# Down vs. Thinsulate?



## Flick Montana

If you wear something good underneath, I think UA Cold Gear is the best, you won't need a big puffy jacket. I know I like to have some mobility so I stick with thinner coats. Underneath, I wear a cold gear shirt and nothing else. I've been out in near zero temps and been perfectly fine.

It's all about the inner layer.


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## Guest

see, I wish I would've thought of that _before_ I bought the jacket, but it was so damn cheap! Haha. I'm thinking with down, all I'm really gonna need is a T-shirt at this rate lol. It's also got vents and all that jazz. The jacket is 15k/20k, pants are 10k/10k.


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## Flick Montana

It's not a bad thing if you don't mind fluffy. I just don't like fluffy so my inner layer has to be super warm. With a puffy jacket you could probably rock a tank top and be warm, hehe. The most important thing is to get a jacket that is waterproof. 5K is probably too little, but you have a really resistant jacket, which is good.


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## Guest

Hopefully the puffiness will provide a nice cushioning when I wipe out, haha. It will come in handy, I'm sure. 

Last year, I was doing a jump in the park (I have no idea what it's called, I'm new at this. It's a hill which you jump off of, and fly through the air for a bit) and somehow managed to land on my head, denting my helmet. Felt like my brain rattled inside of my skull; not at all a pleasant feeling.


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## Guest

I went through this process when i was looking for a cold weather sleeping bag. There are pros and cons of both. The good is that down is, at the same weight as synthetic, much warmer, it has a natural wicking property, and it's naturally thermostatic. The bad, when it gets really wet it loses it's insulation properties, takes a long time to dry, and it's harder to clean. Down was the right choice for the sleeping bag, not sure I'd wear a down jacket on the hill although i see people with them.


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## Flick Montana

SnowBun said:


> I was doing a jump in the park (I have no idea what it's called, I'm new at this. It's a hill which you jump off of, and fly through the air for a bit) and somehow managed to land on my head


LOL! I don't think that has a specific name. It's called whatever you happen to shout out as you flail through the air.


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## legallyillegal

Flying Cowboy to skullplant.


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## Guest

legallyillegal said:


> Flying Cowboy to skullplant.


HAHAHAHA! Cowgirl in my case, lol. I can only imagine the looks on the faces of the parkrats who saw it happen :laugh:

I'm a bit of a masochist when it comes to snowboarding; i fell hard on the ice a few times (around 5) and it took almost a month (no joke) for the discoloration to fade away from my knees. I still continued going to the mountain in the mean time, haha.


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## killclimbz

Well besides for the alternatives expressed here it really depends on what conditions and where you are riding.

I prefer Primaloft over Thinsulate for a warming layer. It's a bit lighter, compresses more like down and is as warm as down with less puff. I have a great Primaloft jacket I bought a couple of years ago that quickly replaced my down jacket for cold weather conditons. Primaloft also does not stop keeping you warm when it gets wet. Big bonus in my book. It might break down though, it seems to me that this season it's not quite as warm as I remember it being when I first bought it.

Down, well you can't really go wrong with it. Super light, compresses down to almost nothing. If you are going on an expedition, you probably want a lot of Down items. The higher the fill number the better. I wouldn't buy anything down that is under 700 fill. Just remember if the membrane of the jacket isn't very waterproof or just gets soaked through in general, down is worthless for keeping you warm. Once it's wet your hosed.


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## Guest

I'll try to keep that in mind: wet = bad.

Today, it was a chilly 22F in the morning, so I decided to give the jacket a serious test. I put on a tee, zipped up the coat and went out the door. After about 10 minutes walking I began to feel the cold (mind you the wind chill made it feel about 14F). Overall, A+ performance!


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## Triple8Sol

I'd go with synthetic insulation (and I do) over down any day because of the diff in weight & bulk, not to mention the look.


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## AAA

Down is extremely warm for its weight. It's only drawbacks are that it looses its insulating ability when it gets wet and it requires special washing treatment. But if you've bought down to wear in subfreezing temps, then moisture won't be a problem, and jackets seldom need to be washed. Should work great for you.


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