Chris Townsend reviews a warm and water-resistant jacket great for very cold weather.
The Mountain Equipment Skyline is part of our down jackets gear guide, and was first published in the January 2019 issue of The Great Outdoors.
For the depths of winter this is an excellent down jacket that is very light for the warmth. It also has a far more water-resistant shell than most. Rather than relying on a DWR surface treatment it has a thin polyurethane coating with a hydrostatic head of 1500mm, which will resist all but the heaviest rain. Of course, the seams aren’t sealed so the jacket as a whole isn’t waterproof.
ME was one of the first companies to take the ethics of down seriously, and all the down used meets its Down Codex approved and audited supply chain. Every down item has a barcode and the down can be traced on the Down Codex website. The down in the test garment came from farms in China’s Shangdong province that were visited in the autumn of 2016.
The Mountain Equipment Skyline has a big hood that can be snugged down to fit round your head, plus two roomy pockets that are usable when wearing a hipbelt though the bottom of them is cut off.
The Skyline is comfortable, and the thickness gives a feeling of security when it’s really cold. The Large size is quite roomy and fits well over a fairly thick fleece.
