Hi-Loft Down Hoody is the warmest Patagonia's down hoodies and jackets get (although there are warmer parkas). However, that doesn't mean that it's the best option for all of you. Because there are other factors (packability, overheating, durability, etc) than warmth.
Recently I'm getting asked about Patagonia's best down pieces, so here we are.
As some of you already know, Patagonia doesn't reveal the Fill Weights of their down pieces, which is one of two major factors that determine ultimate warmth.
If you're unaware, the other major factor is Fill Power.
Since fill weight is crucial to figure out the objective ultimate warmth, I contacted their Customer Service myself, obtained these relevant values, and laid them out in the chart below.
But it's quite outdated, so I'd recommend you to disregard it completely.
Summary
Patagonia currently offers 4 down jackets in their line-up.
°F / °C column refers to the lowest temperature range you can wear these pieces without feeling cold:
| Fill Weight | Fill Power | FW x FP | °F / °C | MSRP | Stuff Sack? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
177 grams [source] | 600 | 106,200 | 12/-11 | 279 USD | ||
141 grams [source: Customer Service] | 700 | 98,700 | 14/-10 | 349 USD | No | |
104 grams [source] | 800 | 83,200 | 19/-7 | 279 USD | ||
109 grams [source] | 700 | 76,300 | 26/-3 | 279 USD | No | |
Ultralight Down Jacket (discontinued) | Cell | Cell | Cell | Cell | Cell | Cell |
Fitz Roy Down Parka (discontinued) | Cell | Cell | Cell | Cell | Cell | Cell |
#Notes:
- Parkas aren't in this list due to their different design intentions. Check out my Best Patagonia Winter Parkas & Jackets post to read about them.
- Find supporting documents at the bottom of this post.
Lowest temperature ratings are only approximate values, assuming:
- you only have a shirt under and no shell over,
- during daily use (strolls, power walks etc at most - no high output activities),
- with enough wind to cause an umbrella to twist in your hand,
- and when it's dry out.
If you think you run warmer or colder than the average person, then shift temperature ranges accordingly.
Here's how they compare to almost all other down jackets:
Approximate lowest temperatures you can wear each down jacket in the market without feeling uncomfortably cold are...
| °F / °C | Fill Power | Fill Weight (grams) | FP x FW | Face Fabric |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arc'teryx Ceres SV (Men's) | -15/-26 | 850 | 240 | 204,000 | Arato 30 | |
-10/-23 | 850 | 225 | 191,250 | Arato 7 & 10 | ||
-5/-20 | 800 | 227 | 181,600 | Perfex Quantum Pro |
| |
-5/-20 | 850 | 162 | 137,700 | Arato 7 & 10 | ||
-2/-19 | 700 | 280 | 196,000 | Drilite Loft 40D |
| |
3/-16 | 800 | 182 | 145,600 | Perfex Quantum Pro |
| |
5/-15 | 700 | 179 | 125,300 | Drilite Loft 20D |
| |
7/-14 | 750 | 140 | 105,000 | Perfex Quantum |
| |
8/-13 | 900 | 105 | 94,500 | Perfex Quantum |
| |
8/-13 | 750 | 130 | 97,500 | Arato 30 | ||
12/-11 | 700 | 141 | 98,700 | 3.6 oz 50D polyester | ||
14/-10 | 600 | 177 | 106,200 | 1.4 oz 30D polyester | ||
14/-10 | 850 | 120 | 102,000 | Pertex mini ripstop nylon |
| |
16/-9 | 700 | 133 | 93,100 | 30D Ripstop Nylon |
| |
17/-8 | 850 | 102 | 86,700 | Arato 10 | ||
19/-7 | 800 | 104 | 83,200 | 1.4 oz 20x30D polyester | ||
26/-3 | 700 | 109 | 76,300 | 2.2 oz polyester | ||
26/-3 | 650 | 116 | 75,400 | 20D ripstop nylon |
| |
28/-2 | 800 | 85 | 68,000 | 10D ripstop nylon |
| |
30/-1 | 800 | 81 | 64,800 | 10D nylon |
| |
Marmot Ares (Men's) | 32/0 | 600 | 102 | 61,200 | 1.2 & 1.8 oz polyester |
|
40/5 | 850 | 52 | 44,200 | Arato 7 |
As you see, there's a strong correlation between FP x FW and temperature ratings, but not more than, say, 80%. I explained why this happens here in this post of mine.
These are only approximate values assuming:
- you only have a shirt under and no shell over,
- during daily use (strolls, power walks etc at most - no high output activities),
- with enough wind to cause an umbrella to twist in your hand,
- and when it's dry out.
If you think you run warmer or colder than the average person, then shift temperature ranges accordingly.
