A lightweight down jacket is a must-have for outdoorsy people. It is useful for wearing, as well as carrying as a light but warm spare layer when running, walking or cycling.
Features include:
- Good warmth to weight ratio
- Pertex® Quantum, which is a tightly woven structure of fine yarns to provide a light and soft fabric and allowing the insulation inside to fully loft.
- Pertex Y Fuse technology. Unique Y shaped yarn filaments create a tightly interlocking structure, which improves the downproof and water beading properties of the fabric.
- DWR treated (durable water repellent) to shed light rain and snow
- 800-fill down
- Responsibly sourced down and feather filling
- YKK Vision 2-way zip for smooth operation
- Drawstring hem can be adjusted with one hand using a chord that is stored on the inside
- Elastic cuffs and hood edge
- Chin protector (from zip)
- Jacket packs down small and light into its own side pocket
- Male and female designs
- Men’s sizes: S – XXL,
- Women’s sizes: XS – XXL
- Men’s weight: 380g
- Women’s weight: 330g
- SRP: £269
- Mammut.
What’s good about Mammut Broad Peak Hooded Down Jacket
The jacket is very light and airy; it is almost floaty when you put it on. The fabric is also soft and silky, especially on the inside.
I have worn the jacket before a run, when warming up at the side of a very chilly and cold track and also after several long runs in the hills.
I have tested the jacket when I am chilly and also sweaty. It works very well to warm me up and maintain my core temperature. It feels rather like wearing a very lightweight sleeping bag.
I have also worn the jacket for hiking days in the mountains. I wanted to see how it performed at cold temperatures and when there is wind and moisture in the air. Again, it performed very well when considering the weight-to-warmth ratio.
Even when it is raining, the jacket is a great insulator. I would normally expect a jacket of this warmth to be much larger and puffier so it is a surprise to discover it is possible to have a lightweight jacket that is so highly insulting.
The fabric doesn’t look to be that durable because it is so lightweight but I have made sure I have run and hiked through forests and next to gorse bushes etc and it still looks as good as new. This surprised me.
Responsibly sourced down is a plus-point, too.
Other features that I like are the two-way zip. This is really useful if you are trying to access pockets and layers under the jacket.
The hood stays up when zipped to the top and there is a nice soft cover over the top of the zip to stop it rubbing against the skin of the chin.
The hand pockets are large and zipped. They are useful for carrying bits and pieces and one also doubles as a place to stash a jacket when it is not being worn. It has a two-way zip so you can use it as a pocket and as a stowing bag.
The jacket can be used for other activities, such as hiking, climbing and skiing so it is versatile for the price.
What’s not so good about Mammut Broad Peak Hooded Down Jacket
The jacket is expensive at £269. I expect it can be bought at a cheaper price in on-line stores but I do think it is pricey.
I have the silver coloured jacket to test and while it looks smart and sort of space age I think it will end up looking dirty. There are other colours to choose from and I would buy a darker coloured jacket.
The shape of the jacket is quite square. I prefer a fitted jacket with a design to suit the female physique but I have not found the Mammut to be the most streamlined fit. Saying that, it’s possible to get a few layers under the jacket so that is useful if you want to wear it in very cold conditions.
Mammut states that the jacket packs down small. I don’t think it’s that small. Look at my photo of the packed down jacket next to a can of Irn Bru. However, the jacket does offer a lot of warmth so I think the packed down size is okay.
I feel that Mammut is being a bit misleading when it states it packs down small. It packs down into a relatively small pack given the size and warmth of the jacket. There are insulated jackets that pack into much smaller sized bags.
The zip pulls look a bit flimsy. They are made of thin cord that is hopefully quite strong but I am not convinced. Only time will tell on this point. I do prefer a chunkier zip, however.
Conclusion: This is a fairly expensive down jacket but offers an excellent weight-to-warmth ratio and has become one of my must-pack items for hill walking, especially in autumn and winter.