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The Trango is an ultra-warm yet impressively lightweight and packable down jacket for expeditions, remote mountaineering trips or essentially any time you need a tonne of warmth for very little weight.
What is it made of?Insulation: The Trango uses 269g (size large) of 700 fill-power down to provide massive amounts of warmth whilst weighing just over 700g in total. Although the quality of the down is impressive, it's the way it's distributed around the jacket that's the really amazing bit. A normal down jacket will feature a singular layer of baffles connected together with stitching — this is simple, lightweight and easy to manufacture, but it allows heat to escape through all those stitch points. Mountain Equipment have combated this by using two layers of baffles throughout the jacket, a bit like double-glazed glass. This means they're able to place the second layer of baffles over the stitch points, meaning less heat is lost through stitch points.
Fabrics: Surrounding all this down is a Drilite Loft 40D outer fabric. This fabric is completely windproof and highly water resistant, protecting both you and the insulation from moisture. Please note, this does not make the jacket waterproof. It still has lots of stitching that'll eventually allow water through.
As if all that wasn't enough, M.E have used a heat-reflecting inner fabric to provide additional warmth with virtually no weight penalty.
What are its features?Features-wise, you have a helmet-compatible hood with plenty of adjustment to allow the hood to cinch down to your head size when not wearing a helmet, a two-way front zip to fit the jacket over a climbing harness, two zipped handwarmer pockets, two zipped napoleon chest pockets, one internal security pocket and two large internal mesh pockets. Plenty of storage then! Other useful features include hem drawcords and adjustable cuffs to trap warmth and a handy stuffsack to pack the jacket away when not in use.
Where does it fit in the layering system?The Trango is designed primarily as an outer layer in sub-zero conditions.
- Drilite Loft 40D outer
- Heat-reflective inner fabric
- 700 fill-power down insulation
- Helmet-compatible hood
- Double-layer baffle construction
- Inner zipped security pocket
- Two hand pockets
- Two chest pockets
- Included stuffsack
- Adjustable cuffs
- Dual-tether hem drawcords
- Two-way main zip
How Should Your Insulated Jacket Fit?
Insulated jackets are pedantic little things. Too tight and you'll compress the insulation and limit the warmth capabilities of your brand new jacket, too loose and you'll spend hours warming up the dead space inside the jacket. Getting the correct fit isn't just about aesthetics, it will determine how warm you are.
The Incorrect Fit
Too loose: A jacket which is too loose will keep you relatively warm, however it will take far longer to do so and will waste large amounts of your precious energy. An insulated jacket works by trapping the natural heat that your body gives off in the fibres of the insulation; this creates a micro-climate inside your jacket, keeping you warm and toasty. If your jacket is too loose, heat will be able to escape through the hem, the sleeves and the neck of the jacket; it's a little like sticking the heating on in your car with the windows cracked open - it will heat up, just incredibly slowly.
Too tight: A jacket which is too tight is arguably worse than one that is too loose. If your jacket is far too tight, the baffles can compress to a point where the insulation can't loft effectively, limiting the amount of warmth it can trap. Essentially, it won't work!
The Correct Fit
It's a tricky one to explain, but it's somewhere in the middle. You've first got to consider how many layers you'll tend to wear underneath; will you have just a t-shirt then the jacket, or possibly a baselayer, midlayer and then the jacket? When you've figured out your layers and you've popped your insulated jacket over the top, you shouldn't have any dead space inside. The cuffs and hem should be comfortably sealed around your waist and wrists with room to move. You should be able to lift an arm up above your head without the hem of the jacket lifting more than an inch or so, and the sleeves should be long enough that when carrying out the same motion, they aren't mid-way up your forearm. Your shoulders and chest area should have enough room so that your hands can touch behind your back without feeling restricted.
Additional Information
Lastly, consider which activites you'll primarily be carrying out while wearing the jacket. Are you primarily using it as a winter climbing piece, or an everyday/dog walking jacket? You'll find that technical climbing jackets tend to feature a shorter cut, while urban and casual jackets feature a longer cut to offer additional warmth with less mobility.
To see examples of what a badly fitting and correctly fitting jacket looks like, click here.