Haglofs L.I.M Barrier Jacket (Primaloft Aerogel Version)
Special Mention: Ultralight Synthetic Insulated Jacket
Primaloft's integration of Aerogel into their premium synthetic insulation has finally bridged the gap between synthetic and down. When you look at some of the premium down pull-ons like the Crux Turbo (£230) for example which uses 75g of 900 fill power goose down, the weight difference minimally favours the Haglofs' synthetic (Large Barrier = 235g, Medium Turbo = 235g). It's hard to know which is warmer, but my guess is that they're roughly on a par. What we do know is that for wet conditions one used to pay a significant weight premium for synthetic and those days are now behind us, at least for jackets that use Primaloft's Cross Core insulation.
Everything on the Barrier is finished to Haglofs high standards and though, with a full RRP of £180, it's not cheap by any means, it's still competitive against jackets pushing "traditional insulation" to its lightweight limits. An outstanding, high quality, minimalist and genuinely ultralight insulated jacket with some old fashioned NASA tech thrown in, the Haglofs L.I.M Barrier Jacket with Cross Core Aerogel is definitely worthy of a special mention and in our view is the future of synthetic insulation. We'll put our money on a little "solid air" over "blown into baffles to mimic down".