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Everything we know about down
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8 articles
Eddie Bauer, hypothermia and the down jacket
In 1936 an American fisherman came home from a winter trip close to death. A year later he patented the first down-filled jacket in history.
Fill power: the only number that actually matters
550, 650, 850. What these numbers mean, why they don't measure warmth, and how to read them properly so you never overpay for bad fill again.
How hip-hop saved the puffer jacket
In 1990s New York the Nuptse wasn't technical gear. It was a uniform, a status marker, a manifesto. Revisiting the decade the mountain met the pavement.
Down or synthetic: is the war over?
PrimaLoft closes the gap on down every year. Purists defend goose. Sustainability advocates push recycled. We compared both camps across five criteria.
Moncler: from an alpine village to the Champs-Élysées
Founded in 1952 to equip factory workers, rescued from bankruptcy in 2003, worth billions today. The story of the house that turned technical gear into an object of desire.
Wearing a puffer without looking like a marshmallow
Volume is the problem. Contrast is the answer. Five simple proportion rules so your maxi puffer gives you presence instead of swallowing you whole.
The tumble dryer is your best friend
Counterintuitive but critical: washing a down jacket without tumble drying it will kill the jacket. The physics of wet down, and the exact method.
RDS, live plucking and recycled down: the real picture
Behind the reassuring labels, the down supply chain remains opaque. What RDS certification actually guarantees, what it leaves out, and which alternatives hold up.
Prefer the short version?
The buying guide condenses most of this into one page: fill power, materials, budgets and care.
Read the buying guide