Really thorough review thanks. I have a patagonia nano for similr reasons you say about down in the damp UK. I assume this is much warmer? I find the nano has its limits and wonder about upgrading for winter but with versatility for staying warmer than down if wetted through.
I've got a nebula pro and was looking at this one and the xenair trying to determine if they were sufficiently different. The nebula is about the same weight, the xenair is probably more breathable. I wonder which ones do best with keeping the heat in against strong wind or in the wet.
@@jonuiuc the xenair is the most breathable and best for leaving on while moving. It will keep most of the wind out but not all. The cirrus ultra is warmer than the nebula and feel more packable. Both the cirrus and nebula are very windproof and warm, some wind may get through the stitching holes but will protect from the weather more than the xenair. Hope this helps
Xenair alpine is more breathable and hence more for active use. The cirrus ultra will offer more warmth for the weight and pack size but not as breathable. So the cirrus is better for static use. Hope this helps
Very nice jacket. Unfortunately i have trusting issues with brand, that are testing their models in UK mountain conditions. On the other side, Salewa or Mammut are testing all of their products in hard environment such as peaks that are higher then 3000 m.
@@KiritSankarGupta the cirrus ultra feels warmer in testing than the Nebula. The tilt lining helps with this and also it means it feels warm quicker reflecting the heat you create. It also packs smaller than the nebula. The face fabric can stand up to abrasion quite well but could snag like all light jackets. Extra tough face fabric can add a lot of weight and take away the pack size, which is where the cirrus excels
Hydrophobic down negates almost all of the points against down in this video. I've faced torrential rain conditions and tarp failures this year and haven't needed to reproof my down sleeping bag since its still lofting. my jacket does need a go with some nikwax but I'll do that when my bag starts getting clumpy, or i get bored, whatever comes first. My Life Outdoors did a video on Downtek, worth a watch. Currently the only reason not to get down is price or functionality. If you want an insulated jacket that you can wear while being active in UK winters, at least below Hadrian's wall, synthetic is pretty much it.
@@lesallan4042 they have, particularly Salewa. Seems to work better as a breathable warm jacket to leave on rather than a mega packable warm jacket for static use. Mainly as not as compressible as down.
@@ben2515 think would increase cost and bulk. For technical hill use its usually better if they are all separate layers. That way if you over heat yet it's still wet out you can remove the insulation layer and leave the shell. And vice versa. However a warm , waterproof jacket like to the Rab Valiance is pretty useful as a general winter jacket!
Then get a parka. Good for walking the dog and watching the kids play football and that's about it. Some people around my way even walk around in Dry Robes.
The only problem with even the most advanced synthetics today is their short lifespan. A DWR coated down will last you 15+ years while synthetic jacket starts to degrade and loses insulating property within 3 years, sometimes earlier depending on use.
To be specific, nothing beats down when it comes to it's warmth to weight ratio. Outside of that though, it's not so simple as it varies alot depending on what you are doing and where you are doing it.
@@rcole134 I use down clothing for everything, including my sleeping bags. My Rab Batura goose down expedition jacket, for example, is ultra-warm and totally waterproof during heavy storms of rain, sleet, snow or gales in the mountains or winter in the forests. During severe cold & storms I'll add Mountain Equipment Expedition goose down pants. It I'm mainly static for prolonged periods I'll change my Scarpa Manta boots for Rab Expedition Goose down boots, fitted inside Outdoor Research Brooks Rangers Gore-Tex overboots. For more active use while trekking or climbing, I'll pack a North Face Summit Guide Gore-Tex jacket and Mountain Equipment Senja down jacket. For winter sleeping, I use a Rab 1100 down -25C sleeping bag if in a car or tent/bivvy. If I'm sleeping on top of an exposed mountain in winter with no bivvy or tent, then I'll use a Mountain Hardwear Ghost SL -40C/-40f 800 goose down waterproof sleeping bag.
@@thrash123ful A synthetic is NOT waterproof 😂 (Unless it's a fully plastic Mac that is totally unbreathable and a sweat box). A synthetic material needs a waterproof membrane underneath the outer layer (such as Gore-Tex/sympatex etc) and then a DWR coating on the outer layer to make the water droplets 'bead'. Modern goose and duck down is also treated in a water repellent process to prevent it from absorbing water, and then the outer shell is given a waterproof & breathable membrane (such as Pertex Shield) plus an outer DWR coating. My goose down jacket 🧥 and goose down sleeping bag are both breathable and totally waterproof.
@@Globetrotter-1 All those DWR treatments are not water proof but water resistant and are temporary after a little time it wears off. Its not the down thats weather resistant its the DWR.If one was to get wet the Synthetic would dry much faster.Both have pluses and negatives depending on what you want.
When people talks about the disadvantages of down, why nobody mentions the fact that animals have to die for it to be produced? Choose synthetic o admit you hate animals.
Nobody is killing🪿 for your jackets, it would be insanely expensive. Geese are killed for food in Asian markets where foul is primary source of meats. Down clothing is made from geese used for consumption. Whether you wear a down jacket or not, people will continue to eat meats they ate for thousand years.
