Ortovox Piz Palu
Most comfortable
Our take For trips when you seem to live in your puffy, make your home a cozy one. The Piz Palu’s merino lining is ultrasoft and its lofted-wool insulation is ultrabreathable, meaning we never had an issue leaving it on for hours while ski touring Yukon’s Kluane National Park. The jacket’s slim fit aids in thermal efficiency (but makes it tough to layer the Piz Palu over other insulators). It kept us warm over a midweight baselayer and under a shell down to -15°F while we chugged uphill, but we didn’t swamp out when temps rose to 30°F the following day and we wore it over just a baselayer.
The details DWR on the Pertex Quantum face fabric protects your torso, and the wool-backed Schoeller softshell material elsewhere helps dump heat. Hand warmer pockets sit above a hipbelt or harness. Bonus: The merino liner and wool insulation naturally resist stink.
Trail cred “I kept my shell on for too long during a breezy ski tour in the mid-20s and overheated, but this jacket still dried out in half an hour of light movement when I stopped—and I didn’t get chilled,” one tester says.
15.5 oz.; m’s S-XXL, w’s XS-XL