Ladies's Down Jacket

A: The jacket should fit close to your body without being tight or compressed anywhere. Basically you want to minimize the dead air space between your body and the inner shell of the jacket. You do not want it so tight that it compresses the down in the baffles limiting its ability to insulate.

A: Puffer jacket is the style like where it's puffy. A down jacket has down feathers in it. So a down jacket can be a puffer jacket. But a puffer jacket can be filled with other stuffing besides down. A down jacket is very warm but if a jacket truly has down feathers it can be quite expensive.

A: Good down jackets usually have a weather rating, ie ``good for conditions 32 degrees'' or something similar. If you are not going anywhere too cold (below freezing) any down jacket will probably suffice. They are quite warm, even the less expensive ones. They are also good for water and wind proofing.

A: Depending on what you wear underneath and your level of activity, a lightweight down jacket can provide sufficient warmth to just around freezing. For anything colder than that, you'll want to look in the midweight or heavyweight categories.

A: Remember, down jackets typically have an athletic fit, so if you prefer a looser fit, consider sizing up.

A: For coats made of natural materials, such as down, wool, leather and suede, hang them on sturdy wooden hangers (like these natural ones from Ikea), to help them retain their shape and remain wrinkle-free.

A: Heavier down jackets around 350-500 grams are equivalent to very heavyweight fleeces in terms of warmth and are ideal mid layers. Beyond this weight there are jackets weighing 500 grams + which are outer garments for very cold conditions.

A: If raising up your hands causes the front of the jacket to billow out, it's probably too big. Pay attention to the fit around your shoulders when your arms are raised.