How should your insulating jacket fit?

Hello Ferals!

Following on from a couple of blogs ago about Down and Synthetic insulation, I thought it would be wise to chase it up with how your insulation piece should actually fit. Too often do I see people out in jackets that are far too big or far too tight on them – both are actually as bad as each other. The fit of the jacket is actually one of the most important elements when it comes to choosing a jacket out of the wide range out there. Quite simply, if it doesn’t fit, it won’t work.

An insulating jacket should fit snug to your body. The more dead space you have in your jacket, the harder your body has to work and the more energy you use trying to warm it up.

With a jacket that is too big, it is also much harder to trap the warm air in – you will lose air through the bottom, around the collar and through the cuffs of a poorly fitting jacket.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, an insulating jacket shouldn’t fit too tight. It’s important that the jacket is allowed to loft fully so warm air can be trapped. Insulation just doesn’t work when it’s compressed. You may also want to allow a little bit of room underneath for additional layers when it gets really cold.

If you find yourself between sizes then opt for the one that is slightly larger – it will take a little bit longer to warm up but the insulation needs space to loft up fully and work effectively.

It is also important that you are comfortable – I want you to be able to move your arms and not feel restricted. The sleeves need to be long enough to protect your wrists and not raise your hem when you’re moving.

The centre back length needs to be long enough to protect your lower back when you’re scrambling or bending over, but also needs to suit your activity – for example if you’re climbing you may want a shorter jacket so you can get to your harness easily and if you’re standing around not moving very much then you may way a longer cut jacket.