Independent review by Classic Sailor   

The new mid-layer for sailing clothing could be said to have become the down jacket in recent times. Much beloved by climbers for its lightweight, minimal space and maximum warming effect the down jacket is almost ubiquitous – and why not? They are great bits of kit and double as a deck blouson; they are water-repellant rather than waterproof, but the two tested here have both done well on rainy days so far.

Both jackets come from Decathlon, both are hooded and both pack away into their own pocket, crushing down to almost a pencil case size and weighing little. The first is the Forclaz Trek 500 Mountain trekking down jacket – which, with it ribbed cells of   85% duck down / 15% feathers (plucked from ducks slaughtered for their meat), is the more traditional looking jacket. With just over 100g of filling it boasts a fill power guaranteed to be 800 CUIN (European standard), it weighs just 290 grammes. To us it felt very warm and had the effect of immediately warming us on very cold days – so it did the job very well.

FORCLAZ TREK 100 Padded jacket with hood

The second jacket is not strictly a down jacket. But nevertheless the Forclaz Trek 100 with its square cells of polyester wadding is a good winter jacket with a certified comfort rating in temperatures down to -6° (in light airs). The wadding is 70% recycled and distributed at 100g/sqm on the body and 80g/sqm on sleeves and hood according to Decathlon. This is slightly heavier at 370 grammes.

Both these jackets are doing well after numerous outings where they’re often kept in crushed (pocket) mode before needing to be worn. You wouldn’t wear these dinghy sailing but on deck on an icy morning they act as great heat retainers. They are long enough to cover the kidneys without hindering movement and the tailoring makes them versatile.

Surely the best aspect is the price – at £39.99 for the down version 500 and £29.99 for the 100 (though this is on offer at £19.99 at the moment (in mid Feb)). DMH

See the 500:   HERE

See the 100:  HERE

500 down jacket in its own pocket

100 padded jacket in its own pocket