Down Vs Feather Jacket

A down jacket is a jacket which has been insulated with the soft and warm under feathers from duck or geese.

Down vs feather jacket. Down insulation is made from goose or duck plumage the lofty fluffy stuff underneath the feathers. Nature s best insulation down creates high loft clusters that trap air and body heat. 2 feathers are the outward layer of a bird that comes with a firm shaft at the middle. While down costs more it is a much better insulator than feathers and thus is preferred in good jackets.

5 feathers are firmer and retain shape better while still providing a similar soft and fluffy feeling. It s the insulation of choice in cold dry conditions or whenever reducing weight and saving space are top priorities. Down insulation has typically been sourced from geese. Feather and down blends don t last as long with some percentage of down added for support so they don t go flat.

The reality is that the down feathers inside your jacket turn to shit when they get wet. No down jacket minus an outer waterproof shell will ever be truly waterproof. Down insulates by trapping air and is prized for being light easy to compress long lasting and breathable. They clump stick together and completely stop doing their job of insulating you.

It is an undercoating or a natural midlayer. 3 down is comprised of thousands of layers connected by a common point in the center which prevents clumping of the material. How to wash your down jacket. High quality jackets should have at least an 80 20 down feather ratio because down does a much better job at trapping air than feathers.

Some products use a blend of down and feathers but by definition down is different than feathers. Down to feather ratio is the amount of down inside a jacket versus the amount of feathers. The higher the number in favour of down the warmer the jacket. Your down jacket vs the weather.

Down insulation you might not believe us but down is not made from feathers. Most people take their down jacket for granted expecting it to perform the same year after year without any maintenance. A 600 fill power down jacket with an 80 20 down to feather ratio will be warmer than a 600 fill power jacket with a 70 30 ratio. Down pillows last longer are more resilient have no quills to poke you and cost more.

A down comforter is made from the fine quill less material beneath the feather layer on ducks and geese while a down alternative comforter may be made from synthetic or natural materials. Generally speaking a higher first number means a higher quality and more expensive product. 4 down provides great insulation managing to trap body heat while still allowing air to pass through. Down is a fantastic insulator as the loft or fluffiness of down creates thousands of tiny air pockets which trap warm air and retain heat thus helping to keep the wearer very warm in cold winter weather.