jacket can be stored in a neat stuff bag, with a list price of $388 / £300.
If you prefer a synthetic fill jacket, Berghaus has designed the Trail-Nomad with Thermore Ecodown Fibers LOFT synthetic insulation.
The fibres are spun from 100% recycled plastic bottles. The jacket also has a hood and the same number of pockets. This jacket is $236 / £190.
There are various pros and cons when comparing down with synthetic insulation and one of the main issues is what happens to insulation when it gets wet. Of course, you could always add a waterproof jacket over the top of a puffer jacket for protection against the wet.
Meanwhile, the Berghaus Ridge-Nomad Hybrid Jacket ($297 / £230) has an insulation mix, with hydrophobic duck down around the chest and midriff, plus the Thermore synthetic insulation in the arms, shoulders and hood.
The aim of the body mapping design is to put the down where more warmth is needed and use synthetic fill in areas where it matters less.
