BEST Down Vests For Hiking To Keep You Warm

These are the best down vests to wear hiking or outdoors. When the heat dissipates, the air becomes crisp, and you find yourself in that perfect middle-ground weather. You know it’s down vest season. We love to pull out a comfy vest for technical or casual occasions every spring and fall.

It’s a terrific mid-layer piece of clothing that provides core warmth on a brisk morning without overpowering you with heat when the sun starts to shine. Down vests are stylish, practical, and versatile, with the ability to go from the city streets to the country trails. Furthermore, a down vest consumes less room in your bag when traveling or hiking. Oh, and they’re cheaper than a down jacket if you aren’t going to brave cold temperatures.

If you want to add a down vest to your wardrobe or backpacking list, here are a few great options to look at, along with a few things to consider before you buy. 

---

The Best Down Vests

---

Patagonia Down Sweater Vest

Patagonia makes one of our favorite packable down jackets, so it’s no wonder they make one of the best down vests. The down vest uses 800 fill down and their new recycled polyester for the shell. The result is a down vest that keeps you warm and does a decent job fighting moisture. Patagonia’s nylon material is also extraordinarily comfortable without the obnoxious crinkly/swishy sounds cheaper down items make.

With its wide range of colors and appealing brand name, the down vest feels at home in the mountains, the beach, or city streets. The only drawback to the garment is the high price tag with Patagonia vests. It’s not the warmest down vest on this list, but it remains slim and attractive by doing so.

---

United By Blue Bison Puffer Vest

Price: $188 | Weight: N/A | Category: Casual

This is the best puffer vest and a close second for the best down vest, even if it is not technically a down vest. United By Blue is a company that has pledged to remove a pound of plastic from the ocean for every item sold. Given the popularity of saving our oceans, their product line continues to grow, and the Bison Puffer Vest is one of our favorite additions. Instead of finding “ethical down,” they sought different natural products and landed on bison hair.

Bison hair is considered a waste product by the ranching industry and has excellent natural properties such as water resistance and warmth. Bison do live in pretty extreme places. It also uses recycled polyester and features a two-layer shell fabric for exterior waterproofing. The vest is extraordinarily comfortable and the most stylish one on this list, with a rugged retro look.

---

REI CO-OP Down Vest 2.0

The REI Co-op Down Vest 2.0 is perfect in its simplicity. With a down fill of 650, it’s warm enough for crisp temperatures and frosty mornings. This down vest doesn’t bombard you with fancy features or hefty price tags.

It’s stylish without being overbearing and has all the essentials that make an excellent down vest, such as hand-warming pockets and soft-to-the-touch nylon shell fabric. While it may not be perfect for extreme outdoor sports, it has everything you need for simple trail hiking or tooling around town in the spring or fall months. 

---

Arc’teryx Cerium LT Vest

If you’re looking for a down vest at the highest end of the market, look no further than the Arc’teryx Cerium LT Vest. This down vest screams quality with its 850-fill goose down, Coreloft synthetic insulation (to prevent dampness in sweat-prone areas), and ridiculously softshell fabric and internal lining.

This vest also includes a chin box collar that prevents cold winds from hitting the back of your neck, along with a durable, water-repellent finish that will keep you and the down filling dry in light rain and dew. While other vests may have more features, none can compare to the quality of the Arc’teryx Cerium. It’s the best down vest on this list, but like most Arc’teryx products, they come at a premium, hence taking the number six spot.

---

Cotopaxi Fuego Down Vest

The combination of style, performance, and value makes Cotopaxi’s Fuego Down Vest an excellent purchase and one of the best down vests. It features a 20 D shell with outstanding colorways that match current trends well. The attractive retro looks combined with actual performance like a premium 800-fill down for one of our favorite down vests.

It provides a lot of warmth, four pockets, and a drawcord to tighten the hem, all of which are features we appreciate in a down vest. Best of all, it’s lightweight at only 8 ounces and can stuff into its pocket for easy storage when outdoors.

