What is the Lightline Down Jacket?
The Lightline Down Jacket from Mountain Equipment is designed to meet the demands of modern mountaineers and all outdoor enthusiasts who require a reliable, warm and durable insulated jacket. It offers a superb warmth to weight ratio and uses some of the best natural down in a stitch-through, mid-baffle construction.
As well as providing maximum insulation, the Lightline is windproof and highly water resistant, so it works best as a standalone jacket in freezing and damp conditions…perfect for UK winter mountaineering then!
Because of its excellent pack size, it also works superbly as an over-layering jacket to keep in your pack. Simply whip it out when you need to chuck it over the top of all your layers to provide warmth on those exposed belays, or when stopping for lunch on winter outings.
How you wear it will depend on what you’re doing, how much effort you’re putting in and of course what the weather conditions are. Check out ourYouTube videofor more information on layering.
What is the Lightline Down Jacket made from?
The outer of the Lightline Down Jacket is constructed with Mountain Equipment’s own Drilite Loft fabric. Drilite Loft is an extremely tough, windproof and highly water-resistant Nylon fabric with a microporous Polyurethane coating that provides a hydrostatic head of 1500mm to keep the insulation dry in hostile environments.
The Drilite has also been treated with a Durable Water Repellent (DWR) to help water bead up and run off, but even though the fabric is incredibly weather resistant and windproof, it is not 100% waterproof, so always carry a shell jacket, because it will rain!
The rest of the inner jacket is lined with an un-coated nylon to maximise breathability and, should you be brave enough to be just wearing a t-shirt, next to the skin comfort.
The stuff that’s keeping you warm inside this lovely jacket is 296g (size large) of M.E’s high quality Pure Down with a 700 fill-power. What’s fill power? Well, for those who don’t know, it’s an internationally recognised measurement of how well down will “loft”. Loft describes how “fluffy” the insulation is, the “fluffier” down is the more space it can occupy and the more warm air it can trap in all those fine filaments. Down simply doesn’t work when compressed. The number used in Fill Power describes the amount of space one ounce of down will occupy in cubic inches when allowed to reach its maximum loft. So, in the case of the Mountain Equipment Lightline Jacket, one ounce of down will loft up to fill 700 cubic inches, or to put that in perspective, it’s equivalent to about 12 litres, or the same as a Large Exped Fold Dry-Bag.
What makes Mountain Equipment's down so special is their Down Codex programme. Most companies are now taking steps to make sure their down is coming from ethical sources, but Mountain Equipment are taking the whole process to another level. The waterfowl (geese and ducks) are all by-products of the food and meat industry, every supplier wishing to work with Mountain Equipment must accept the terms of their Down Codex and allow a full audit of all parts of the supply chain - that means everything from farm to factory. On top of all of that, you can even trace your down on their website right back to the source using a unique 12-digit code printed on the label inside every Mountain Equipment down product. In fact, Mountain Equipment are so proud of how ethical their down is, they’ve sewn a label to the inside telling you all about it, and there’s even a leaflet in the pocket with the full story.
All that lovely, ethical down is kept in place in stitch-through baffles to keep it close to your body to maximise performance.
The use, throughout the Lightline, of technical fabrics and high quality down keep the overall weight (of this size large) to around 740g.
What are the main features?
The hood on the Lightline is a key feature for us at Trekitt, especially me, I love a good hood! M.E have improved the hood of the Lightline, and it now features a 3-panel construction for a better fit. It also has a wired peak to stop it flopping down over your eyes, a Velcro volume adjuster and side draw cords to really seal out the elements. You can also get the hood over a climbing helmet if you fancy some vertical adventures. As well as all that, the hood is completely removable if you want to save weight or just don’t need to use it.
To make the collar extra comfortable Mountain Equipment have lined it with a soft tricot material, this makes it much more comfortable than having the Drilite next to the skin.
The main zip is a reliable two-way YKK moulded version to reduce ice build-up and it is backed up by an internal baffle to keep out the drafts.
Storage wise, you get two YKK moulded zipped hand pockets and a zipped internal security pocket to keep valuables safe and warm.
The sleeves are finished off with a part elasticated and part Velcro adjusters to tightly seal out the cold over bare wrists or bulky gloves. At the hem you get dual, one-pull hem drawcords for quick adjustment, even with gloves on.
How does the Lightline Down Jacket Fit?
Designed primarily as an outer insulating jacket, the Lightline has a regular fit that will easily allow layering underneath. However, what you don’t want is a big baggy jacket as you’ll waste energy warming up all that dead air space, and conversely you don’t want it too tight either as that’ll hinder the downs ability to fully loft.
I’m 6’3”, 13.5 stone with a 42” chest and 34” waist and this size large fits me perfectly. There’s enough room for plenty of layers, I’d usually wear a base layer and a light fleece; it even fits well over the top of my shell for use as a belay jacket.
The easy regular fit also makes the Lightline perfect for use as an everyday winter coat.
Where does the Lightline Down Jacket fit in the layering system?
The Lightline Down Jacket works best as an extremely weather resistant outer jacket when you’re out in the mountains in typical UK damp and freezing conditions. Because it is easily packable it can be carried in your pack for use as an insulating over-layer on belays or food stops.
Layering is not a precise science and there is no one perfect system that will suit every person, situation or the weather conditions. Some of us feel the cold, others, like me, get hot very quickly, but for more advice on using layers please check our YouTube video
Summary
So that’s it, the Mountain Equipment Lightline Jacket, an incredibly versatile, and comfortable performer for all mountain adventures; it fits superbly and is beautifully made thanks to Mountain Equipment’s 50-year experience in making gear for the most inhospitable places on the planet.
- 296g (size L) of 90/10 Pure Down with a fill power of 700
- Stitched-through construction throughout
- DRILITELoft outer; totally windproof and highly water resistant
- Adjustable zip-off hood with 3 panels for exceptional fit and protection
- 2-wayYKKmouldedcentrefront zip with rear insulated baffle
- 2 zipped hand warmer pockets behind insulated flaps
- Inner zipped security pocket
- Adjustable cuffs and hemdrawcords