PHD Wafer Down Jacket Review
Review of the PHD Wafer Down Jacket. An amazingly light and warm down jacket made in the UK.
Last year I consciously made an effort to reduce my pack weight while wild camping on Mountain Leader training and assessment courses. Just by trimming the weight of a few key items I was able to make my pack load much more manageable and comfortable while backpacking over the UK mountains.
I always like to carry a lightweight insulated jacket of some sort. They are very versatile and can worn in a variety of situations: as a cold weather wind proof outer or a mid layer. An insulated jacket can be popped on during lunch or snack beaks. They are especially useful when on wild camps around camp in the evenings and also worn in your sleeping bag to give yourself a cosy warmth boost (this also allows a slightly lighter sleeping bag to be carried).
This is where the PHD Wafer down jacket comes in. This has to be one of the lightest insulated jackets in the world. It weighs a mere 190g or 7oz. The two key features which make this jacket so light are the 1000 fillpower down insulation and the exceptionally light construction fabrics. The 1000 fillpower down is the highest quality down available and this level of down quality allows an excellent warmth to weight ratio.
The Brand
The clothing brand PHD is a rare beast; a British company that make all their clothing and sleeping bags in the UK. Based in a mill east of Manchester they make all their products by hand. The designs are extremely innovative and their down filled garments are used from the Marathon des Sables in the Sahara to the summit of Everest. Here is a blog post about my visit tor the factory – https://www.beyondtheedge.co.uk/phd-the-worlds-lightest-down-clothing/
The PHD Wafer Down Jacket
I’ve used this jacket for a year now, mainly in the UK but also in the American deserts of Arizona and Utah. The level of warmth makes it ideal for UK use. PHD themselves rate this jacket at 0°C or 32°F which in use feels about right.
Throughout this winter I’ve been mostly wearing the Wafer as a mid layer; it works really well over a base layer and light fleece and under a soft shell or for extra warmth under a thin synthetic layer. This allows your warmth to get trapped in the down taking advantage of the exceptional quality. It works really well for me under a Patagonia DAS Light Hoody which had a slightly over sized fit. The design of the Wafer jacket is simple; a stitch through construction, two zipped hand warmer pockets and elasticated hem and cuffs. This stripped down design along with the highest quality down and lightweight fabrics are what enable the Wafer to be one of the lightest down jackets in the world.
 PHD Wafer Jacket |
Most of the PHD gear is made to order with a 3-4 week waiting time but the Wafer jacket is part of their ‘ready made‘ range of clothing available off-the-shelf. \
Does this jacket have any drawbacks? Yes a couple, but they are manageable. Being extremely lightweight the fabric is not durable – this is not an outer jacket for climbing or scrambling and you certainly wouldn’t want to bushwhack through any thorny vegetation.
The other drawback is that down clothing doesn’t like getting wet: it becomes clumpy, loses its insulating properties and is really difficult to dry. However you can mitigate this by keeping the jacket in waterproof bags or dry bags while it’s in your pack and avoiding wear in the rain.
It’s not quite a drawback, but price is always a consideration when buying outdoor clothing. Currently the Wafer Jacket retails at £486: certainly not cheap but you are paying for the highest quality materials and supporting a company that is dedicated to manufacturing in the UK. Plus it is not an anomaly: other brands of down jackets of equivalent quality carry a similar price tag.
Conclusion
Expensive, yes… but you’re getting the best in the world. Use for ultralight backpacking, wild camping, ultra races and as a super-lightweight mid layer. Beautifully minimalist; just exactly what you need and absolutely nothing more.
Alex
Beyond the Edge Ltd is based in the Peak District, easily reached by train from London and within easy travelling distance from Sheffield, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham and other Northern towns and cities.We are one of the UKs most experienced providers of climbing, walking, scrambling, mountaineering and navigation training courses. Most of our courses are run in the Peak District National Park which has some of the finest rock climbing, bouldering, walking and hiking in the world.