Cotopaxi stands behind their “61 years” guarantee for good, which claims their products are suitable to last for at least 61 years. After testing out this jacket, we can attest to that. We also love that Cotopaxi gives back to some of the world’s poorest communities, improving health, education, and livelihoods.

---

Outdoor Research Helium Down Vest

Outdoor Research is one of our favorite companies for the value and quality of their gear. The Transcendent Vest is a staple in our wardrobe and is one of the best down vests for women and men. It has a 20D ripstop nylon shell that does excellent weather resistance and can sustain some abuse. The insulation is responsibly sourced 800 Down that helps retain your body heat.

The wide quilting and balanced down fill manage to expand fast and compress easily. So far, we’ve had no issue with the filling clumping or moving around. It also comes with features such as hem drawcord, internal chest pocket, key clip, and front hand pockets.

---

Columbia Delta Ridge Down Vest

Columbia always manages to pack a lot of value into their products, and they’ve certainly done so with the Delta Ridge Down Vest. The vest features Columbia’s Omni-Heat reflective interior designed to retain heat through metallic dots. The vest baffles have a unique design and are thermally quilted to save weight and allow for natural movement.

It does move effectively with the body, but the vest has a boxier cut than performance-orientated vests. A stand-out feature of the Delta Ridge Down Vest is the price tag.

---

The North Face ThermoBall Eco Vest

We’ve excluded most synthetic down vests, but we’ve included The North Face’s Thermoball Eco Vest for some variety. It’s the closest synthetic down we’ve had experience with, and it offers some excellent warmth. Since it is synthetic, it is a perfect option for those opposed to using down feathers. Granted, the vest is not as warm as other down vests on this list.

The vest now uses 100% recycled materials throughout the jacket, including the shell fabric, lining, and down insulation. It’s a pretty revolutionary vest, and it performs amicably. The vest feels durable and has a slim design that’s not as “puffy” as down, making it an excellent layer option for activities.

---

Feathered Friends Helios Vest 

If warmth is more important to you than weight, you may want to think about the Feathered Friends Helios Down Vest. This hardcore down vest features 4.8 ounces of 850-fill down, Lycra armholes, hem, and an insulated draft tube behind the zipper. It means that frigid air cannot make it through this beast of a vest.

While it may not be best for climates with a light chill, it is perfect for the extreme cold when you still want the mobility of a vest over a jacket. It is slightly heavier than most down vests, weighing in at approximately 11 ounces, but when arctic weather hits, you will be more than pleased with your investment and willing to carry the few extra ounces! 

---

Montbell Plasma 1000 Vest 

The Montbell Plasma 1000 is one of the most popular vests in the climbing community. Why? Because this vest weighs only 3.1 ounces, that’s less than a standard deck of cards! However, just because it is incredibly lightweight doesn’t mean you must sacrifice warmth.

This vest comes with a 1000-fill down, the highest fill you can currently get. It’s important to note that the weight sacrifices had to come from somewhere, so the shell fabric is not as durable as most, with only a 7d rating. 

---

Kuhl Spyfire Vest

It would be a shame to talk about down vests without mentioning at least one made from goose-down feathers. While duck down is more abundant in the marketplace, goose down has an inherent advantage: the feathers are more significant, which gives them more lift and the ability to trap and redistribute more air.

This gives goose-down vests a much higher loft than those made of duck-down. You can expect the same standard bells and whistles, such as DWR-treated outer fabric, elastic armholes, and zippered hand and chest pockets, with the added warmth of the 800-fill goose-down internal stuffing.

---

Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer 2 Vest 

The Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer was one of the first to deliver a warmth-to-weight ratio that many have mimicked since perfectly. This ultralight down vest weighs approximately five ounces and compresses into its pocket for maximum portability and space reservation.

While the shell fabric is relatively thin, it did not skimp on overall quality. The 800-fill down features Q.Shield technology that resists moisture and maintains loft. It also features a toggled hem that blocks drafts and a quilt pattern with heat-trapping channels. With the immense quality and features supplied by this down vest, it’s easy to see why it is a crowd favorite among backpackers and hikers.

