Jöttnar Fjörm Down Jacket

Great mid-weight, water and wind resistant down winter jacket. Even better as a winter mid-layer.

Had been searching for a mid-weight compressible down insulated jacket flexible enough to use as a mid-layer for cold, wet and windy weather. Or as an outer-layer in ice-cold but fairly dry conditions. Fortunately stumbled on this one.

Packs small in its own supplied stuff sack. Surprisingly water and wind resistant 30D DWR treated micro rip-stop shell. Over 235g fill-weight (Men's Medium size) of premium 93% Down to 7% Feather 850 fill-power DownTek treated hydrophobic Goose Down. Predominantly used in body, shoulders and upper sleeves. With 130g/m2 synthetic insulation in moisture susceptible areas (sleeve cuffs, main zip baffle, hem, hood, and neck).

Oversized insulated zip baffle, behind a water-resistant YKK Aquaguard VISLON two-way main zip with micro-fleece chin-guard, fastens high enough to protect the neck and the face from the cold. The two-way zip is particularly helpful when wearing a backpack (or climber's harness), allowing access to mid-layer or bib pockets and when additional ventilation is needed without having to unzip the jacket completely.

Easily adjusted, well-insulated helmet-compatible hood with a wire-stiffened brim and moldable peak is one of the best(if not the best) designed and constructed hoods I've ever owned or used.

It should be noted that one ought to use the three cinch-cords(one each side and one at the rear) to adjust the hood to your liking BEFORE venturing outside. Next time i must remember to take my own advice. As it was pretty frustrating trying to adjust the hood while on the move and once the wind started blowing hard!

Tough Hypalon Velcro cuff tabs on micro-fleece lined elasticated cuffs. Two insulated zippered hand pockets. Glove-friendly over-sized zip-pulls really come into their own when wearing gloves during the coldest spells.

There's a single inside (left) zippered mesh pocket which is just large enough to store something like a 1.5-ltr bottle. Personally, I'd have much preferred two reinforced non-zippered mesh internal pockets (for my camera batteries, binoculars, compass, gloves, GPS, head-torch, maps, mobile phone etc.), with perhaps one smaller zipped security pocket for valuables.

Initially bought the Black colour with Red trim in XL to allow for winter layers. XL size on me feels somewhere between the 'Alpine' or 'Athletic' fits and more generous 'Expedition' fit. Though a little snug around my bulky torso, it doesn't hinder the movement of arms, head, neck, and shoulders in any way.

Wore it a number of times to put it through its paces during the frigid temperatures, high winds, and occasional rain & sleet up North, either side of the new year. Performed really well keeping me pretty warm and cosy over just a Merino or Polartec base-layer and a breathable wicking fleece mid-layer when being active. Though I did begin to feel somewhat cooler over the arms, particularly noticeable whenever I was inactive and exposed outside of my shelter in windy conditions for more than few minutes at a time.

Much like a number of outdoor brands these days, it's notable that Jöttnar products adhere to down traceability and welfare standards (ie. no live-plucked nor molt-harvested down, from non force-fed geese etc.), as well as using environmentally friendly manufacturing processes, which is most admirable and should reassure potential buyers.

I do have a few (minor) issues though: The jacket would feel a bit more secure if a more durable and slightly heavier(50D micro rip-stop) face fabric were used - Admittedly. This may have some detrimental effect upon the jacket’s breathability and down loft. As with most light to mid-weight down insulated jackets, one should be conscious about it potentially catching or tearing when around briars, thorns, jagged rocks, or from the sharp edges of crampons, ice-axes, and walking-poles etc.

The YKK VISLON two-way main zip may occasionally catch on the over-sized insulated baffle underneath, if one doesn't take care when zipping up.

One or two more internal/external pockets wouldn't go amiss. Also micro-fleece lined hand warmer pockets would have been a nice touch.

After purchasing my first Fjörm in Black I bought a second one in Petrol Blue. But, after a price increase, the second one cost £55-(US$70-) more. From £295-(US$378-) to £350-(US$448-)!

I appreciate that Jöttnar gear is primarily designed to meet the needs of serious mountain climbers who demand functional, lightweight, and high quality technical solutions. Undoubtedly the Fjörm easily meets, and in certain respects has even surpassed, those requirements and specifications.

But, for my own particular needs, I did find the Fjörm a bit on the minimalist side in regard to its feature count. With this in mind, I'm investigating the possibility of customising the jacket (through a third party), by adding some more functionality and versatility.

Early days still but, despite my aforementioned minor reservations, these jackets feel as if they'd protect me during the depths of an Arctic winter!

UPDATE 06/2018: In the light of my most recent experiences using (and abusing) this down jacket during arduous late autumn (fall) and early winter (2017/18) camping, mountain trekking, and scrambling expeditions in the Cascades and the Canadian and US Rockies at altitudes of up to 3,500m, I’d revise my earlier estimate and conservatively state that these Fjörm jackets when worn as an outer (over suitable mid-to-heavyweight Merino base-layers and Polartec PowerStretch Pro or similar Merino mid-layer) would provide the average person with sufficient protection and warmth in temperatures ranging between +5°C to -20°C with a variance of +/-5°C depending on the amount of sunlight, degree of physical output, user’s sensitivity to cold and wind-chill etc. But when layered under a hard-shell the Fjörm would clearly have little issue in helping the wearer to withstand even harsher conditions.