wpb and down

My personal preference is that I would not want a WPB shell BUILT-IN to a down jacket.

But… I would buy a very special one for certain conditions like say living on Kodiak Island where weather often changes in 5 minutes.

SPECIAL WPB DOWN JACKET:
1. DWR down treatment like Dri-Down or Down Tech
2. highly breathable WPB laminate like eVent

Those are my requirements for such a jacket. You could likely get away with medium exertion and still stay warm all day in a freezing rain or wet snow.

Otherwise I'd do what I do now which is eVent parka over my regular down jacket.

I've been wrestling with this issue as well. I ordered two pair of down pants from Feathered Friends (which I mentioned in another thread). The Helios is sewn through and shelled with Pertex Endurance. The Volant is baffled and shelled with Pertex Shield XT. I can definitely feel the Helios breath, the Volant not so much. I'm actually thinking about checking with FF to see if they could make a Volant pant out of of Pertex Endurance for me.

On the other hand, If I get clammy in the Volant I can just unzip the side zips, and still have the benefits of the more durable water resistant shell.

I'm also in the process of getting a down jacket. I ordered two today to try out…a Montbell Permafrost (gore windstopper shell) and a Mountain Equipment K7 (drilite) which feels similar to Pertex Endurance. The K7 is a heavier jacket, but it definitely breathes better.

However, I wonder if the heavier wpb shells keep the down from compressing in a heavy wind. These shells might be more durable also.

Would love to hear some other opinions/thoughts.

Hi Rob,

For 3 season I use the lightest shelled down clothing I can get as I can stick a hard shell or wind shirt over it. For winter I prefer a shell on my Parkas such as GWS or Pertex Endurance as it can shrug off wet snow and sleet.

I'll send you a PM.