What is the Featherlite Down Jacket?
The Featherlite is a lightweight, warm, versatile jacket which is perfectly at home while moving quickly in mountainous environments, as a standalone insulating layer on cool evenings and everything in between.
What is it made of?
Insulation: Providing the warmth inside the Featherlite is 140g of water-resistant, fluorocarbon-free HyperDry duck down. Unlike untreated down which will clump together and lose its warmth when it gets wet, HyperDry down resists water thanks to a durable water repellent coating that is applied to the down itself. This doesn't make the jacket waterproof by any means, but it does mean that if you happen to get caught out, it'll resist clumping, will still provide the majority of its warmth and will dry faster. On top of all of this, down packs down to a fraction of its original size, lasts for years and is far lighter than any other man-made insulation.
Fabrics: Surrounding the insulation is a brand new Pertex Quantum Eco fabric, a fully recycled nylon with a durable water repellent coating. Historically, recycled fabrics felt a bit rough, but this new fabric from Pertex feels exactly the same as their well-loved and proven original version — take that as high praise! The combination of this fabric and the super-lightweight insulation means the Featherlite will pack down to a size not much bigger than a grapefruit. The inner fabric is a softer, more pliable PEAQ fabric which slides easily over additional layers.
What are the features?
Starting at the top, the Featherlite features a helmet-compatible, roll-away, insulated hood. The hood features three points of adjustment so you can get the perfect fit, whether you've got a helmet on or not, and a stiffened peak to provide additional protection. If you don't need the hood or just don't fancy the bulk, it can be rolled away and secured in place. Moving down, you've got two zipped hand pockets, a zipped external chest pocket, elasticated cuffs and a drawcord on the hem. Montane even includes a branded stuffsack to compress the Featherlite when in your pack or attached to your harness.
How does it fit?
The Featherlite is one of those jackets that will fit almost anyone. There's plenty of room in the shoulders and under the arms, giving you freedom of movement when climbing/walking with poles. The new design makes it look slimmer, but in actual fact, we found there's a little more room than the previous version.
Where does it fit in the layering system?
The Featherlite can either be used as a super warm midlayer with a shell over the top or as a mid-weight outer layer if the weather is on your side.
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Fully adjustable helmet-compatible hood
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Two zipped hand pockets
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Recycled Pertex outer fabric
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Zipped external chest pocket
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Elasticated cuffs
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Adjustable hem
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Included stuffsack
How to wash your down products
Having spent years talking to people about down products, whether that’s a jacket, sleeping bag or even a pair of slippers, very few have had the confidence to go ahead and wash the product on their own, especially when they have just spent an arm and a leg on it. This small guide is here to explain that it’s not as daunting and utterly terrifying as it first appears.
Step one: Before you even get near that washing machine, wipe off any excess mud or dirt that may be lingering on the surface of the jacket, as this will clog up the washing machine, eventually rendering it useless.
We recommend the use of Nikwax Down Wash Direct for down products as it’s one hundred percent environmentally friendly and will wash and re-proof the garment without the use of bleach or any other nasty chemicals. What household washing agents can (and often do) is remove the water repellent coating on the fabric of the jacket, whilst also damaging the delicate array of feathers inside.
Step two: We’ll assume in this instance that you’ve been washing other products prior to your down jacket and have used a bleach based detergent. Therefore it’s a good idea to run the washing machine for half an hour or so without anything inside to rinse it clean before adding the Nikwax or putting the jacket in. Also, don’t forget to remove the detergent drawer to give it a wash inside, outside and behind, as detergent can clog up and still enter the washing machine if not cleaned out thoroughly. This ensures that any remnants of detergent are removed and that the Nikwax products will work effectively.
Step three: Set the washing machine to a cold wash (check the garments care label, most tend to be around 30°C) and as delicate as possible. Most washing machines have a “wool” cycle which is ideal.
Step four: If using Nikwax Down Wash Direct, place 100ml in either the tray or directly into the washing machine inside a small pot/ball. If you choose to use another washing product, place the appropriate amount in the machine in the same way.
Step five: Set the washing machine to run on a slow cycle, allowing plenty of time for the jacket to soak up the cleaning/re-proofing product. Most washing machines will have a pre-set time for different washing cycles.
When the cycle has finished be prepared for a shock, your precious bit of kit will come out looking like a soggy ball of material. But don’t worry, you haven’t ruined it, it’s just that all that fluffy down insulation has become water logged and has clumped together. The trick is to now get all that down nice and dry to reinstate its superb insulating properties. Simply hanging it up in a warm place will not work that well. It will take days to properly dry and you will have to constantly break up the clumps to get it thoroughly dry. The best way is to use a tumble dryer; either a domestic one for smaller items or a commercial drier for sleeping bags.
Step six: Pop the garment into the dryer and make sure to select a low heat; a high heat runs the risk of melting seams and fabrics within the garment. It sounds weird, but shove a few tennis balls into the drier with the garment; the tennis balls will bounce around and help to break up the clumps of down. Every 20 minutes, pull the jacket out of the dryer and lie the jacket down on a table. Run your hands over the jacket until you find a 'clump' or ball of down; tease apart this down clump and spread it evenly into the baffle. Once you're confident you've pulled apart every clump to the best of your ability, stick it back in for another 20 minutes. Keep repeating this until there are no more clumps left.
Step seven: When the cycle has finished and you are sure that you have got the garment as dry as possible, hang it up in a warm dry place, an airing cupboard is ideal, for 24 hours. This drives out the last of any dampness and allows the down to loft fully. Take it out and give it a good shake and, hey presto, it’ll be as good as new.