Down coats

A down jacket has a filling of down feathers to keep you warm – hence its light weight. Feathers are also added to the down to give a bit more weight to the stuffing. If (more than) 80% down (feathers) is used, it is considered to have a quality ratio.

The down itself usually comes from ducks or geese. Does that make it an animal-unfriendly product? Not if you buy your down jacket from A.S.Adventure. We do not sell anything from suppliers that pluck the down from live animals. So what is used? Down recycled from other products or down feathers from free-roaming animals that lose some of their down naturally. In short, it’s responsible down!

Now comes the bad news: no, a down jacket can never be completely waterproof. But there’s still some good news: a down jacket does repel water. This means that a down jacket does allow you to hike (for a short time) in light rain. But a down jacket is no match for a real downpour. The down feathers easily absorb moisture, making them heavy and causing them to lose their insulating capacity.

The water-repellent layer of your down jacket should be renewed regularly, by the way. This ensures that the down is less likely to absorb water, keeping you protected even in humid conditions! So make sure you take the time to take care of your down jacket.

Good question! It’s best not to just throw a down jacket in the washing machine with ‘normal’ detergent. Preferably, you should even clean the detergent tray to remove any residual detergent. Always use a special detergent suitable for down. This is how you can really clean your jacket without compromising its technical performance. Do you also want to make your down jacket waterproof again? Then wash it one more time with an impregnating agent for down.