Down Vs. Synthetic Insulation: Which Is Better & Why

If you’re having a hard time choosing between a down or synthetically insulated jacket, you’ve come to the right place.

First, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about the two types of insulation – what the main differences are, which performs better in what conditions, and how the type of insulation impacts the price of the jackets.

I’ll also show you some of the best down and synthetic jackets you could buy – both men’s and women’s!

What’s The Difference?

Good insulation is warm, lightweight, and packable. While both synthetic and down can achieve this to a degree, each performs better in certain aspects. But in terms of just warmth, you can expect really similar performance – even though down is thought to be the warmer option, synthetic insulations have come so far that their performance is on par with natural down.

So, let’s talk a bit about what the actual differences are.

Performance In Wet Weather

If you’re worried about getting wet, then you should go for synthetic insulation.

Down insulation consists of clusters, which do not perform that well in wet weather. They clump up and take a while to dry out. And while the clusters are clumped, they aren’t really doing their job – down works in such a way that it traps your body heat, and the loftier it is the better.

Clumped-up clusters can’t really trap your body heat, and when they get wet it’s basically like your jacket is taking a break from doing its job.

However, down jackets can be (and most are) covered with a water-repelling finish, which makes them water-resistant at best. But natural down can never be fully waterproof and will fail you in really wet weather.

Synthetic insulation doesn’t have the same issue – it doesn’t clump when it gets wet, so it can maintain the same performance level in different weather conditions. So, if you want a truly waterproof jacket, synthetic is the way to go.