---

Eddie Bauer Downlight Vest

Eddie Bauer is a famous clothing manufacturer well-known in the industry for the comfort and style of its pieces. Naturally, this has carried over to their down vest. However, they added key features to set them apart from the pack outside these many attributes.

The audio port in the internal chest pocket is a big one. It’s the perfect spot to house and protect your music player, whether climbing, hiking, or going to the grocery store. It also comes with many sought-after down vest features, such as a durable polyester shell, a DWR (durable water-resistant) finish, and 800-fill insulation with a universal fit. Honestly, what more do you need out of a down vest? 

---

Before You Buy One of These Best Down Vests

consider the basics…

Fill

The down fill power refers to the measure of loft in a down product. It can be broken down with the fill number representing the number of cubic inches one ounce of down occupies. The higher the fill number, the less down is needed for the same warmth index. In the same stroke, the higher the fill number, the warmer you’ll be.

You will likely see down vests’ fill range from 600-900. Anything below 600 is generally too little for the intended purposes, and anything above 850-900 is slightly overkilled. That doesn’t mean that a 600-fill vest is automatically less warm than an 800-fill; instead, it takes more to achieve the same warmth, making it much heavier.

---

Shell Fabrics

The shell fabrics of a down vest refer to the outer material that protects the internal down. This is important because if you have a shell fabric that doesn’t protect against moisture or rips, it won’t be long before your down vest is rendered useless. The standard go-to shell fabric is ripstop nylon with a waterproof treatment.

This fabric is lightweight, reasonably durable, and extremely easy to find. The waterproof treatment adds another layer of protection to prevent your down from losing its loft – and, therefore, its heat-trapping abilities in a moisture-rich environment. 

---

Portability 

Whether you’re stuffing your down vest into your suitcase or adding it to your backpacking gear list, portability/compressibility is vital. You don’t want a bulky down vest taking up half your carry-on when traveling overseas.

Similarly, if you are backpacking, you don’t want something that takes up the tiny bit of valuable space you have left. A down vest with maximum portability will compress into its pocket to softball size. This will give you the total amount of space possible while keeping the vest out of your way until needed. 

---

Important Features of Best Down Vests

These days, all outdoor garments come with many features that can seem overwhelming and sometimes just plain unnecessary. So, let’s boil it down and look at some of the essential features you should consider when buying a down vest. 

---

Pockets

These seem like they should come standard issue on a down vest, but you would be surprised how many don’t include them. The best down vests have pockets at the hip to help warm your hands when you are just not ready to bust out the gloves and at the chest to carry additional items like your phone, keys, wallet, or GPS. They can also serve as a compression sack – as we discussed previously. 

---

Elastic Armholes and Waistband

This may seem unnecessary until a stiff breeze hits you and that air creeps in through these points of weakness. The whole purpose of a down vest is to keep your core nice and toasty, which it can’t do if cold air can enter and heat has a chance to escape. The waistband does not have to be elastic, however. Some other options you may see are a drawstring or toggled hem, which are just as helpful. 

---

Down Composite Mapping

Composite Mapping is synthetic insulation strategically placed throughout the vest in areas prone to be exposed to moisture, such as the armpits and the back of the neck. This prevents the down from getting wet and losing loft, keeping you dry and warm when enjoying the great outdoors. 

---

Durable Water Repellant Treatment

Water is the Achilles’ heel of any down vest. That’s because once the feathers become saturated, they lose their loft and heat-trapping capabilities. Also, once wet, down never fully returns to its original capabilities. That’s why some form of water-resistant treatment is necessary on all down vests. The Durable Water Repellant treatment (or DWR) is among the most commonly used.

---

Baffled Design

You’ll rarely find a down vest without a baffled or quilted sewing pattern, but if you do, stay away from it. The baffled design creates heat channels to further capture and distribute the warmth over the entirety of the vest.

Outside of this, the baffles also prevent you from losing all your down if one vest section becomes ripped. Imagine trying to gather a million dandelion puffs and stuff them back into your vest; that’s what it would be like without the baffling design.