Rab Cirrus Insulated Jacket
PrimaLoft synthetic, packs to a water bottle
4.4 on Amazon
Synthetic keeps insulating when it gets damp, which in a Himalayan spring matters more than the extra warmth-per-gram of down — it is noticeably less warm than a down jacket of the same weight, and that is the deal.
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Do not buy this if: Sub-zero evenings at 5,000 m as your only warm layer. This is the mid-layer under a down jacket, not a replacement for one.
Not every route needs it. These are the ones where our guides would put it on your list.
Everything else we recommend in insulation & down, including the ones we think suit a different trekker.
Best down jacket to ownRab Microlight Alpine Down Jacket
Warm, well-cut and light enough to carry all day — but understand what you are buying: a rental shop in Thamel will hire you a warmer expedition jacket for a few dollars a day, and we earn nothing telling you that.
Expedition down jacket (−20 °C)
You need this for perhaps three evenings of an Everest Base Camp trek. Buying one costs several hundred dollars; renting one in Kathmandu costs a few, and the shops keep them in good condition because their business depends on it.
Rental shops in Kathmandu and Pokhara carry this — about usd 1-2 per day in thamel or lakeside. We take nothing from that.
