Outdoor Research Floodlight Jacket - Review

As you may already know, down and water don’t get along well. On its own, down is a natural wonder of the insulation industry–nothing tops it; it’s the warmest-by-weight insulating material available. Add in a little water, however, and the story changes considerably. This is where synthetic insulation enters the picture. Synthetic can put up with water and even keeps you warm when wet, but it’s typically heavier, less compressible and doesn’t keep you as warm as down; it is a man made synthetic after all.

The recent industry approach to make water and down get along is to make down a little more synthetic by coating it with a variety of chemicals and DWRs (Durable Water Repellent) so that each tiny innocent down cluster actual repels water. Sounds like a pretty groovy idea when you think about it, but it is not 100% fool proof, not to mention the negative impacts on the environment.

Watch the video below and read the full review here.