Decathlon Forclaz MT100 Hooded Down Puffer Jacket Evaluation

The Decathlon Forclaz MT100 ($100) is a no-frills hooded down jacket designed to be used as a light-weight three-season insulation layer when tenting or throughout mountaineering relaxation stops to keep away from turning into chilled. Insulated with 800 fill energy down, it’s surprisingly cheap in comparison with comparable jackets that price two or thrice extra. If you would like a down hooded jacket that may preserve you heat all the way down to 40F levels and also you don’t thoughts the jacket’s barely outsized hood, the MT100 is an efficient purchase. For colder temperatures, we’d advocate buying a hotter down jacket from Decathlon or one other value-oriented model corresponding to REI, Eddie Bauer, or LL Bean.

Specs at a Look

• Males’s and girls’s fashions can be found
• Whole Weight: 11.4 oz in a males’s XL
• Consolation vary: 23F-41F
• Insulation: 800 fill energy RDS-certified down (10% gray duck feather, 90% gray duck down)
• Insulation weight: 3.1 oz in a dimension medium
• Pockets: 2 zippered handwarmer pockets, jacket stuffs right into a pocket.
• Building: Sewn Via
• Shell Cloth: 15d Polyamide
• Harness loop: Sure

Building

The Decathlon Forclaz MT100 is insulated with 800-fill energy RDS-certified duck down which is a bit uncommon for a jacket at this value, since most lower-cost down jackets are insulated with 650-fill energy down. Earlier than you ask, the 800-fill energy duck down utilized in MT100 is simply as heat as 800-fill energy goose down as a result of fill energy is a species-independent measurement. Duck down is inexpensive than goose down nevertheless as a result of there’s a a lot bigger provide of it.

The MT100 has a sewn-through baffle design, the place the inside and exterior cloth are sewn collectively to create pockets to carry the down insulation. Whereas some warmth can escape on the seams, this system is the norm on budget-priced down jackets as a result of it’s easier and cheaper to stitch than the field baffled design discovered on hotter and dearer jackets.

Options

The Decathlon MT100 Jacket has a minimal function set. It has an outsized, non-adjustable hood, a YKK zipper with a zipper storage on the high, two zippered handwarmer pockets, elasticated wrist cuffs, and a shock-cord waist adjustment to seal out drafts from under. There’s no chest pocket for storing a cellphone and no inner pockets for storing additional gloves or snacks. The hood is outsized and never adjustable to seal in physique warmth, however it’s massive sufficient to suit over a climbing helmet. There’s additionally a harness loop so that you stuff the jacket into one in every of its handwarmer pockets and fasten it to a climbing harness.

Temperature Ranking

Decathlon assigns the MT100 jacket a consolation score of 41 levels F. That’s correct so long as you’re layering it over a jersey and a mid-layer and carrying a heat hat. It truly is a light-weight down jacket and is finest utilized in hotter climate.

Jackets just like the MT100 are supposed to be worn in camp whenever you’re hanging out with buddies or cooking meals or throughout a relaxation cease so you’ll be able to shortly put one thing heat on to keep away from a chill.  They’re not an optimum lively layering choice whenever you’re mountaineering since you’ll shortly overheat when carrying one, they don’t soak up perspiration, and don’t wick it out of your baselayer like a fleece. See our Decathlon Quechua MH100 Evaluation for a mid-layer fleece we advocate, which enhances the MT100 properly.

Match

The MT100 in a dimension males’s XL is true-to-size by way of sleeve size and torso size though it’s a bit cosy across the chest. The sizing is simply massive sufficient to accommodate a base and mid-layer. The hood is massive and non-adjustable. Whereas its opening is bordered by elastic, it’s too loosely tensioned to shut the hole between the hood and one’s face. We advocate you put on a fleece or wool hat when utilizing the hood to maintain your head hotter.

Suggestion

The Decathlon MT100 Hooded Down Jacket is an affordable packable down puffer insulated with 800 fill energy down that’s priced lower than comparable jackets supplied by different producers. Should you solely want a down jacket for three-season mountaineering and backpacking use to maintain you heat to about 40 levels, then it’s a fairly good worth for the cash like a lot of Decathlon’s different merchandise. However in the event you want a jacket for colder circumstances, I’d advocate getting a heavier jacket with a greater hood and extra down insulation. Decathlon additionally makes a hoodless down jacket known as the Forclaz MT500 which has a 32F diploma consolation score and could also be a very good various. The benefit of a hoodless jacket is that it may be worn beneath hooded rain jacket or winter shell extra simply than a hooded puffy.

Disclosure: Decathlon donated a jacket for assessment.

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