Montane Janhukot down jacket review: the incredible bulk that’ll keep you incredibly toastie

Montane Janhukot down jacket: first impressions

On paper, the Montane Janhukot looks like a decent down jacket, but not a particularly remarkable one. But on test for our best down jackets and puffers buying guide it revealed its true colors. 

It is stuffed with 650+ FP down – certified by the Responsible Down Standard but at the upper end of what we’d class as “entry-level” in terms of fill power. The fill itself also has a down-to-feather ratio of 80:20, which is not quite as high as premium 90:10 or even 95:5 jackets. 

Those figures are important because down clusters – the fluffy under-plumage of geese or ducks – are considerably warmer than their feathers. Similarly, fill power is a measure of insulating performance in terms of warmth for weight, and in jacket terms it generally ranges from 550 to 900+. So, 650 FP is towards the lower end of the spectrum. 

That assertion is borne out in the jacket’s overall weight: it tips the scales at 800g, so it’s no lightweight. It’s also pretty chunky, with large baffles and a fairly boxy silhouette. You’d struggle to wear it under a shell, so this is certainly not intended to work as a midlayer. Instead, it’s designed as a standalone barrier against the cold. And in that regard, it does a very good job.

Indeed, wearing the jacket proves exactly why you shouldn’t trust specs alone. Its sheer heft makes it feel extremely cosy. There’s a generous amount of fill weight here, and unlike most stitch-through jackets, we detected no discernible cold spots. That’s partly attributable to the bigger baffles, which means fewer lines of stitching (also a plus for durability, as stitching often fails or leaks down over time). But the inside of the jacket has a drop lining too, providing an additional barrier against draughts. The only thing to bear in mind is that bigger baffles often means the down tends to move around or clump inside the jacket, so this is one puffy you might need to shake out regularly to keep it puffy.

The design has plenty of well-thought-out features. You get half-elasticated and Velcro-adjustable cuffs, which provide an effective seal but also fit easily over bulky winter gloves. There’s an elastic hem drawcord fitted with dual adjustments at either side. Handwarmer pockets are placed high enough not to obstruct a climbing harness and have a super-soft and inviting microfleece lining. 

The main zip is fitted with a chunky zip pull and backed with a full-length baffle. It is a two-way design, so you can open the jacket from the bottom if required (ideal for wearing with a climbing harness or if you need to access layers underneath the jacket quickly). A bottom press-stud offers added security. There’s a soft chin guard at the top, and the jacket itself zips up right over the chin.

The hood design is excellent. It’s well-insulated, with three-point drawcord adjustment for a close fit around the head and face. It’ll still accommodate a climbing helmet, though. There’s also a wire-stiffened brim to deflect wind and rain away from your face.

Inside the jacket, there’s a zipped security pocket at the left side of the chest, and a stretch mesh dump pocket on the right – big enough to temporarily stash a pair of gloves or mitts (see also: best hiking gloves).

The face fabric of the jacket is an extremely tough 40 Denier Pertex Quantum Pro micro ripstop nylon, with a highly water-resistant finish. It’s worth noting here that the down fill inside the jacket is also water-repellent, thanks to a PFC-free treatment. All of which means that this jacket is far better equipped to withstand damp conditions than most down puffers.

Montane Janhukot down jacket: on the trails

The Montane Janhukot is far more than the sum of its parts. If you looked at the 650 fill power specs alone, you might be tempted to discount it. But as a chunky, well-designed piece of kit, it outperforms all those skinny-baffled lightweight puffers in the warmth stakes – the only drawback being a little added weight and bulk. But in truly cold conditions, that also gives it reassuring heft.

It’s also more packable than you might think, since it comes with a handy waterproof roll-top stuff sack that means you can compress it into a neat and reasonably-sized bundle. It’ll fit easily in a mountain or hillwalking rucksack as part of your winter kit, and when you pull it out you won’t resent the extra couple of hundred grams it costs you to carry it over a lighter layer.

That’s because, in terms of real-world performance, the Montane Janhukot certainly proved itself to be winter-ready, shrugging off the cold on wild and windy Snowdonia summits through the earliest snow flurries of late November and December. Do up the zip right to the chin, cinch in the hood and stuff your hands into its cosy pockets, and you should be toasty even in sub-zero temperatures. It also proved to be more than up to the task of coping with on-off sleet and drizzle – though we’d still pick a synthetic puffer for sustained wet weather.

The only caveat to the Janhukot’s warmth is that it lacks the scooped tail of some rivals, so – especially if you’re taller than average – you might not get quite the same degree of rear protection as with other jackets. The hemline isn’t particularly short, but nor is it the most generous. That niggle aside, there isn’t too much to fault.