Construction & Features

The Decathlon Forclaz MT100 Down Puffer goes to show that simplicity plus quality makes for a good product. What it lacks in bells and whistles, it makes up for in performance-to-price ratio and low weight.

Starting with the materials, we were surprised and impressed with the use of 800 fill power down. 800 fill is usually found in jackets costing at least twice this much. REI’s most basic hooded down jackets are 50% more expensive and use 650 fill power, for example. Forclaz’s duck down plumage may not be quite as premium as goose down, but the bottom line is that you’re still getting 800 cubic inches of insulation per ounce of fill.

The amount of down used is 3.1 oz for a men’s size large, which is fairly standard for a sweater weight, 3-season puffy. It’s no warmer than average. But again, you have to appreciate the fact that you get a standard fill weight and average warmth, at a price point far, far below average.

Forclaz’s shell is a lightweight 15D polyamide (nylon is a subcategory of polyamide), with a 15d polyester lining. Only downside here is that it is not a ripstop material, so while the abrasion resistance should be okay, a tear could potentially spill lots of down. We have not found it to suffer from passive down-leakage.

Features-wise, Decathlon Forclaz MT100 has a cinchable hem and two large zippered hand pockets, the left of which inverts to become the jacket’s own stuff sack. There’s no chest pocket or hood adjuster.

A few more notable points – The front zipper has a storm flap that occasionally snags, but never in a way that harms the jacket, or causes serious jamming. It has elastic cuff closures, with an overhanging baffle. This is generally advantageous as it provides extra warmth to the wrist. However, it slightly decreases dexterity, and will occasionally get in harms way (like while eating a freeze dried meal).