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Lightline Jacket: Technical Down Jacket from Mountain Equipment

4 minutes read
Quite often there are items that you've been wanting to try out for a long time. For Bergzeit author Arnold, it was a high-performance down jacket. He got it with the Lightline Jacket from Mountain Equipment. Whether the jacket meets his expectations? What it has to do with a warm stove? Read here.

I have always wanted to test a high performance down jacket for high alpine use! The reason: In my mountaineering life so far, which has taken me up to 5,000m and also included numerous winter bivouacs and other really cold adventures, I have always been guided by the classic layering principle.

Mountain Equipment Lightline Jacket
Arnold’s object of desire: the Lightline Jacket from Mountain Equipment.| Photo: Arnold Zimprich

The thermal master

Advantage: You can quickly adapt to the respective weather conditions by choosing the right clothes. Disadvantage: The really cosy warmth known from down is only available in exceptional cases and if so, then only with a certain amount of effort. After all, if in doubt, functional baselayers, fleece jumpers, fleece jackets, and hard shells must be combined.
I, therefore, pack the Lightline Jacket in my rucksack. In contrast to the Mountain Equipment Earthrise Jacket, a down jacket that I happened to be able to hold in my hand at the same time, the Lightline Jacket is much more voluminous. In size, L Mountain Equipment fills the jacket with an impressive 296 grams of 90/10 goose down with 675 cuin. Nevertheless – the pack size is (still) tolerable. After all, the jacket has a properly lined hood!

Making a virtue out of necessity

At the end of October, the Lightline Jacket will take you to an elevated bivouac. It has snowed far down – the temperatures drop well below freezing point at night. Perfect down jacket test weather!

It’s just under 900 meters by bike to the starting point. I accelerate a bit too much – at the end of the trail, my base and midlayer are completely sweaty. In my hurry I forgot to pack a second base-layer, I don’t want to sweat through my sleeping shirt, otherwise, I have nothing left to wear for the night. What to do? Without further ado – please don’t laugh – I put on the Lightline Jacket on my naked upper body.

The temperature should already be scraping at the zero degrees mark, so I’m grateful that the jacket provides pleasant warmth in no time. Quickly put on the hood – and off you go for the final 500 meters of altitude difference up to the overnight accommodation.

Well – the Lightline Jacket saved my ascent. With chubby warmth and rising “inside humidity,” I arrive at the bivouac box, hang up the Lightline Jacket and take care of the cooking. The temperature slowly starts to sink, and so I take the jacket off after half an hour over the cooker and put it on over my PJs.

“Putting on the jacket is like entering a warm oven heated room.”

Wonderful! The moisture that had accumulated on the inner material has almost completely evaporated. Putting on the jacket is like entering a warm oven heated room. I don’t even want to take it off, but at some point, I need to snuggle into my sleeping bag.

Perfect for exposed winter ridge climbs

At six in the morning, I leave the warming sleeping bag feathers. As expected it has minus temperatures. How many, I cannot determine due to lack of thermometers – but it must be between -5°C and -10°C, as far as I can rely on my often tested temperature sensors.
This time I wear the overnight dried baselayer – and let the Lightline Jacket warm me pleasantly on the short summit scramble. No need for a second layer today, I only have the base layer and the Lightline Jacket on, that’s it! Okay, I’m not one of those people who get cold quickly when I’m healthy, but I’m still very impressed. I have never experienced such a comforting warmth in such a short time.

The wind picks up on the ridge. So nothing like putting the hood on your head and closing everything tight. The practical wire reinforcement on the front prevents gusts of wind from pushing the hood down and restricting visibility. I find the Velcro fasteners at the sleeve ends particularly pleasant – if you close them and tie the hip cord, the Lightline Jacket is a real warming miracle. Should it still be snowing or raining, that wouldn’t be an issue either – the product developers at Mountain Equipment have given the Lightline Jacket an outer skin made of Drilite, which is wind and waterproof.

Conclusion on the Mountain Equipment Lightline Jacket

The Mountain Equipment Lightline Jacket convinced me through and through. It is comfortable to wear, provides quick warmth, and has all the technical features that a down jacket, which you also want to use for winter tours and bivouacs, should have. The detachable hood is practical if you climb with a helmet and want to have more freedom of movement. Especially the material is impressive – no icy weather will hold you back from reaching your summits with one of these in your pack. Go get one!

You can find the Lightline Jacket in our Bergzeit Shop:

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Welcome to the Bergzeit Journal! Enjoy our product reviews, buyers' guides, care instructions, packing lists and general tips & tricks for the great outdoors. The Bergzeit Journal editorial team, together with many external authors and mountaineering experts, provide insightful articles on all important mountain and outdoor topics, as well as current industry and background knowledge.