Why down? What’s the difference between down and Primaloft? Who has got the best down? What distinguishes Norrøna’s different down jackets? And what about the birds? Follow us on this deep dive behind the seams of our down750 products:
Technology has enabled man to make some fantastic synthetic materials and fabrics, like waterproof/breathable Gore-Tex or super insulating and lightweight fleece. Synthetic fabrics have revolutionized the way we dress for outdoor adventures, but in many cases, nothing can beat what has come out of Nature’s own “research and development lab”. Still no machine makes smoother threads than the silk worm, and nothing is as light, insulating and compressible as down.
Why down?
We use down because nothing beats it when it comes to our most insulating, lightweight and compressible products. It is more compressible, and has a higher warmth-to-weight ratio than synthetic insulation.
Down v.s. synthetic:
Some synthetic insulators, like Primaloft One, get quite close to the performance of down. Though they do not provide the same amount of insulation for the weight and the space it takes up in your pack, synthetics are sometimes even a better option, especially in wet weather. While the insulating performance of down is more or less eliminated when it gets wet or compressed, many synthetics retain their insulating properties. Therefore we offer both synthetically insulated garments as well as garments with down, made for different conditions and areas of use; Down when it’s really cold and weight/packability is A&Ω, synthetic when you need the insulation to work even if it gets wet or compressed.
Extremely lofty. Down traps air, and trapped air keeps you warm. But you must be sure to keep the down dry.
(NB: no intact down jackets were harmed or killed in the making of this blog post)
Down jacket construction:
All down jackets, as well as sleeping bags etc, are made with several separate down filled chambers, to keep the down in place and correctly distributed through the garment. Known as baffles, these chambers prevent all the down from ending up in one place, i.e. in the bottom of the jacket, as well as make it possible construct different parts of the jacket with different amount or type of insulation. Mainly there are two types of baffle construction:
For a “stitch through” construction, the outer shell and inner lining are stitched together, creating chambers for the down filament. This simple construction is used in the most lightweight down products, but provides less insulation effect than the more advanced box wall construction:
In the more advanced “box wall” construction, side walls between outer shell and inner lining eliminate “cold lines” of stitching, maximizing the garment’s thermal effect:
Our down750:
We use goose down with a fill power between 750 and 800 cu in/oz, which is the highest available down quality we can find that complies with our policy towards the humane treatment of animals.
Our down policy:
Norrøna has a progressive policy towards the humane treatment of animals involved in our products, and the reduction of environmental damage wherever possible. Our down products use the highest available down quality that we can find, which is a by-product of the food industry (in contrast to being killed just for insulation).
Our down comes from the mountains of Pyrenees in France where the birds spend the days outside in a free gazing environment. The birds are raised on a diet of grain and corn and are not force-fed. The down we use is from the breast area, which has the highest fill power on the bird. All treatment of the birds complies with European standards and the highly specialized washing of the down passes the Oeko-Tex 100 standards.
Norrøna down750 means down fill power from 750 to 800 cu in/oz with the percentage of down cluster from 93-96%. In combination with either our PFOA free lightweight nylon or our 100% PFOA free chemically recycled polyester shells, we are committed to offer the best quality with the least amount of damage.
Our down jackets:
We currently have four different down insulated jackets in our collection, within our trollveggen, lyngen and narvik concepts:
trollveggen down750 is our thickest, most insulating jacket, made with box wall construction. At 1028 grams (men’s large), this is the on to chose for your next big winter expedition, or when you want the very warmest jacket and don’t need it to fit in your small daypack, fighting for space and weight with the rest of the gear. It is an essential piece for basecamp comfort in winter, but also extremely comfortable on cold days in the urban environment. Even our toughest ambassadors will probably have to admit using it as much in town as on the mountain.
lyngen down750 is a compromise between warmth, weight and packability, and is made with a lighter fabric than the trollveggen. This jacket does not offer as much insulation as the trollveggen, and has a simpler stitch through down chamber construction, but packs in its pocket and fits easily in your daypack, adding only 699grams. To be pulled out when needed on a ski touring trip, or any other activity. Definitely comfortable when taking a rest, but also essential in critical situations like an injury in the team or a surprise of bad weather forcing you to stop moving.
lyngen light weight down750 is super lightweight and compressible, weighing only 325grams. It compresses into a little ball, fits under your shell jacket or can be used on its own. With around half the weight of a cotton sweater, and less than a bottle of water, there is never an excuse for not bringing this piece in your pack, as long as there is any chance of getting cold.
narvik down750 brings the comfort of down into freeride skiing and snowboarding. This jacket is not made to be carried in your pack, but to keep you warm and comfortable while enjoying cold days of winter sports. Close the long front vents on the lift, and open them as you get warm on the way down with no risk of snow getting in through the mesh. It has all the critical details of our other freeride jackets, for example the combined key-card and radio pocket on the left shoulder. The jacket also attaches to any of our freeride ski/snowboard pants via our zip-seal or snap-seal system.
Wait, I cannot fathom it being so striagfhtorward.