We find this suitable for
The Kryos is a fully windproof, highly water-resistant, incredibly breathable and very warm down jacket designed for mountaineering and climbing in cold and inhospitable conditions. It is aimed primarily at Alpine and UK winter climbing/mountaineering where warmth, protection, minimum weight, and complete freedom of movement are paramount! It features a fully windproof and highly water-resistant Gore-Tex Infinium membrane and 234g of superior quality goose down to ensure it performs in cold environments. Personally, I think that this could well be the perfect UK winter mountain jacket!
What is it made of?Insulation: The Kryos is packed with an impressive 234g (size large) of 800 fill-power goose down. Down is one of the warmest insulators relative to its weight available, making it a brilliant option for those looking for ultimate warmth with a low weight.
It is not just the quantity of Down that is impressive, it’s the quality and sustainability. M.E have filled the Kryos with the very best Eastern European goose down. Sourced from Western Russia, it has a minimum down cluster content of 90% and is individually tested to ensure a minimum fill power of 800 cubic inches. As well as all that quality, the down is DOWN CODEX approved. M.E use the Down Codex, an animal welfare, traceability and auditing scheme to ensure that both animal welfare and quality are at the heart of each and every one of their down products.
Although the down itself is impressive, it's actually the way that M.E have constructed the whole jacket that’s genius — Mountain Equipment call this their 'Firestorm construction'. Firestorm Construction was born out of the demands of high-altitude mountaineers who had stretched existing down jackets to their limits at 7000M climbs. Both real-world and laboratory testing was used to fine-tune and develop the Firestorm Construction. Jackets made with box wall baffles were too big and bulky to climb in, and lighter weight stitch-through baffle jackets were too light and airy to be fully protective. What was needed was a new way of thinking and Firestorm was born! If you want to read the whole fascinating story behind the birth of Firestorm then follow
this link.In a nutshell, Firestorm Construction combines different baffle constructions throughout the jacket to optimise performance. It also introduces newly devised pleated baffles, and then combines that with the latest fabric technology to create a fully protective, warm, lightweight breathable, and easy to move in jacket. Areas of the jacket which require the most warmth, the chest and back use the new pleated baffles. These ingenious pleated baffles take your standard stitch-through, oval-shaped baffle and place a pleat on the top of the baffle itself; this adds very little extra fabric yet allows the down to loft better and provides more warmth. The sides, arms and hood, areas that require greater flexibility, breathability and less warmth use a combination of midi and mini stitch-through baffles. Mini baffles are placed under the arms to reduce pack size and weight but also to prevent the down moving around and creating cold spots.
Then to provide maximum protection from the elements and to trap all that warmth inside, Mountain Equipment have used a separate outer layer. Not only does this protect you, and all that lovely down, from the elements, it acts to trap air between the baffles to increase the insulative properties of the whole jacket. Allegedly by 20%!
Outer Fabric: Mountain Equipment have equipped the Kryos Jacket with a lightweight, yet tough, fully taped Gore-Tex Infinium 10D nylon face fabric. Gore Infinium uses an EPTFE membrane, just like in Gore-Tex hard-shell jackets, but this version is stripped back to concentrate on total wind-proofing and maximum breathability, rather than cast iron waterproofness; keeping you warm and protected in all but the worst conditions. To be honest, in practice, we've found this membrane to be virtually waterproof; it would take constant, torrential rain before any moisture passed through, and where this jacket is designed to be used, constant torrential rain is not a problem!
This also features a clever construction with no seams on high-wear areas such as the top of the shoulders/back — this reduces the risk of seam failure or delamination from rucksack straps rubbing. Areas which may encounter high amounts of moisture from the inside as well as the outside (hood, cuffs, hem), are lined with the same 10D Gore-Tex Infinium fabric, this stops water wicking inside the jacket, possibly soaking into the insulation and sapping away heat. To top it off, the face fabric is treated to a durable water repellent coating.
Inner fabric:
A super lightweight and breathable nylon is used to line the Kryos, giving it a lovely slippery feel to glide over other layers.
What are the features?Starting at the top, a Super Alpine HC hood easily fits a helmet underneath. There’s also a Velcro volume reducer to really cinch the hood down if it’s just going up over your head.
An additional down-filled baffle sits behind your neck to really seal out the drafts, it’s kinda like having a down-filled scarf on!
Elasticated cuffs trap further warmth and fit nicely over gloves or just bare wrists
A dual-tether hem drawcord seals in warmth around your waist and can't get stuck on an axe like a traditional 'loop' drawcord.
A two-way YKK moulded front zip means you can fit the jacket over a climbing harness easily or ventilate if you begin to overheat and features an insulated interior baffle to really seal out the weather.
Storage is taken care of by two zipped hand pockets, two zipped chest pocket and two large inner dump pockets.
You’ll find the stuff sack in one of the hand pockets, should you ever want/need to take this fantastic jacket off!
How does it fit?The Kryos is designed to fit over all your other layers, so expect it to be a little looser than your traditional down jacket. Despite this, it's got plenty of drawcords to allow you to cinch in excess volume.
Where does it fit in the layering system?
This Kryos jacket is firmly designed as an outer layer. Thanks to the Gore-Tex Infinium membrane, it's equipped to deal with all but the worst weather. The amount of high-quality insulation coupled with the ingenious construction means you probably won't need to have many layers underneath.
- Firestorm construction
- 800 fill power Goose down
- Gore-Tex Infinium membrane
- Super Alpine HC hood
- Two-way main zip
- Two hand pockets
- Two chest pockets
- Two inner dump pockets
- Elasticated cuffs
- Dual-tether hem drawcord
- Hybrid baffling