Tested – La Sportiva Aiguille Down Jacket – Wetherlam Summit Camp

At the weekend (26/10/2024) me and my good friend Tom decided to head up to the Lake District for a night in the fells. One reason behind the trip is that I was given the chance to try out a product from our new La Sportiva Winter 24 range, so I took the La Sportiva Aiguille Down Jacket for a spin as my toasty down layer. I was impressed.

Looking at Blea Tarn and the Langdales from our camping spot.

We had a route in mind, but no idea about where we will be pitching our tent. The plan was to set off along the route and we knew that at some point along the way we would find a great place to spend the night. We eventually climbed up onto Wetherlam, 763 meters above sea level, which was our one and only summit of the walk. The plan was to keep going along to Swirl How but we decided to stay put and pitch our tent just down from the summit cairn, about 750m above sea level. Here we spent our night, at first battling heavy showers and strong gusts, until eventually the clouds dispersed and left us with plenty of stars to look at, I think we could just about make out the Milky Way.

With the weather report at 750m giving 0 degree wind chill and 40mph gusts, I figured it would be a sufficient test for the Aiguille Down Jacket.

Starting from the top, the La Sportiva Aiguille Down Jacket comes fitted with a Primaloft Gold insulated hood, this feature is perfect for layering under a helmet in cold climbing conditions. The jacket is also fitted with Primaloft Gold on the side panels, shoulders and forearm down to the cuffs which helps with breathability when working hard. The rest of the jacket is filled with 750 fill power recycled down, keeping your torso warm. The down insulation helps with the packability of the jacket, and it has an internal mesh compression pocket to stow the jacket away when not in use. This was great for my walk as I was roasting down in the valley, but the higher I climbed the colder it got, I had this jacket stowed away at the top of my bag ready to pull out when needed. Not so much of a practicality point, but to me this jacket looks nice too! I like the way it fits, the design is nice and the I love the colour.

My main use for this jacket was when I was either moving slow, stopping for food, or in need of another warm layer in the night. In the night I paired this jacket with my La Sportiva Lucendro Thermal Hoody, Thermarest Quester 20 and Big Agnes Rapide SL, I managed to sleep through and didn’t wake up cold once! In the morning whilst having a cuppa and some porridge I wore the jacket, until I was packed up and ready to go. I stowed the jacket into its inner mesh pocket and put it in my bag, perfect!

Overall, I would say that this jacket is a great piece of kit and can handle whatever you throw at it, whether it being cold winter climbing, hill walking or camping. With the 750 fill power down being in places you want to keep warm and the Primaloft Gold in the places prone to getting wet or compressed due to bag straps, I feel like the La Sportiva Aiguille Down Jacket is well designed and a brilliant all-rounder for your mountainous adventures.