Hello all. I thought I’d share my first go at an UL down jacket. This is a sewn-through design with 3″ tall chambers and two different colors on the outer shell. Here are the materials:
- 1.0 Oz Robic XL outer shell (From Ripstop by the Roll (rsbtr))
- 1.0 Oz HyperD UN-calendared liner and pocket material (rsbtr)
- 100wt Microfleece pocket entry (some other online fabric store)
- 29″ YKK #3 molded separating zipper (zipperstop.com)
- 3/8″ flat elastic for cuffs and hem (rsbtr)
- 4 Oz 950 fill power dry down (bought 1 Lb. from Downlinens.com)
I do not like hoods, so I did just a high collar; plus hoods are a bit more complicated. The pocket entries are lined with 1.25″ wide strips of microfleece so it feels nice when your hands are in them. The pockets also go through the down layer so your hands are next to your body when in the pockets for better warming. I really like the durability of the molded #3 zipper, so I decided to go with a little bit of extra weight over something smaller. As for the shell material, I really like the 1.0 Robic XL and HyperD. Both are uncalendared and not labeled as ‘downproof’, but actual down has no quills; its just little balls of fluff right? That’s what I assumed after just having done a quilt project with the 950fp stuff. These shell materials are not the lightest available, but I liked the choice of colors, the look, and also the feel better than the lighter stuff. Besides, the pattern pieces without seam allowances come in at 1.4 square yards per layer, so inner and outer layers at 1.0 Oz/sq yard come in at 2.8 Oz together. Plenty light to get to around 8 Oz total. The other thing I really like about these two shell fabrics is breathability. They are quite a bit more breathable than any calendared material, although MEMBRANE 66 (rsbtr) is pretty close. That way, I can add extra wind protection by putting on my wind shirt (which itself has much less breathability) over the jacket. Total finished weight: 8.6 Oz.
Unfortunately, this jacket has 1.5 fatal flaws. The 1.0 flaw is that even though down is actually little puff balls, it can still stick through small holes in non-downproof fabric and irritate the skin, kind of like a scratchy wool sweater. Also, even though I got the 950fp down, I’ve found a few feathers. And those feathers have quills, which like to stick through the fabric and poke you. I suppose all the feathers will work themselves out eventually, so I might be OK with this material for the outer shell next time. Sadly though, rsbtr has discontinued the 1.0 Robic XL, and just has 1.2 Robic now. The 1.0 was already right on the edge, so I don’t think I can justify 1.2 Oz/sq yrd over other lighter materials.
the 0.5 flaw is that my sizing for the sleeves is off, so they are too short and also too tight in the forearm. Other than that, I’m pretty happy with how it came out. To fix the 1.0 flaw, I decided to add a liner out of Membrane 66 and microfleece for the collar. This worked fairly well, but added 1.6 Oz. So now it’s not as scratchy to wear, but it’s still too small, and heavier than it could be. Next, I think I’ll try a baffled design and maybe go with lighter material to see how light I can get things. I’d like to get down to a 50/50 weight ratio between down and shell. Anyway, here are some pictures of it post-liner installation.
