In the deep cold winter, down jacket is light, warm, is a piece of cold equipment. In a wide variety of down styles and brands, how to pick a good warm down jacket? What are the secrets to making down jackets warmer and longer?
4 Tips for Picking a down jacket
Down jacket price in addition to the value of the brand itself, the rest is the real material.
So while down jackets come in different colors and styles, there are some important must-see parameters and information to refer to. To choose the warmth of their own down jacket, these four aspects can not be ignored.
1. Percentage of Down
The percentage of down refers to the proportion of “down” in the down, because the inner core of the down jacket is not only down, but also a Feather with a hard shaft. Feathers are elastic but not as good at keeping heat as down. The higher the amount of down, the better the insulation and the more expensive the price.
The ratio of down to feather content is indicated on the clothing label. The usual ratio is as follows:
High quality down jacket: 90% : 10% or above, excellent warmth;
Common down jacket: 80% : 20%, better warmth;
General down jacket: 70% : 30%, general warmth, suitable for 4 ~ 5℃ and above environment.
2. Fill Power
Puffiness is the volume of an ounce of down, measured in cubic inches. The abbreviation is FP. For example, if FP puffiness is 500, an ounce of puffiness is 500 cubic inches. The higher the value, the higher the shagginess of the down, the more air can be held, the better the warmth will be.
Like the percentage of down, this number can be found on clothing labels. The general FP standard for a down jacket is as follows:
FP value in more than 500, general warmth, suitable for general occasions;
FP value above 700, high quality, can cope with most cold environment;
FP value in 900+, the best quality, suitable for extreme cold environment.
In addition, in North America, usually 25 as a unit to grade, such as 600, 625,700, 725, the highest 900FP, of course, the higher the number, the more expensive the price.
3. Fill Stuffing
The stuffing of down jacket is also the source of Down.
At present, the common down of down jacket comes from ducks or geese, namely Duck Down or Goose Down, and only a few come from wild birds; Goose down is divided into grey goose down and white goose down, which have the same warmth retention, but grey goose down is suitable for filling dark fabric down jacket, and white goose down is also suitable for light fabric down jacket. Also because the color is different, the market is more tight white goose down, the price is relatively high.
The first reason why goose down is popular is that goose down tufting is usually longer than duck down tufting, better cold resistance, better durability; The second is that goose down has no odor, while duck down has some odor. The same FP value of down jacket, in the case of the same weight, the price of goose down is higher than that of down jacket.
4. Consider the needs of different situations
Where are you going with your down jacket? Are you afraid of the cold? What’s your lifestyle like? These factors are also key to the decision to buy different down jackets.
Because high-end down jacket is relatively rare, if only commuting, school wear, wear ordinary down jacket. However, if you spend a long time in outdoor activities, such as hiking, skiing and other leisure wear, you should pay special attention to the warmth performance. In addition, if there is more rain and snow in the local area, down jacket is easy to get wet, which will greatly affect its warmth, so you should buy waterproof material down jacket.
3 tips for keeping your down jacket warmer
In addition to choosing a suitable down jacket for yourself, the usual wear and maintenance methods are also related to its warmth and use time. The following are a few common sense of down jackets, some of which may be our common problems.
1. Wear less under a down jacket to keep warm
In fact, one of the secrets to wearing a down jacket is to wear less inside to maximize its warmth benefits. It has to do with how the down jacket keeps you warm.
The down part of the down jacket is generally made of goose or duck breast feathers, which are characterized by fluffy up to form a heating layer. This air layer can prevent the leakage of body temperature and prevent the invasion of cold air, so as to play a long-term insulation effect. If you wear thick clothes inside, the gap between the body and the down jacket will be lost, which will greatly reduce the insulation.
The most effective way to wear it is to wear an under clothes that dries quickly, dissipates heat, and keeps you comfortable, and then wear a down jacket directly over it.
2. Some down jackets can’t be worn on rainy days
On rainy and snowy days, be sure to wear a waterproof down jacket, otherwise be sure to wear a raincoat outside. This is because once down comes into contact with water, it will shrink and lose its fluffy shape. The warmth layer will disappear and it will become wet and cold, thus losing the meaning of wearing down jacket.
3. Don’t fold your down jacket too neatly
Many people squeeze the air out of a down jacket they don’t wear, compress it and fold it neatly for next year. But that leaves a lot of creases, and those creases become less warm. The proper storage method is to gently store the down jacket in a storage bag along with the air layer. This will ensure that the down is in good condition and automatically expands for the next wear.
Post time: Dec-27-2022