It’s the cycle of life. Instead of trying to tell people what to eat, why not advocate for more humane dispatching methods and better welfare for the animals instead? That’s much more realistic and I think a lot of people would get behind it.
Almost anything is better than a down jacket. Get it wet, it's useless. It has to be babied constantly. In any environment with actual weather, or if you're going out for more than a couple of hours, leave your down at home. Polartec alphatech, a polyester fleece midlayer, and a good raincoat works best for me. Rab is frustrating. Most of their gear is almost good, but let down by one or two misfeatures. In this case, no armpit vents. And Rab is pricy.
Down jackets were never invented for wet UK climates they were invented for dry alpine activities. Down is superior in terms of warmth and longevity whereas synthetic wears out when it's been crumpled a few thousand times whereas down is still going strong. Every type of garment has its own strengths and weaknesses .
I’d put my rab expedition batura jacket against this jacket! Made in Sheffield with eider down properly made in the uk…not made in China like they are now.
Would be interested in comparison with the P
Oreus from Mountain Equipment
coming up soon!
@@wizzoneill the Oreus video has now landed and in the comments we chat about the comparisons
@OutsideHathersage saw the vid, nice you had access to it for so long 😁
Really thorough review thanks.
I have a patagonia nano for similr reasons you say about down in the damp UK.
I assume this is much warmer?
I find the nano has its limits and wonder about upgrading for winter but with versatility for staying warmer than down if wetted through.
@@jonarific8504 I would say noticeably warmer than a nano puff. Much thicker with out being much heavier. Also warm very quickly with the tilt liner.
is it much warmer than the patagonia down hooded sweater jacket?
I've got a nebula pro and was looking at this one and the xenair trying to determine if they were sufficiently different. The nebula is about the same weight, the xenair is probably more breathable. I wonder which ones do best with keeping the heat in against strong wind or in the wet.
@@jonuiuc the xenair is the most breathable and best for leaving on while moving. It will keep most of the wind out but not all. The cirrus ultra is warmer than the nebula and feel more packable. Both the cirrus and nebula are very windproof and warm, some wind may get through the stitching holes but will protect from the weather more than the xenair. Hope this helps
@@OutsideHathersage Thanks this is great info.
@jonuiuc your welcome 🙏
I'd imagine pretty much all year round here in Scotland. Summer and winter aren't that different. At least in terms of how wet it gets.
@@border304 too right!
compared to the rab nebula pro, which one would u recommend?
@@KINGNEF cirrus ultra from me. The tilt lining makes it warmer quicker while it packs up smaller
Which packs down smaller? Cirrus Alpine Insulated Jacket or the Cirrus Ultra?
@@JustinLeafweaver fairly similar in pack size but the ultra is a lot warmer
would u recommend this one for the winter too? for example in germany
Give it pit zips to help with the breathability and it would be much better
Very much a jacket built for maximum warmth for weight ratio. Pit zips at wright and cost and would lose some heat.
cirrus clouds are thin and wispy
they should've name it the cumulus - the puffy ones!
Has any testing been done regardind how the TILT lining affects the accuracy of avalanche transceivers?
How does it compare to Xenair Alpine Jacket? Thanks
Xenair alpine is more breathable and hence more for active use. The cirrus ultra will offer more warmth for the weight and pack size but not as breathable. So the cirrus is better for static use. Hope this helps
@@OutsideHathersageThanks
AMAZING VIDEO!
Thank you
Nice jacket
Perfect for Norwegian weather 😅
Very nice jacket. Unfortunately i have trusting issues with brand, that are testing their models in UK mountain conditions. On the other side, Salewa or Mammut are testing all of their products in hard environment such as peaks that are higher then 3000 m.
@@Pachosk they have many athletes and testers taking gear up to 8000m, maybe not this jacket but they have plenty of others!
How would you say this compares to the nebula pro? Also is the outer fabric durable ripstop, like it is on some other Rab puffers?
@@KiritSankarGupta the cirrus ultra feels warmer in testing than the Nebula. The tilt lining helps with this and also it means it feels warm quicker reflecting the heat you create. It also packs smaller than the nebula. The face fabric can stand up to abrasion quite well but could snag like all light jackets. Extra tough face fabric can add a lot of weight and take away the pack size, which is where the cirrus excels
Hydrophobic down negates almost all of the points against down in this video. I've faced torrential rain conditions and tarp failures this year and haven't needed to reproof my down sleeping bag since its still lofting. my jacket does need a go with some nikwax but I'll do that when my bag starts getting clumpy, or i get bored, whatever comes first.
My Life Outdoors did a video on Downtek, worth a watch. Currently the only reason not to get down is price or functionality. If you want an insulated jacket that you can wear while being active in UK winters, at least below Hadrian's wall, synthetic is pretty much it.
I disagree and prefer down jackets for all conditions year round, winter ❄️ snow storms, severe cold weather, or heavy rains.
Definitely prefer synthetic even if I need an extra few layers.
I'm completely opposite and will always prefer down clothing in all conditions.
Has any manufacturer tried sheep’s wool fluffed up as the insulation in these jackets?
