s/o Water Resistant Parka or Down Parka

[Kindra178]

What's warmer? When I switched to down, I personally felt it was warmer than wearing a nylon water resistant thinsulate coat. Interested in your personal experience as well as your dc's experience.

I love the LE down parkas, but I am so mad they stopped carrying them in toddler size.

[arivecchi]

I think down is warmer.

[Penny's Pappa]

Pound-for-pound down is one of the warmest materials you can buy. I have a Mountain Hardwear Sub-Zero down jacket that is easily the lightest, warmest winter jacket I have ever owned.

However, the problem with down is that if it gets wet it loses nearly all it's insulative power; the down compacts and loses its loft. So to say which is warmer really depends on the conditions you're talking about. In dry weather, the down is your best bet. In wetter conditions something with water resistance (or blocking) and a synthetic fill will perform better.

[Kindra178]

Pound-for-pound down is one of the warmest materials you can buy. I have a Mountain Hardwear Sub-Zero down jacket that is easily the lightest, warmest winter jacket I have ever owned.

However, the problem with down is that if it gets wet it loses nearly all it's insulative power; the down compacts and loses its loft. So to say which is warmer really depends on the conditions you're talking about. In dry weather, the down is your best bet. In wetter conditions something with water resistance (or blocking) and a synthetic fill will perform better.

So in a perfect world your child will have two coats, down for to and from school and thinsulate for snow playing.

[bubbaray]

However, the problem with down is that if it gets wet it loses nearly all it's insulative power; the down compacts and loses its loft.


Correct, which is why skiiers never wear down outerwear -- they wear a water resistant outer coat and either fleece or down jacket underneath, depending on conditions.

[Penny's Pappa]

So in a perfect world your child will have two coats, down for to and from school and thinsulate for snow playing.

In a perfect world, sure, you'd have two different coats for two different situations. But this isn't a perfect world, and maybe you don't want to buy two different coats. If you're looking for all-around performance, synthetic is the way to go. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my down coat, but synthetic coats can be plenty warm and they have good wet weather performance.

[Kindra178]

This is a totally dumb question but how does down get wet? Aren't down jackets encased in a water resistant shell? Is the problem that the shell gets soaked because it's not waterproof and then the down loses its warmth? In my world, for now anyway, warmth trumps water resistance.

[Penny's Pappa]

Pretty much. Nothing's going to stay water-resistant forever. How long it does stay resistant depends on the type and quality of the shell. Low-end materials typically just use a water-resistant coating which eventually wears off leaving the non-water resistant material exposed. Water then quickly seeps in and before you know it your insulation is wet. Higher-end products use materials that are water-resistant in-and-of themselves; they consist of several thin layers of material that prevent water penetration. If you've ever heard of Gore-Tex, that's one type of laminate material. Over time, these materials become damaged, their pores open up, and water is allowed to penetrate. How long this takes I really don't know, but it's longer than the simple coatings you see on cheaper materials, I'm sure.