This Rohan jacket has undergone testing in one of the coldest places in Britain: on the football terrace. And despite being the colour of the away team’s jersey, it proved itself very warm – easily one of the warmest on test. On the mountain it works well too for camp stops and very cold walks. For me, however, the drawback is its bulk. The Daybreak features 800 fill-power down, and lots of it – too much, I’d say.
Compare this with The North Face offering or the Outdoor Research pullover and there’s no comparison in bulk, especially if you want to put a hardshell over it. It also has the biggest baffles, and I’d be concerned at down migration over time. It does pack down tightly, however, and it is very light – the face fabric seems particularly thin. It’s sold as a jacket for travel/everyday/football terrace (I made the last one up), and I’d say that’s accurate. Probably the warmest here but just a bit bulky for mountain use compared with the rest.
First published: Feb 2014
