In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:
Sorry, I'm not sure I made my point quite as well. Down jackets, imho, are nicer to wear, "feel" more breathable* and pack down better than traditional sheet synthetic jackets. The market is trying to find a "synthetic down" and that requires having baffles to stop insulation migration. I was trying to say the the new insulation is more breathable and packable, not the stitch through construction, that's just the required construction for the insulation type.
Stitch through is cheaper than box wall and less effective, but there seems to be a tipping point where manufacturers move from one to the other. I'm not sure of all the factors but I guess the big ones will be cost and when it becomes beneficial enough to the performance properties.
*I realise it's trapped between two layers of pertex which ultimately dictate the "breathability"
> To be honest I usually find when I try on these jackets with hundreds of baffles, there is so much stitching the jacket is very stiff, rigid and doesn't conform to the body very well.
I have a Nano puff an it's neither stiff, nor rigid and is very nice to wear. However, the excessive stitching does just mean there are numerous failure points as if you actually climb in it, not just belay, the stitching breaks pretty quickly.
> The only comparison I can think of is grid fleece/base layers (another awful design).
Ha! I think after this statement will will forever disagree as grid fleeces are my favourite base layer for winter!