In reply to speedysi:
The plasma hasn't been on the market that long, and I've only had mine for a couple of weeks. I've owned and abused many of the currently available down and synthetic "belay"-type jackets, including the DAS, Arc'teryx Dually and Neutrino Endurance.
My take is: Go with down. Almost always. Down is sooo much warmer for the weight compared to any synthetic fiber, no matter what producers tell you. It compresses so much better too, and drapes much better which, in turn, equals better thermo-regulation and maximum warmth (no drafts). It's more expensive, yes, but it will last longer, and gives so much more enjoyment.
The plasma is waterproof, completely. I know Scandinavia isn't Scotland, but have used this jacket belaying in a few torrential autumn storms here in Denmark and Sweden already. It was completely dry.
No problem with moisture from inside either, though my shell was sodden from rain, sleet and hail. Here is some food for thought.
1. consider how much water it takes to properly drench down (try with a good quality sleeping bag). It takes a lot. The better the down, the better will it dry out - there's more air and less material. The better the shell "breathes", the better it dries out. Event breathes much better than a lot of "kiss-coated" nylons.
2. consider how much water is actually contained in snow. Not very much, even in wet snow. If you just a little bit careful, and don't shove buckets of snow into your jacket just before you are putting it on, you're fine. Spindrift and the like doesn't seriously impede the loft of a hi quality down jacket. I've personally used the Neutrino Endurance and even a lightweight Klättermusen down pullover (with uncoated pertex quantum) as over-jackets for many days out climbing in norway and sweden. No problem.
3. I personally wouldn't use down for items such as handwear and pants in moderate climates like GB, the Alps or most of Scandinavia. Why? Because these are often more in contact with snow (sitting or digging) and they tend to compress the insulating material (sitting or grabbing things), not exploiting the full potential of down. A cheaper, synthetic, alternative might just as well be used. If you tend to get very cold, bring a pair of down mitts. Or just an uninsulated pair of over-mitts. They are surprisingly effective.
4. Synthetics aren't "warm when wet". A high-quality continuous fibre like polarguard 3d has a better retention of loft in extremely wet environments (when you absolutely KNOW you will drench your jacket or bag, or on extremely long trips without any means of drying out your bag or jacket - a sunny day will usually dry out any down bag or jacket, even in deep cold). BUT - no material will dry out by itself. It requires body-heat. There's not much fun in drying out any material, and it will cool the body. So don't get your stuff wet in the first place. A down jacket used as a belay jacket won't be wet, just a bit damp. Usually less damp than a thickly wadded fiber-fill jacket, because there's just less matter for the moisture to condense on.
Here's a few pointers on sleeping warm too; Dig a snow shelter. Just dig into the side of whatever you can find. It doesn't have to be big. Just dig in and after about 30-40 dig to the sides to form the sleeping chamber. easy. They're warm, windproof (no flapping nylon stealing sleep) and usually stormproof. Remember, you are digging where spindrift is deposited to - not taken from, so little risk of the roof being blown away. I don't get the point about snow shelters being especially damp. A tent, even a double-wall, is just as damp when loads of snow have covered it. And since a snow hole is so much warmer, you are much more inclined to ventilate properly. This is essential. Take off all shell clothing and mid-layers. Change socks. Change liner gloves (even during the day. Everything is probably quite damp, especially when the rubbed-in ice starts to melt. You don't want to dry them in your sleep, which is when you produce the least heat. They don't give much insulation and will give you a terrible night's sleep if worn, because you will feel cold and clammy, no matter what the insulation. Put them on the next morning and dry them while actually moving. Bring a warm sleeping bag (using down will offset the extra weight). If necessary drop the down jacket and insulated pants in exchange for a thicker sleeping bag. 700 grammes of jacket and 600 grammes of trousers equals a lot of warmth when put in a sleeping bag. The knowledge that you can dig a snow hole or snow trench and lie down in a warm sleeping bag is worth a lot. Then comes all the tricks; hot water bottles, zipping shell jacket over sleeping bag etc. But dig that snow hole first.
5. What I especially don't like about synthetics is how they somehow imply that we all climb around in terribly weather for many, many days dunking our sleeping bags in freezing-cold waterfalls all the time. But waterproof pack-bags are on the market. It's relatively easy to avoid a catastrophic soaking. Besides, if things are THAT bad then a lot of things are probably going very wrong, and you should (in my opinion) focus on retreat. In these cases, it doesn't really matter whether your parka is made of fibre-fill or down.
Granted, there may be instances where synthetics are the right choice. But they're definitely for specialists. For everything else, even wet and wild winter climbing, down is warmer, lighter more packable and the better investment.
Kind Regards,
Henrik
