Best Down Jackets of 2011 Announced by OutdoorGearLab.com

I just finished this review on down jackets. Official press release below.


Editors’ Choice Awards for Best of 2011 Down Jacket Category Winners from OutdoorGearLab

September 18, 2011

CHEYENNE, WY—OutdoorGearLab.com revealed today the results of the 2011 Editors’ Choice Awards for the down jacket category, listing this year’s best and best value for down jackets. The OutdoorGearLab Review Editors chose the following winners after extensive field testing and road trips in the High Sierra, Southeast Utah and The Cascades. Each down jacket underwent extensive side by side tests to evaluate key performance metrics such as warmth, wind protection, water resistance, comfort, durability, compactactness and lightweight. View the complete Best Down Jacket Award Reviews for full details.

The winners are:
North Face Catalyst Jacket – winner of the Editor's Choice Award for 2011 for down jacket. According to Gear Editor Chris McNamara, "All in all, the North Face Catalyst has the best combination of features and they work well while wearing a pack or harness. It has zippered hand pockets, conveniently stuffs into a hand pocket, and the Pertex Quantum fabric is slightly more durable and water resistant compared to other fabrics used on these jackets."

Montbell Alpine Light Down Parka - winner of the Best Buy award for 2011. This award is given to a product that balances an extremely high score in our tests and a very reasonable price. According to Mckenzie Long, "The MontBell Alpine Light wins our Best Buy award because it is the least expensive of the light alpine down jackets and has nice features like particularly large hand pockets with a soft fleece lining, and a wind resistant outer fabric that is a bit more durable that the fabric used in the Nitrous and Down Sweater"

Mountain Hardwear Sub Zero SL Men's Down Jacket - winner of the Top Pick award for 2011 for Best This award is given to a product that excels at a specific application. According to Ian Nicholson, "If you need a serious jacket for extreme cold, this is the one. The Mountain HardWear Sub Zero SL wins our Recommended award because of the many functional features that make this a desirable jacket for mountaineering, such as a longer fit, a large hood, very water resistant material, and clever ways of sealing out wind and keeping in warmth."