Warmth: 3.8
Thanks to 2.7 ounces of 850-fill down, the Broad Peak Light provides year-round warmth. On a climbing trip to Utah’s Indian Creek with temps in the 30s, it was the ideal around-camp jacket with a fleece underneath. We also wore it over other layers on single-digit ski tours outside Cody, Wyoming.
Packability: 4.8
Like a first-aid kit and a backup Prusik loop, the Broad Peak Light always found a way into our kit, even for an ascent of Red Rock, Nevada’s classic 5.9 route Epinephrine. Its puny packed size (no larger than a pint glass, the smallest in the test) made it a constant staple, ready to add some warmth just in case.
Durability:Â 4.6
A 10-denier by 15-denier Pertex Quantum face fabric (only slightly less robust then the Western Mountaineering QuickFlash) holds the Broad Peak’s guts in place. The jacket only lost a couple feathers through the stitching, even when we scraped it up sandstone chimneys.
Features: 4.1
High, zippered hand pockets are accessible under both a climbing harness and a hipbelt—they’re the only ones in the test high enough to comfortably reach with a pack on. This jacket doesn’t have a hood, but we appreciated that design while layering it under a shell for skiing. The Broad Peak Light has a snug fit, so consider sizing up.Â
Overall: 4.3
$279; 8.6 oz.; m’s S-XXL, w’s XS-XLÂ