Down suit on Everest
Also called: Expedition-weight down suit
What it is for
A one-piece down suit for the extreme cold of an 8000-metre summit day. There are no gaps between jacket and trousers for the wind to find.
What Everest asks for
Standard
High camps and summit day: one-piece expedition suit, 800 fill power or more, with relief zips; a down jacket plus down trousers is the alternative few choose, sent ahead to a higher camp
What to look for
- Fill weight
- How many grams of insulation are inside. At the same fill power, more grams is warmer.
- Fill power
- How much space an ounce of down fills, in cubic inches: higher lofts more and is warmer for its weight. US and European tests give different numbers, so compare like with like.
