UKC

I'm in the market for a new synthetic down jacket but I'm having a bit of a nightmare finding something that fits.  I'm 6ft and skinny as a rake so S jackets fit well in around the body but the arms are too short, and M jackets have the right arms but body is too boxy.  I've tried Rab/TnF/Montane and various other brands at Go Outdoors Decathlon and Cotswolds but not had any joy.  I ended up buying a Montane Icarus Hooded jacket in M but I'm going to take it back since it's too large. Can anyone recommend a truly slim fit synthetic jacket? thanks

Do you mean synthetic down specifically or synthetic insulation more generally? 

Just synthetic insulation but equivalent to down...sorry if I got muddled!

Have a look at Alpkit stuff.  I am 6'5'' but 12 and 3/4 stone with a 34'' waist so am pretty slim.  Their stuff seems to fit me well with nice long arms etc.  It makes such a difference to the warmth.

I'm the same shape -  and Arc'teryx is the only brand that fits me. Pricy of course but worth it for the fit. Atom AR for example.

Try to find stuff super specifically designed for climbing and mountaineering, those tend to be longer in the arms than more allround designs. 

If all else fails, contemplate having something tailored. Not really recommendable with true down but a good tailor can certainly work wonders with synthetics. 

thanks jonathan, will try on some arc-teryx - painful news!

 thanks, can you recommend some climbing specific brands?

thanks john I hadn't thought of alpkit, will go and have a browse next time i'm in peak district or n wales

Arc' 'trim fit' will have a relative narrow body. Some of their light and mid weight synthetic jackets are available in trim eg Proton LT and Atom LT. The sleeves on the Proton are a little longer than the Atom or were a couple of years ago! 

Also, the Mammut Eiger Extreme range is super snug in the body and long in the sleeve.

Have a look for the Zajo Arth primaloft jacket. Sport Pursuit often have them on sale- I got one for under £100 a couple of years ago and had to exchange a large for xl, which was still slim on me (I’m 6’2” and 13.5 stone. They are properly slim fitting, but with decent length arms, especially as they have a stretch fleece cuff/thumb loop. They are mid weight I guess, c 450g and are good as either mid layer or outer. They are quite shiny!

that looks sweet phil, is there any way to try them on or online order only?

I bought online. Not aware of anywhere that sells them in the UK, sorry. If you go for one, I’d get either a medium or large, depending on how you want to use it- mid layer or belay jacket.

Not really any brands as such, all major brands offer some gear that is more allround and some gear that is more geared towards climbing/mountaineering eg Eiger Extreme with Mammut, Alpha/Gamma/Proton with Arc'teryx, Bergtagen with Fjällräven etc. 

A recent emailshot from Alpkit was about different fits (tight, slim, regular & relaxed), so it might be worth having a look:

https://alpkit.com/blogs/develop/sizing-matters

Interestingly, the article seems to be aimed at women, whereas the email wasn't specific. They were both published the same day, with the same title, so I'm assuming it's the same story...

Dynafit clothing is good and close-fitting, though they have a smaller range than the major brands. A similar fitting brand is Direct-Alpine (from Czech or similar?).

Haglofs are worth a look. Otherwise the Slim/Trim fit in Rab or Acteryx.

Most clothes are cut to fit most of the people who try them on in a shop, otherwise the company won't sell enough to stay in business. Most people do not have very slim athletic builds.

Salewa stuff is great, look for the items that are listed as having alpine or slim fit, can't remember how they describe it but is quite obvious what they mean. All the salewa stuff I have is much more fitted than the UK company equivalent size

Arc'teryx Nuclei FL - it's got the fit you're looking for and is an all round excellent jacket 🤓

In good news, you can discount Patagonia which is built for fat lads like me. 

Your for sounds like Haglofs might do the job.

Montane Icarus is quite slim fitting and has long arms for the size - which, in my experience Arcteyx generally doesn't. I'm not knocking Arcteryx at all, just that I've found the arms could generally do with being longer - for me anyway.

The Icarus is filled with Primaloft Thermoplume, which does seem to have quite a bit of loft - more than say Primaloft Gold. I'm quite impressed with it so far, though I've only had one for a couple of months. 

Some great leads in this thread which I will look into, at 6ft and 10 stone I have the same trouble. 

My old Rab stuff from ~10 years ago fits better than their current range. I think they got more boxy as they become more of a lifestyle brand.

I found recently the Simond "alpinism" range at decathlon is very slim fit. I'm very happy with their merino hoody and down jacket. I haven't tried it but it looks like they do a synthetic jacket too.

I second this, the Atom AR is literally the warmest non-duvet style jacket I've ever owned, and really easy to look after. I'm 5'11, would be described as lanky and the Medium is great, I've climbed in it under a harness and not bulky at all. I got it in the States though, so probably a tad cheaper 

How about wearing a thin synthetic gilet under the Icarus jacket 

Worth trying continental brands - e.g. millet, dynafit, la sportiva, ortovox - tend to be trimmer fitting (and come in euroflouro as a bonus!) 

There is a great little Italian brand called Rock Experience. They are Italian cut like Salewa,  but a lot cheaper if you can find them 

https://rockexperience.shop/