Overview
Note that all these jackets & hoodies will lose warmth significantly when they get wet. Unfortunately, that's the fate and trade-off you must sacrifice with all down products.
This is why, for damp areas, generally I don't recommend getting a down jacket, and instead, recommend getting a synthetic insulated jacket (see my best picks from Patagonia and Arc'teryx here).
In addition to all these down jackets, Patagonia also offers some (although not much) down parkas and fleeces. Since they have completely different design intentions (which is mostly (always?) casual purposes), I won't review them here.
Check out my Best Patagonia Winter Parkas & Jackets post to read about them.
So why get a colder hoody at the same price?
Well, because it's not all about warmth.
Overheating, packability, durability, total weight, noise etc are all other factors although mostly minor next to the warmth.
Overheating
If you're like most people, you'll most likely overheat inside Hi-Loft Down Hoody when it's anything above, say, 25 deg F (-4 deg C).
Noise
Silent down jackets are made of 100% recycled down, 70% recycled fabric. This makes them more soft, stretchy and quiet than other picks in this review.
What about Fill Power?
At 800 FP, Down Sweater Hoody offers the highest fill power (highest quality) down. This ensures longest lasting in terms of insulation capability, the most compact (smallest packed size) structure and highest warmth the weight ratio. In other words, the highest quality down.
Good question.
Theoretically, it's true that the fill weight X fill power is the only factor that determines the warmth.
But in practice, the higher the fill power, the more durable the insulation will be in the long term.
So it's a trade-off. Give or take.
This means that although it's colder, Down Sweater Hoody (which is equipped with 104 grams of 800 FP down) will lose much less of its insluation capability than Hi-Loft Down Hoody (which is equipped with 177 grams of 600 FP down).
...within, say, 3-5 years.
This means that if you aren't planning to wear them for that long, then you'd better disregard this loss of insulation as a whole. Because it won't come into play for you anyway.
Packability & compactness
Some down products come with their own stuff sack, so they're packable. Whereas the others aren't.
Compactness, or "packed size" is also determined by fill power of the down. The higher the fill power, the more compact the packed product will end up being.
My other helpful data sets
I also published a data set for Arc'teryx and Patagonia jackets only - which are my two favorite brands of all.
| °F / °C | Insulation |
|
|---|---|---|---|
Arc'teryx LEAF Cold WX Parka SVX (Men's) | -40/-40 | Down |
|
Arc'teryx Ceres SV (Men's) | -15/-26 | Down | |
-10/-23 | Down | ||
Arc'teryx Dually Belay Parka (Men's) | -7/-22 | Synthetic |
|
Arc'teryx Thorsen Parka (Men's) | -7/-22 | Down | |
-6/-21 | Down | ||
Arc'teryx Centrale (Women's) | -5/-20 | Down | |
-5/-20 | Down | ||
Arc'teryx Therme Parka (Men's) | -2/-19 | Down | |
0/-18 | Down | ||
Arc'teryx Camosun Parka (Men's) | 0/-18 | Down | |
3/-16 | Synthetic |
| |
3/-16 | Down | ||
Arc'teryx Patera Parka (Women's) | 5/-15 | Down | |
Arc'teryx Kappa (Men's) | 7/-14 | Synthetic |
|
8/-13 | Synthetic |
| |
8/-13 | Down | ||
10/-12 | Synthetic | ||
Patagonia Vosque 3-in-1 Parka (Women's) | 10/-12 | Down | |
12/-11 | Down | ||
14/-10 | Down | ||
Arc'teryx Magnus Coat (Men's) | 14/-10 | Down |
|
17/-8 | Down | ||
19/-7 | Down | ||
19/-7 | Synthetic | ||
23/-5 | Synthetic | ||
24/-4 | Synthetic | ||
24/-4 | Synthetic | ||
26/-3 | Down |
| |
28/-2 | Synthetic | ||
32/0 | Synthetic | ||
40/5 | Down | ||
43/6 | Synthetic | ||
50/10 | Synthetic |
Read more about this chart here in my Insulated Outerwear Temperature Ratings Guide.
These are only approximate values assuming:
- you only have a shirt under and no shell over,
- during daily use (strolls, power walks etc at most - no high output activities),
- with enough wind to cause an umbrella to twist in your hand,
- and when it's dry out.
If you think you run warmer or colder than the average person, then shift temperature ranges accordingly.
Also check out my Arc'teryx Favorites and my Patagonia Favorites.
If you're interested in down jackets only, see my Best Down Jackets post.
Supporting documents
My chat with customer service:
I hope this post was helpful for you to learn more about the jacket(s) in your mind.
Feel free to ask me any questions or provide feedback and I'll be happy to respond in the comment section below.
Guide: Insulated & Shell Jackets
Start here:
Complete list:
Thank you for reading!
