SuperStrand XT Hoodie

This is Outdoor Researchs answer for cold-weather movement: a synthetic puffy that keeps insulating when it gets damp, which down will not. VerticalX and SuperStrand fills put the warmth where you lose it - extra in the torso, lighter at the hood and sleeves - so it breathes better than a boxy down jacket on the climb. Around 11 ounces, it is not the lightest layer you can buy, and synthetic never matches down for pure warmth-per-gram in dry cold. But for shoulder-season alpine starts, wet-snow days, and anyone who sweats hard then stops, this is the more honest tool. Reach for down instead only if your trips stay reliably dry and cold.