Every year, Gear Patrol editors test as many down jackets as we can get our hands on in search of the best. (Our gear closet would be wall-to-wall with ripstop and feathers if they weren’t so damn compressible.) For three years running, we’ve awarded the top slot to Mountain Hardwear’s Super/DS StretchDown jacket, and right now, with winter on the horizon, it’s on sale for 40 percent off.
The Super/DS StretchDown edges out the competition through a versatile combination of features, starting with the one in its name: stretch. The jacket’s fabric and unconventional baffle pattern combine to create the most freedom of movement in any down jacket we’ve worn. The design also minimizes cold spots, which increases its primary function: to keep you warm.
Mountain Hardwear has found the design so successful that it's applied the Super/DS formula to new patterns, like a more-casual shirt jacket, which is currently available for 40 percent off too.
Super/DS Stretchdown Jacket Price: $250 $150
Super/DS Stretchdown Shacket Price: $200 $120