Choosing Your Insulation

You may be looking for the ultimate insulation to warm up cold mornings in the mountains, a waterproof and insulated two-in-one, or simply something warm for your morning commute. Whatever your needs are, our insulating guide has you covered.

the permafrost jacket and vest

The hardcore durable puffer. The Permafrost is where cutting-edge, lightweight, down insulation technology collides with the highly durable, hardcore outer fabric. This puffer is built for the depths of winter, keeping you toasty when taking smoko in the frost and bashing through snowy hillsides.

Glacier Jacket

A world class puffer jacket achieved by teaming up with world-renowned and specialist puffer jacket brands Pertex and Primaloft, combined with our premium features and ruthless attention to detail. When it comes to a purist puffer jacket, the Glacier follows a traditional design and maximises every inch with the world's best fabrics and insulation, all sustainably sourced.

Sleet Jacket

Engineered for extreme Winter missions when heavy rain and snow is unavoidable. This high performing 2 in 1 combines the water proofing (25,000mm rating) of an outer shell rain layer with the incredible insulation of a puffer jacket and will retain loft/warmth if the fill does get wet. Enabling you to stay warm through the storm and pack lighter by not taking a separate puffer jacket into the hills.

Insulation FAQs

There are two main differences:

Outer: The shell of the Permafrost Jacket and Vest has a hardcore polyester rip-stop finish, making it best suited for bashing through the bush and withstanding abrasion. The Glacier Jacket has a traditional PERTEX® Quantum Eco 50D shell, suited for open, Alpine landscapes.
Fill: The Permafrost Jacket and Permafrost Vest has a 100% RDS Certified natural down fill, while the Glacier Jacket has a fill blend of synthetic PRIMALOFT® Silver, and RDS Certified natural down (both have 650 fill power).

Our Sleet Jacket is our waterproof puffer. It has a 25,000mm Waterproof Rating and is designed to combine the best of both worlds: effective waterproofness with the warmth of a puffer jacket.

The rest of our insulation range is treated with PFC free Durable Water Repellent. This makes them water-resistant and will shed out light rain and snow.

Responsible Down Standard (RDS) is the standard that certifies products that contain feathers and down from certified farms.

We go to great lengths to ensure that all natural down used in our Hunters Element puffers are RDS certified, and we take care to trace our natural fill all the way back to the farm. You can read more about our fill supply chain here.

PFC DWR stands for Perfluorinated Compound Free Durable Water Repellent. Perfluorinated Compound (PFC) are chemicals commonly used in waterproof outdoor apparel as well as many more common household items such as nonstick cookware and paints. We aren’t fans of the by-products that come from using these chemicals and their impact on the environment.

All DWR used in the Hunters Element range is PFC free, and you can read more about our choice to use this type of PFC free DWR here.

PERTEX® is a high-performance fabric brand specialising in fabrics used by alpinists, skiers and mountain athletes. We use the PERTEX® Quantum Eco 50D fabric for the Shell of our Glacier Jacket. This incredible fabric is exceptionally light and tough for maximum breathability and packability.

PRIMALOFT® is a leading brand of synthetic down fill, and the Glacier Jacket uses a blend of RDS certified natural down and the PRIMALOFT® Silver down – combining the benefits of synthetic and natural down. Our Sleet Jacket has a PRIMALOFT® Gold down insulation.

"Fill power" is a term used to measure the quality and loftiness of down in puffer jackets. It refers to the volume that one ounce (28 grams) of down fills in cubic inches (in³) when allowed to expand fully. The higher the fill power, the greater the loft and insulation capability of the down.

Fill power is typically measured on a scale ranging from around 400 to 900 or higher.

Our Permafrost Jacket and Vest as well as our Glacier Jacket both have 650 fill power – meaning they have an excellent warmth-to-weight ratio.

Loft refers to down’s ability to trap and hold air within its structure and is used synonymously with “fill power” when we talk about puffer jackets. The higher the fill power, the higher the loft. More loft means more warmth, and better compression when stuffed away in your pack.

When you've got to wash all the blood and guts off your jacket, we recommend washing by hand, in a bathtub, in cold water using a Sportswash. Rinse thoroughly and allow to air dry. No not dry clean. Avoid using power detergents, or any other detergent which is scented or has UV brighteners.

Durable water repellent coatings, even when not used often, wear off over time. This can be noticed when water stops beading off the outer fabric. To reapply the DWR and get the waterproofing back to new, wash it in a sports wash or DWR replenish wash. Alternatively, a DWR spray will replenish the water repellence. We like the Grangers or Nikwax range for this.

We all know the power of a deer’s nose. However, they also have the ability to detect UV in clothing which stands out similarly to how humans see blaze orange.

BUYING GUIDE SUMMARY

Whether you're an avid outdoorsman looking for a jacket that can withstand freezing mountain mornings, or you simply desire a cozy option for your daily commutes, this insulation guide will direct you towards the right choice featuring a range of high-quality insulation options available.

Hunters Element aims to provide customers with the best possible insulation solutions for their outdoor adventures.