3-season synthetic jacket recommendations

Theyll all work

Get the one that fits best and is the best price

All of those jackets have been used in heinous conditions by athletes

Fit matters most …

;)

I have a thermawrap. I rarely use it. Despite being about the same weight and packability as a down jacket I have, it just isn't as warm as I like, and certainly not as warm as my down. I would call it a 35-40f worthy jacket.

I'm a pretty huge fan of my Arcteryx Nuclei jacket. Been using it for probably 150-200 days/nights a year for almost 3 years now and would buy one again to replace if something were to happen to it. Nice piece that works equally well for backpacking trips or just day to day activities.

Nuclei and Atom Sv user here, absolutely love them.

add MH's Thermostatic jacket (hooded) to peek at, 10 oz in size Large, not bad for a synthetic and warm too- as warm as the Nanopuff I owned previously and 3 oz lighter

also peek at OR's Cathode- it's gotten good reviews as well

I agree w/ Eric- shop around for price, there isn't a ton of differences between the various 60g jackets (some small differences)

+1 on eric chan and Mike M, I would try several on, find the ones that fit you and the environments you're planning on wearing it in, then get the best price you can.

Like you're intending I bring either my down or my synthetic puffy depending on the conditions I'm most likely to face on that trip. But I almost never hike in them unless I'm exposed to winds off the North Atlantic on parts of the trail. Most of the time they're for camp.

The jackets with 60 gram fill aren't worth the weight IMHO. All you get are two not very breathable windshirts with a wisp of insulation between. A fleece and windshirt are as effective. If it is cold enough to need a puffy, it's time for a 100g fill model. The 60g stuff is light and handy around town and looking great on the spreadsheet, but literally not so hot for use on the trail.

As mentioned, any good quality synthetic puffy will work Like any gear, quality of components, feature set, weight, cost and warranty count. My current herd includes a $35 closeout Cabelas jacket with Primaloft fill, and a Patagonia Micro Puff vest mined from a thrift store.

I do like vests and would opt for a 100g vest to use with your R1 and wind/rain shell before hauling a 60g jacket. Those 3 pieces allow for many combinations with a base layer. Of course the jacket is there for colder stuff.

I use a rab generator which was the model before the rab xenon. I absolutely love it. It has 100g of primaloft gold in the torso and 60 grams in the sleeves. It stuffs into its pocket and uses pretext quantum for the outside material. It is a great piece at you can still find them on sierra trading post for under 100.00

Thank you for all of the replies. I should have mentioned in my initial post I am intending this jacket to be for camp use when hiking and as an active outer layer for bouldering/climbing in colder conditions.

I'm skinny (6'1" 185 LBS) and tend to get cold easily when in camp and sleeping. Obviously it's not as much a factor when hiking or climbing.

I've been looking in the 60g-100g fill range as well. Anything over that seems like overkill for my intended uses.

I have an REI about 40 minutes away and can try stuff on later this week when I'm no longer on-call for work.

Since you're carrying a wind jacket，the Thermoball might be a good choice. I've found it significantly warmer than a nano puff although it is less wind resistant due to the stitching. Paired with a wind shirt and you're golden.

It's stayed warm when wet, either rain or perspiration, and dries quickly. And among the lightest synthetic insulation options out there.

100+ g/m is a bit warm to climb in unless its very cold

60-80 g/m is ideal depending on the insulation

One trick is to make sure you UL down sweater fits underneath it without too much compression, this add alot of warmth and is ideal for moisture management

The tradeoff is that it might no be as snug, and as a standalone puffy snugger generally means warmer

;)

I snagged a Rab Xenon X NWT from Gear Swap. Perfect timing. I'll be using it on a trip in 2-3 weeks.

It utilizes 60 grams of PrimaLoft One insulation, which should be the sweet spot for my intended uses.

The perfect jacket for you is the NAU Synfill jacket. It is on clearance now for $99.00 and it is 3 season, no hood and is light.

check it out at synfill jacket

I've just bought one of the new Berghaus vapourlite hypertherm reversible jackets and it is fantastic- i have now worn it over a t shirt and shirt or long sleeved thermal on multiple days and it does the trick. I have a puffy for when it's really cold both a down one and a synthetic fill, but this has revolutionised my carry. It's the lightest synthetic mid layer available. It has kept me warm every time, even standing on a really cold rail station in the evening in the open. I was wearing a fleece neck buff and gloves and a Rab beanie – but I was just warm enough. When I ran up and down the platform I was properly warm!

I loved my Atom SV while I had it. Ended up switching to down because I wasn't sweating in my jacket.

Honestly, though, every time I think about buying a new synth puffy, I end up reaching for a fleece….

Look at TNF's Puff Ball synthetic jacket. Very innovative insulation.

I have a TNF Thermoball puffy and it feels warmer then my 8 year old MH 600 fill down puffy. It kept me toasty with a thin fleece and wool base layer in 20* weather. Defiantly worth a look.

I picked up a North Face Thermoball vest for my September trip to Glacier. I also brought my UL down puffy for camp, but wanted to be able to thermally regulate while hiking in possibly wet, windy and cold conditions with my arms exposed outside of a poncho. The weather turned out to be more benign than the forecasts so I did not get to test this setup in very wet conditions. However I can report that I am VERY IMPRESSED with this vest. Various permutations of vest and super-mica jacket were all I needed all day while hiking. I have the impression that the Thermoball technology is very warm but also very tolerant of my internally generated moisture in a way that down could never be. Based on this experience if I ever need a synthetic jacket I will probably also go with Thermoball. At 8.4 oz it is an impressive garment.

I like the Thermoball, but agree that its stitching makes it not as wind resistant. If you want something more weather resistant, go with the Atom SV (or AR) or the Nuclei FL. Both are way more windproof and very durable for their weight.