UKH

Stand around in cold conditions and you'll soon conclude that most synthetic insulated jackets are not really that warm. For max winter comfort you need to go large. In this review two of the beefiest and warmest synthetic heavyweights on the market - Black Diamond's Belay Parka and the Mountain Equipment Citadel - slug it out.

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Excellent review. I’d be interested in the comparison between the Citadel and Rab’s Generator Alpine. I appreciate that the Rab is possibly less robust and weatherproof but it is much lighter. Is it significantly less warm than the Citadel?

Yes, it's more akin to the Fitzroy so not comparable to the two in this review (I did consider including it)

What about the Fjern Husly super insulated jacket ?  You could buy four of them for the price of the ME citadel.  It seems to have very similar features and hence warmth to the citadel, while being only 100 grams heavier.  The citadel looks great, but the cost is extortionate!

I think you need to be a sponsor to get in the review? It would seem more akin to the BD than the ME though?

1.6? RRP £225 vs £375?

The Citadel is indeed expensive, but is probably the "best cut" belay jacket out there, it uses the "best" materials (at a cost premium) and is made under Fair Wear conditions. I would imagine it will be a fair bit warmer and a lot better fitting than the Fjern.

The decision is whether that is all worth the extra money to you.

How would you say the DAS Parka compares to the Citadel/Fitzroy?

I may be wrong but I don't think Dan has a DAS.

I can unhelpfully tell you that I have a 23 year old DAS https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/clothing/down_insulation/belay_jackets-1375 and then 11 years ago I got the first Citadel to review https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/clothing/synthetic_insulation/mountain_equi...

The original Citadel was warmer than the original DAS but heavier and had more features on it I didn't need. I eventually swapped the Citadel with someone, but still have my DAS and indeed use it from time to time!

From the various belay jackets I've used down the years I'm slightly sceptical about how well fitting they need to be. I've just found they need to be able to go on over everything - ice screws on clippers on your harness, slings over your neck etc etc, so you really don't want them to be too form fitting!

Very happy with my humongous BD belay parka old gen. Occupies between a 1/4 to 1/3 of the total volume of my winter pack… but I haven’t felt cold since owning it!!! All the sweeter that I got it for £100 on sales 😁

The Fjern Husly is £85 on sport pursuit, which seems a bargain.  I’d be interested to see how it compares to the Citadel and other similar jackets.  

Somewhere in the middle.

I don't have a DAS Parka but I think this probably sounds about right. It has less insulation than the two we've reviewed here, but more than the Fitzroy. 

Afraid I don't know anything about the Fjern Husly. Looking at their website: It's a roughly similar weight of fill and the overall weight would put it in our 'heavyweight' ballpark, but I've no idea if the performance of fabric and insulation is comparable (and these two factors help account for the Citadel's price). I can't say anything about cut or general design.

In terms of price, the Citadel is a stretch but not as crazy as you make out. You could buy a bit more than 1.5 Husly jackets at rrp for one Citadel at rrp.

If you get one (don't buy four) then do please let us know how you get on. It's always interesting to talk about unfamiliar brands and more budget-friendly options.

I have a husly and use a Fitzroy at work. Ive borrowed friends BD parkas and DAS. I also have a simond belay jacket from about 7 years ago.

For my body type (5'8" 150lbs) I have the following observations:

The husly is VERY warm and a good cut

The Fitzroy is warmish and an average cut

The Simond is warm (not warm enough for belaying though) and the best active cut (for me)

The DAS was very warm and a good cut

The BD was very warm and an average cut

I would say I view cut as very subjective and related to body type. And warmth is very related to how hot you run. I got the husly after a very cold belay in glen coe where the simond wasn't enough for me. I have one ME piece of clothing that fits me well but in general they never seem quite right, I think I fall between their S and M. I think for me I need approx 120gsm insulation if I'm active and nearer 200 gsm for true winter belay duty. 

I had a Husly for a while. For the £85 Sport Pursuit proce it's a crazy warm piece of kit, but I would say the big trade off is that it doesn't pack down anywhere near as much as my Fitzroy for example. Features wise it was well served - 4x big pockets in the right places, chunky zips, good hood. If it had been a bit lighter amd more packable I probably wouldn't have sold it (replaced by a Fitzroy). 

Between it and the recent Montane Flux sale they had, I reckon Sport Pursuit could be kitting out many of this seasons winter climbers with new and cheap belay pieces! 

I have bought the Husly, £85!  I won’t have a Citadel to compare it to, but would be very interested in a head to head review between the Husly and Citadel.   

The Husly is 100grams heavier, but saving nearly £300, that £300 could be used to save a lot more grams elsewhere.

Please could UKC do a comparative test ?