insulated with PrimaLoft Thermoplume, a material that traps in heat, you will find yourself taking off your base layers even in subzero temperatures.
Montane Icarus Jacket
I strongly recommend the Icarus Jacket from Montane because it is a midweight jacket that will keep you warmer than many parkas, yet will still pack down to fit into your daypack. And it will still keep you warm even if it gets wet.
I own seven or eight puffers right now, and over the past few years I’ve tested out at least a dozen more. I can justify the said seven or eight I’ve kept in myriad ways: a couple are ultra-packable, collapsing down so small they can tuck into the smallest pack or even into a pocket. One is as reliably waterproof as any raincoat I’ve ever tested. Another has a cut that makes it look almost stylish – not any easy feat for a packable jacket. And others I keep because they work just fine and have sentimental value, such as one I’ve worn up Mt. Rainier, Mt. Whitney (multiple times), and many of Southern California’s 10k and 11k peaks.
But if I had to make a split-second choice when heading out the door into cold weather with specific conditions unknown, I’d grab my Montane Icarus Jacket every time. That’s because the Icarus jacket is simply a great puffer.
While not as packable as, say, a Patagonia Micro Puff, which rolls or folds down to the size of a grapefruit, while not as waterproof as Columbia OutDry Diamond Puffer, and not frankly as flexible and full-range-of-motion as some other packable coats, the Icarus is simply the warmest coat of its weight and size that I have yet found, and that’s saying a lot – I test a lot of coats, and way beyond the packable/puffer category.
That warmth comes thanks to a 205-gram PrimaLoft Thermoplume insulation. More on Primaloft here, for the record, a 200-gram insulation rating is ideal for very low activity in chilly weather or moderate to high activity in frigid weather. Said insulation is sandwiched in thoughtfully arranged baffles stitched into an outer made from Pertex Quantum synthetic fabrics that shed water.
Oh, and staying on PrimaLoft for a second, you should know that this 100% synthetic, 100% recycled insulation loses almost none of its insulation abilities even when soaking wet, something down and other options can’t boast.
As for the rundown on the Icarus Jacket’s features, they’re really what you’d expect. A pair of zippered hand pockets, a chest pocket, an insulated hood, a drawstring hem, all that kind of stuff. There are no “wow factor” facets to this jacket – no little surprises or wholly original innovations. It’s simply a nearly perfect use of extant technology, the durable outer material, a soft, smooth lining, and baffles filled with superlative insulation between them.
But that’s all you need: those layers and that fill is why I have literally found myself stripping to my bare skin and replacing a sweaty base layer with a tee then popping back on my Montane while hiking at high altitude in deep snow. They are why this jacket is all I need (well, plus a shirt, of course) on neighborhood family walks in the depths of winter. And that trust PrimaLoft insulation is why I have chosen the Icarus as the best puffer choice multiple times when I’m not sure if the temperature is going to drop and the wind and snow blow, or if it’s going to grow warm and sunny. Because hey, you can always unzip. Or pop the coat off.