
What would happen if goose down and synthetic-fiber polyester insulation got their freak on? A new kind of insulation announced today, called PrimaLoft Performance Down Blends, would be the offspring of this kind of union.
The mix of down and synthetic fibers takes advantage of the best of both insulation types, PrimaLoft Inc. touts.
The goal is insulation that is water resistant, compressible and longer-lasting than pure-down options. It will also offer “more favorable pricing for the end consumer” looking for a high-end insulated jacket, a PrimaLoft representative told us.
PrimaLoft Down Blend comes to market in mid-2014. GearJunkie was on site in Canada for the official launch last night, and we got to test PrimaLoft Down in the flesh. (See our initial review below, including a soak test in a hotel room sink.)
(See Page Two for images of new products featuring PrimaLoft Down Blend)
PrimaLoft, a company known for synthetic insulation in jackets, has never dabbled in down before. Why now? “It’s taken a number of years to perfect [but] we’ve gotten to the point that it’s possible to blend [down and synthetic] in a way that they are indistinguishable from one another,” said PrimaLoft spokesman Dave Newey.
While the concept of mixing down and synthetic insulations is not entirely new, PrimaLoft says it has figured out how to do it in a way that enhances the best properties of both insulating materials.

The company claims compressibility similar to pure goose down of the same quality and loft. We put on a Down Blend jacket and went skiing for a day. We can concur that it feels and acts like a goose down puffy, including baffles filled with airy, body-heat-trapping fluff.
