Haglöfs down jackets and insulated jackets: which one gets you through winter

Haglöfs comes from Sweden. Winter there is long, and it changes from day to day: dry cold and powder snow one day, sleet just above freezing the next.

That is why Haglöfs doesn't make one jacket for everything. The brand makes several down and insulated jackets, each for different days. They are designed to work in the mountains and look good in the city.

Which one suits you comes down to three questions. How cold will it be? How wet? And how much will you be moving?

A jacket doesn't create warmth. It traps the heat your body gives off. Down and synthetic insulation do this in different ways.

Down is the warmest and weighs next to nothing. It packs down very small. The one thing it dislikes is moisture: damp down collapses and loses warmth. That is why Haglöfs treats its down to repel water. This helps with snowfall and sweat, but it still doesn't turn the jacket into a rain jacket.

Synthetic insulation is a little heavier and takes up more room in your pack. In return, it keeps you warm even when damp, dries quickly and is easy to care for. Haglöfs calls this insulation MIMIC.

The ROC Flash Down is the jacket for days when things get serious. It is filled with down and has a windproof Pertex outer fabric. Where backpack straps rest, it is built to be especially hard-wearing.

The zip is a practical detail: it also opens from the bottom. That helps when you're wearing a harness or getting too warm on the move.

It comes with or without a hood. The hooded version has a hood that fits over a climbing helmet: ROC Flash Down Hood for men and for women. The version without a hood fits more easily under a rain jacket: ROC Flash Down Jacket for men and for women.

It suits you if you need a warm layer for alpine tours, winter hiking or climbing. For city use only, it can do more than you will need.

At Haglöfs, L.I.M stands for "Less is More". The L.I.M Down II Hood for men and for women is the lightest jacket in this selection. It is filled with particularly high-quality down and has a slim cut.

You can stuff the jacket into its own pocket. That way it disappears into any backpack.

But light also means thin. The fabric doesn't like sharp rock edges or thorns. If you spend a lot of time on rock or in dense scrub, the ROC Flash Down is the tougher choice.

Not every winter day is an expedition. The Hede Down Hood for men and for women is the easy-going down jacket for every day.

It is light, warm and not bulky. The hood is adjustable and the pockets have zips. It looks as much at home in the office as on a hiking trail.

For women, the same jacket also comes in a longer cut: the Hede Down Coat reaches below the hips and keeps your legs warmer too.

The Hede is made for autumn, spring and mild winter days. For hard frost and long breaks outdoors, you'll need more.

In many parts of Europe, winter is wet more often than it is cold. For those days, Haglöfs has two jackets with synthetic insulation.

The Särna Mimic II Hood for women looks like a down jacket and feels almost like one. The difference shows when it gets damp: the insulation keeps you warm. The fabric sheds light rain and snow. It is also the most affordable jacket in this selection.

The Salix Proof Mimic II Parka for men goes one step further. It is windproof and waterproof, insulated and cut longer. With it, you don't need a second jacket for rain.

For a mountain tour, though, a parka is too warm and too long. It comes into its own on the commute, on the train platform and on a walk through sleet.

The table shows where each jacket is strongest. How warm a jacket feels also depends on you: whether you feel the cold easily, what you wear underneath and whether you're moving or standing still.

A tip for tours: you rarely get cold while walking. It gets cold during breaks, at the summit or while belaying. A jacket that packs small and goes on quickly is worth more then than a thick one hanging at home.

Down needs a little more care than synthetic insulation. If you'd rather not bother, the Särna or Salix is the better choice.

The down jackets can go in the washing machine. Haglöfs recommends 40 °C, followed by the tumble dryer on a low setting. Two clean tennis balls in the drum help fluff the down back up. Use a down wash and no fabric softener.

Synthetic insulation is less demanding and can also dry on the line. The exact instructions for each model are on the care label.