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My cheap gilet has expired & I need to replace it, any bargains seen?
Is this any good? The water repellent loft sounds a good idea? http://m.gooutdoors.co.uk/north-ridge-mens-hybrid-insulated-gilet-p347279
The PHD range is down, really great warmth, weight and quality plus made in Uk, if that's important to you. Priced reasonably close to the one you have highlighted.
I have a couple of these plus a Finisterre gilet which was bought in sale and is really good quality with a man made filler.
If you plan on wearing it either on the bike or it's likely to get wet then synthetic is the way ahead; when it gets wet down clumps up and a lot of the insulation is lost.
As tom says down goes rubbish went wet. Clumps up leadind to cold spots.
The other consideration is ease of laundering. Synthetic- stick it in washer with all your other clothes, just don't use fabric softener. Down - hand wash with specialist down cleaner, tumble dry to loft. You can stick a down jacket in the washer and dry normally but as above the down will just clump together and give little insulation and using normal detergent isn't recommended by manufacturers.
I went for the even cheaper North Ridge one from go outdoors:
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/north-ridge-onyx-gilet-mens-p285531
£30 and primaloft insulation - what's not to like? Found myself pretty much living in it, and not caring it it gets mucky, covered in diy detritus, oil & grease, etc. It's that cheap, and haven't found anything yet that would explain why it's so cheap.
And I can cope with it's blatant North Face copy cat-ish branding....
@rocketdog: what do you want it for? I.e. are you wanting something for hanging around in the pub in or at a campsite or more active?
I have a Rab down gillet, must be at least a decade old but still good and warm. Ive just bought a new one as well and they are now pertex quantum with hydrophobic down. They also fold up into a pack bag that they come with, handy to take out on those hard to predict days.
I would recommend looking at Outside.co.uk. They usually have some good deals on.
B.A.Nana - Member
The other consideration is [s]ease of laundering[/s] the often abhorrent techniques used to harvest down from live birds.
ftfy 😉
Synthetic all the way for biking, means you don't have to worry about it getting muddy/wet/sweaty/spilling your beer down the front.
@rocketdog: what do you want it for? I.e. are you wanting something for hanging around in the pub in or at a campsite or more active?
Aprés ride or walking to the pub/standing about at a 24hr between laps, not for riding
For that usage I'd go synthetic, if it was for boosting a lightweight sleeping bag or similar where weight and volume matter then I'd go down.
cx_monkey - Member
I went for the even cheaper North Ridge one from go outdoors:http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/north-ridge-onyx-gilet-mens-p285531
£30 and primaloft insulation - what's not to like? Found myself pretty much living in it, and not caring it it gets mucky, covered in diy detritus, oil & grease, etc. It's that cheap, and haven't found anything yet that would explain why it's so cheap.
And I can cope with it's blatant North Face copy cat-ish branding....
I was going to suggest the same. Even better when I picked mine up it had been reduced again to £21 at the till.
The alpkit down and synthetic jackets are well worth a look.
I have the synthetic one for chilly damp days.
I also have a Patagonia Down Jacket that is truly lovely and warm but you need to be careful with it and H2O as others have said.
The Patagonia Nanopuff synthetic jackets get great reviews too.
cx_monkey - Member
I went for the even cheaper North Ridge one from go outdoors:
> http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/north-ridge-onyx-gilet-mens-p285531£30 and primaloft insulation - what's not to like? Found myself pretty much living in it, and not caring it it gets mucky, covered in diy detritus, oil & grease, etc. It's that cheap, and haven't found anything yet that would explain why it's so cheap.
And I can cope with it's blatant North Face copy cat-ish branding....
I have the same one, been great for me. Primaloft for £30 seems good value for money, its light and packs pretty small.
Picked one up on the way home, cheers for the recommendation 🙂
What weight of Primaloft on that North Ridge gilet?
Yeah down and goose feathers is great for pillows and stuff but you don't want to get it wet.
A t-shirt, fleece and a windproof soft shell jacket is all you'll need.
I actually rode a lot last winter and I my fleece was cooking me, spent most of my time with just a cotton t-shirt and a soft shell water proof and wind proof jacket..