It would help the wool industry if it worked .
@@lesallan4042 they have, particularly Salewa. Seems to work better as a breathable warm jacket to leave on rather than a mega packable warm jacket for static use. Mainly as not as compressible as down.
Isobaa also sell them.
But I do want this to be waterproof - then it genuinely does it all!
@@ben2515 think would increase cost and bulk. For technical hill use its usually better if they are all separate layers.
That way if you over heat yet it's still wet out you can remove the insulation layer and leave the shell. And vice versa.
However a warm , waterproof jacket like to the Rab Valiance is pretty useful as a general winter jacket!
Then get a parka. Good for walking the dog and watching the kids play football and that's about it. Some people around my way even walk around in Dry Robes.
The only problem with even the most advanced synthetics today is their short lifespan. A DWR coated down will last you 15+ years while synthetic jacket starts to degrade and loses insulating property within 3 years, sometimes earlier depending on use.
Heather Cape
I'll stick with my DOWN only jackets thanks , and my sheepskin jackets too thanks 🤣🤣🤣 . Synthetic , no thanks .
Nothing beats duck and goose down. The waterproof breathable down jackets are perfect and beat synthetics in every condition.
To be specific, nothing beats down when it comes to it's warmth to weight ratio. Outside of that though, it's not so simple as it varies alot depending on what you are doing and where you are doing it.
@@rcole134 I use down clothing for everything, including my sleeping bags.
My Rab Batura goose down expedition jacket, for example, is ultra-warm and totally waterproof during heavy storms of rain, sleet, snow or gales in the mountains or winter in the forests. During severe cold & storms I'll add Mountain Equipment Expedition goose down pants. It I'm mainly static for prolonged periods I'll change my Scarpa Manta boots for Rab Expedition Goose down boots, fitted inside Outdoor Research Brooks Rangers Gore-Tex overboots. For more active use while trekking or climbing, I'll pack a North Face Summit Guide Gore-Tex jacket and Mountain Equipment Senja down jacket.
For winter sleeping, I use a Rab 1100 down -25C sleeping bag if in a car or tent/bivvy. If I'm sleeping on top of an exposed mountain in winter with no bivvy or tent, then I'll use a Mountain Hardwear Ghost SL -40C/-40f 800 goose down waterproof sleeping bag.
Hmmm that a first i've heard that down is water proof.I have both for for longevity and getting wet Synthetic is the way to go.
@@thrash123ful A synthetic is NOT waterproof 😂 (Unless it's a fully plastic Mac that is totally unbreathable and a sweat box).
A synthetic material needs a waterproof membrane underneath the outer layer (such as Gore-Tex/sympatex etc) and then a DWR coating on the outer layer to make the water droplets 'bead'.
Modern goose and duck down is also treated in a water repellent process to prevent it from absorbing water, and then the outer shell is given a waterproof & breathable membrane (such as Pertex Shield) plus an outer DWR coating.
My goose down jacket 🧥 and goose down sleeping bag are both breathable and totally waterproof.
@@Globetrotter-1 All those DWR treatments are not water proof but water resistant and are temporary after a little time it wears off. Its not the down thats weather resistant its the DWR.If one was to get wet the Synthetic would dry much faster.Both have pluses and negatives depending on what you want.
When people talks about the disadvantages of down, why nobody mentions the fact that animals have to die for it to be produced? Choose synthetic o admit you hate animals.
I love animals, they’re delicious
Nobody is killing🪿 for your jackets, it would be insanely expensive. Geese are killed for food in Asian markets where foul is primary source of meats. Down clothing is made from geese used for consumption. Whether you wear a down jacket or not, people will continue to eat meats they ate for thousand years.
Nope they are killed to eat, down is a by product.
@@dcentral came here to say this
It’s the cycle of life. Instead of trying to tell people what to eat, why not advocate for more humane dispatching methods and better welfare for the animals instead? That’s much more realistic and I think a lot of people would get behind it.
Parker Ridge
Almost anything is better than a down jacket. Get it wet, it's useless. It has to be babied constantly. In any environment with actual weather, or if you're going out for more than a couple of hours, leave your down at home. Polartec alphatech, a polyester fleece midlayer, and a good raincoat works best for me.
Rab is frustrating. Most of their gear is almost good, but let down by one or two misfeatures. In this case, no armpit vents. And Rab is pricy.
Down jackets were never invented for wet UK climates they were invented for dry alpine activities. Down is superior in terms of warmth and longevity whereas synthetic wears out when it's been crumpled a few thousand times whereas down is still going strong. Every type of garment has its own strengths and weaknesses .
Utter bollocks, I’m fed up of Rab marketing and price nonsense!! Much cheaper brands just as good!!! 😡
@@grahamjones2454 fair enough.
I’d put my rab expedition batura jacket against this jacket! Made in Sheffield with eider down properly made in the uk…not made in China like they are now.
03:55 "Its not fully waterproof". I live in England so its no good to me. Stopped watching.
Apart from a goretex shell, what the hell you want. This video is for warm jackets, go search RUclips for rain jackets...
The orange hood liner doesn't look good with zipped down that wee bit