In recent years the narrow-baffled lightweight down jacket has become a staple piece of clothing for most outdoor goers, from walkers to climbers. In general the fit of these lighter down jackets is sleek, and the use of high loft down makes them relatively warm for their low weight. Packing to a convenient size that can be easily chucked in a pack or clipped to a harness, it's clear why this sort of jacket is popular.

Since most brands make something along these lines, it takes something to stand out in this crowded market. One way to do so is to create a more sustainable product. The technical specs might be great, but as outdoor brands increasingly step up to make products more environmentally friendly, and source more ethical materials, the impressive warmth:weight ratios and super strong lightweight fabrics are becoming only part of what we look for in a new down jacket.

The Earthrise Hooded Jacket is a great example of a product looking to combine environmentally conscious materials and manufacturing with mountain-ready performance. A hoodless version of this jacket is also available (£180).

What's the environmental benefit?

ME says the Earthrise has a lower environmental impact versus its products consisting of virgin components, and a lower carbon emission than any other jacket they make. This is a brand that not only uses recycled materials, but also wants to reduce the carbon footprint of the manufacturing process. 

The outer fabric is 100% recycled 20D ripstop polyamide, that comes treated with a PFC-free DWR and gets the thumbs up in terms of overall durability for the weight. This is a big improvement compared to the lightweight recycled fabric you might have found on jackets a few years ago. It's filled with 100% recycled down, all of which comes from post-consumer goods like clothing and bedding. And last but by no means least, it's made in a Fair Wear Foundation audited factory.

In use

It certainly ticks the ethical and environmental boxes, but crucially it also has the durability and performance you want from a jacket to take to the crag, or up hills, or on a camping trip. And at 455g (men's Medium) it's lightweight and packable too, making it a good bet for backpacking or fair weather summer climbing in the Alps.

With 155g (men's Large) of 700 fill power down, the Earthrise provides a good level of insulation for a stand-alone jacket worn on cool spring days and summer evenings. In colder weather it is trim enough to work as a mid layer under a shell; but we'd say it's a bit lightweight to be standing around in trying your gritstone boulder project on a freezing December day. Any lightweight down jacket is inevitably going to have limits.

Fit and Cut 

Coming in both a men's and women's version, the Earthrise has a technical feel, with a slim cut and a clean silhouette. This is a down jacket that isn't overly complicated - Mountain Equipment has worked on getting the basics right, and in this they've succeeded. It's not got a super-active cut that lets you reach cookies on the top shelf without the bottom hem moving an inch, but it's totally functional for lots of outdoor activities.

Features

There are two good sized hand pockets that will accommodate a reasonably big insulated glove. The single chest pocket happily swallows a phone or any cereal bar of you choice (See Fliss Freeborn's masterpiece on Cereal Bars) and one internal chest pocket that again is suitable for a phone or snack bar. All the external pockets have high-quality YKK Vislon zippers that don't get snagged in the surrounding material - you might say that's a small thing, but it's unbelievably frustrating when you're trying to do stuff with one hand and the zip gets stuck all the time! The small internal pocket has a flat, soft, low-profile zipper and is barely noticeable when wearing the jacket.

When it comes to using the Earthrise Hooded Jacket for climbing there are some helpful features. Firstly the main zip has a two-way zipper with a push stud closure at the bottom. This means you can pull on the jacket at a belay, and unzip from the bottom to expose your belay loop and device. Plus if you need a bit of extra warmth you're able to button up the bottom of the jacket under your belay plate. The back of the jacket also has a dropped hem meaning when you bend over or reach you're not left with a cold patch between your trousers and jacket.

The hood has a good clean shape and will fit nicely over a streamlined helmet. One feature I'm not totally convinced by is the velcro volume adjuster at the back of the hood, it just feels a bit bulky and unrefined compared to all the other cleanly designed elements of the Earthrise.

When packing away and clipping to a harness, the Earthrise stuffs into a hand pocket. Packing it away is a squeeze and it takes a minute or two to wrestle it into the pocket, but once packed it's about the size of a 1L water bottle, and light enough not to be a hassle to carry with a trad rack. The stuff sack/pocket also has two good sized attachment loops and the cord on the zipper is long enough that both cord and attachment loop can be clipped together so the stuff pocket doesn't open when clipped to the back of a harness with a carabiner.

The sleeve cuffs are clean and almost tucked inside the jacket sleeve, meaning you can sort a rack, put gloves on and do whatever you need to do without the cuff falling down your hand and getting in the way.

Verdict

Are the new wave of more environmentally friendly down jackets up to the job? In the case of the Earthrise Hooded Jacket, the answer is a resounding yes. While it lacks the top-end technical features and active cut of some more expensive lightweight down jackets, it does a lot for its modest £200. The fit is good, the features are clean, it covers a lot of everyday outdoor activities very well, and it isn't out of place clipped to a harness as a belay jacket.

All the above is great. But what we think really defines the Earthrise are its environmental credentials. Climbers, walkers and outdoor users are increasingly looking for more sustainable gear. In this case the responsible choice is not in any way a compromise, since the Earthrise is also a really decent jacket. It's a win-win in other words.