Hi Simon,

the Rab Generator Smock- looks like a good piece of kit for cold weather stops and evenings by the tent! Having sleeves would give me more heat than my Paramo Gilet!

So why are you not using it for this trip- weight saving again?

Im also looking at the Alpkit Balance- its half the weight of my Paramo Velez jacket!

Gavin

You got it - weight v performance. The warmth to weight ratio of down has always been superior to synthetic, but I think hydrophobic down has narrowed the capability gap between synthetic and down in damp climates. My rucksack dry weight was 10kg last year (including ruck sack) and I am whittling that down to 7.5kg (including rucksack) through cutting out the extraneous kit (whilst remaining warm / safe) and looking for items of kit that do more than one job.