Outdoor Vitals Vantage Alpine Puffer Jacket Review: Perfect Spring Puffer Leave a comment

I will confess I might have a nerdy admiration for ExpeDry down even when it did not work, only for its use of fundamental chemistry, which even I dimly keep in mind from highschool however for some purpose by no means made it right into a product till lately. What’s even higher is that it does work.

I haven’t got a lab, and I am not notably fascinated by what occurs in a single anyway, however I’m a backpacker, residing in a chilly local weather, with a deep dislike for being chilly. In the true world, the place I stay, in case your jacket loses loft and also you get chilly, unhealthy issues occur. In my testing, the Vantage jacket loses virtually no loft all through the day, even when I’m energetic and sweating in it.

Higher Than DWR?

Outside Vitals is just not the primary to make use of ExpeDry. Marmot, Katabatic Gear, and plenty of others even have varied sleeping baggage and jackets with ExpeDry down, however the Vantage is the primary time I’ve observed an actual distinction. The Vantage has much less fill than a number of different puffer jackets I put on repeatedly, but retains me simply as heat, if not hotter, thanks partially to little or no lack of loft all through the day.

Proponents of ExpeDry additionally declare that it’ll last more than DWR coated down (whether or not chemically coated or wax coated) simply because it isn’t coated, and due to this fact will retain its loft longer. I have not used any ExpeDry down merchandise lengthy sufficient to place this to check but, however based mostly on my expertise with the Vantage Alpine jacket and the best way it holds loft below antagonistic circumstances, this declare is smart.

The second factor that Vantage makes use of to mitigate warmth loss is Outside Very important’s Nova Zero Sew material, which, because the identify suggests, makes use of no stitches. There are nonetheless baffles to maintain the down in place, however as a substitute of punching 1000’s of little holes as you’d stitching, the baffles and different seams are woven into the material. The place the standard technique has an inside and outer material that’s then both stitched (or bonded/welded), the Zero Sew material is 2 items which can be woven collectively. It is exhausting to visualise how this works, however Outside Vitals put out a video to elucidate.