Our take We’ve seen aerogel, an ultralight, ultrainsulating material, in winter gear for a couple years, but not in a puffy until now. It traps heat without adding much bulk, making this jacket warmer than its size suggests. Integrated into the synthetic PrimaLoft Gold fill, the aerogel kept us warm on a 5°F day while we slowly hiked through snowdrifts in Rocky Mountain National Park. When wet, the aerogel/PrimaLoft combo insulates even better than conventional synthetic fill, as we found after getting the FT so soggy it turned translucent; we were able to sit comfortably for hours after that in a blind while crane-spotting in 20°F weather in Kearney, Nebraska. (Unless you’re a human Popsicle, the FT is too warm for any activity over 40°F.)
The details Light-yet-tightly-woven nylon face fabric blocked 25-mph gusts in Rocky Mountain National Park. A solid brim on the cinchable hood keeps precip off your face.
Trail cred “This jacket is great for warming skins in its two internal drop pockets, and I never needed to worry about compromising my body’s heat retention,” one tester reports.
1 lb. 5 oz.; m’s XS-XL, w’s XS-L