A down jacket is an essential piece of kit for climbing Kilimanjaro.
Not only does it keep you warm around camp on cold evenings when temperatures plummet, it’s also a key component of your summit day outfit. Down is said to be 30 per cent more thermally effective for its weight than any other material.
Capestorm Pack Down jacket
I have to confess the first thing I liked about this jacket was its colour, which is exactly the same as a dung beetle’s wings – an iridescent forest green. (It also comes in powder blue, midnight blue and black for people who aren’t fond of dungbeetles.)
The second was its soft fleece cuffs, and the third was the way I could pack it into the little bag it came with and use it as a pillow. The fact that it stopped me shivering and kept me warm in the coldest temperatures we encountered on Kili was also very good, of course. If there’s one gripe I have, it’s that the torso is cut quite slim, so women with hips may have to buy a size larger than their arms warrant in order to fit it over their bottoms.
Other features you should know about include a large interior chest pocket perfect for keeping batteries operational in the cold (you could even fit a compact camera in there), zip up hand pockets, baffled zipper, lengthened back to cover your bottom better and a draw cord at the hem. It’s made from water-repellent, breathable VO2 Max fabric and filled with 225g of premier 650 fill-power goose down. Bring on the ice!
Weight: 540g
RRP: R1100
First Ascent Glacier jacket
The First Ascent Glacier jacket offers very similar features: it’s also got 600+ fill power down, zip up hand pockets, baffled zipper, extra long back, draw cord and comes with a little bag you can pack it into.
Although its internal chest pocket is quite small, it also has a larger externally-accessed chest pocket that’s underneath the down, which is actually even better for a camera because you can get to it without opening the jacket. The elasticated Velcro-adjustable cuffs are great if you want to fit your gloves underneath. It’s made from breathable, water-repellent Microtex fabrics.
Weight: 595g
RRP: R1195
