Whether you're belaying at the top of a blustery crag, hiking at high altitude, stopping for lunch on a windy summit, or sitting in the pub garden on a chilly evening, there are few pieces of outdoor gear as indispensable as a good down jacket. Made with 'fast paced mountain pursuits' in mind, the Resolve XT is an example of a jacket that is at home in all of the above environments, and more, offering excellent insulation and a robust feel whilst still staying in the mid-weight category.

In Use

Coming in at 604g in a men's large, with 220g of dry-treated 750 Fill Power RDS approved duck down (men's medium), the Resolve XT provides a lot of insulation without ever feeling bulky or heavy. If you're stood around on the coldest winter days you'd definitely want an extra midlayer beneath it, but I have often found myself heading out on a brisk winter's afternoon with just a t-shirt on for additional warmth, and more often than not this has been plenty to keep me warm.

In terms of aesthetics, this jacket is a winner. I got the Resolve XT in Oak Green, which never feels too garish, or too self-consciously outdoorsy. Also - and don't ask me how or why - the 30D matte Windstopper fabric somehow gives the Resolve XT a classier feel than the sheenier fabrics that you often get with down jackets, whilst also feeling more durable at the same time - win-win!

Fit

This jacket comes in both men's and women's models. Overall the Resolve XT fits me well, the zip comes up nice and high and gives good neck coverage, and the adjustable elastic creates a good seal against the cold at both the neck and the waist.

I'm at the taller end of spectrum at 6 foot 4, but the large size is long enough for me, with all the hems and sleeves coming to where you would want them to. The hem comes slightly lower at the back, meaning that you get a little extra coverage between your trousers and top, reducing cold patches that you might otherwise get whilst moving about or bending over. 

The cut of the jacket isn't the most active, so if you're planning to walk around with your arms above your head (or go climbing) then you're likely to experience a bit of hem lift at the waist, and slipping at the wrists. This isn't a deal breaker for me, however, and for the less 'hands in the air' aspects of the outdoors, it's no issue.

The hood on the Resolve XT is helmet compatible, and in use the jacket accommodates a helmet well without compromising the fit in other areas. Head movement is slightly compromised when wearing a helmet, since it fits quite snugly within the hood, but the slight resistance you feel when turning your head isn't uncomfortable, and is quickly forgotten.

Helmet compatible hood

Perhaps even more important, however, is that the hood fits just as well without a helmet, meaning you don't have a cavernous hot air-balloon of a hood when going helmet-free. 

For windy days, the hood cinches down nicely without inhibiting your vision. When not wearing the hood, but wanting to cinch in around your neck to keep out the wind, it can take a little trial and error to find a comfortable medium between 'too tight' and 'not tight enough', but - crucially - that happy medium can be found.

One area that I've found myself slightly irked by is the cuffs. Whilst they are elasticated, the lack of an adjustable closure system means that on blustery days the effectiveness of the Windstopper fabric is slightly undone, as I can cinch the waist and neck nice and tight, but have no such option at the wrist.

Secondly - and I'll admit that this is personal preference - I'm not a huge fan of the way the elasticated cuffs are slightly recessed away from the end of the sleeves.

Whilst I think that this actually looks far nicer than the elastic being right at the end of the sleeves (like it is on something like the Fireball Insulated Jacket), it leaves me with the strange feeling that the sleeves are too short for me, since I can feel the elastic higher up on my wrists even though the sleeve itself is actually sized well, coming down to the base of my thumb.

Features

The jacket has three pockets, two hand pockets and one internal chest pocket. The hand pockets are nice and roomy, easily big enough for a hand with a chunky glove on, whilst the chest pocket will happily take even the biggest of phones, or even a small paperback book - albeit less happily. All of these pockets have YKK zips, none of which have snagged throughout my time using the jacket.

The main zip is harness compatible, meaning you zip the jacket right up to the top, then unzip from the bottom to expose your belay loop and device, and - if needed - can then use the stud button at the bottom of the jacket to close it beneath your belay plate. This is the kind of feature you'd expect from a jacket of this kind, and it works well; the stud isn't one of those annoying ones that only works every fourth or fifth attempt, it works every time. 

In terms of packability, the Resolve XT comes with its own stuff sack, into which - over the course of a minute or so - it can be wrestled. It's certainly not the most packable of jackets, and the standard '1 litre water bottle' comparison makes it look like a bit of a giant, but I was actually impressed by how small it was when packed away, and remember this is in a size large, so any smaller than that and the packability is likely to impress more.

That being said, it's probably at the bigger end of what you'd want hanging off your harness, and the elasticated cord leaves the jacket bobbing up and down at knee level, so if hanging it off your harness is what you had in mind, then you might be better off finding another way to carry it - or just ask your belayer to bring it up with them so they have to deal with it.

The recessed elasticated cuffs that I have slight gripes with more generally are also helpful here, in that they allow you to sort your rack out, remove gear, and place it, without falling down onto your hand and getting in the way.

Fabric

The outer fabric is a 30D Gore Windstopper, which feels nice and durable, and does an excellent job of blocking the wind without compromising breathability. I haven't felt any cold spots throughout my time using the jacket, and the PFC-Free DWR coating has seen me through a fair few unexpected showers without any issues.

The brushed tricot patch at the very top of the inner collar, which comes right up over your chin when the jacket is fully zipped up, is a really nice touch, and adds a surprising amount of comfort for such a minor detail.

Conclusion

For a piece of gear that's generally meant to be versatile, it's surprisingly difficult to find a jacket that fits the bill in the majority of scenarios. The Resolve XT, however, is a jacket that never feels out of place, whether you're hiking, scrambling, climbing, walking the dog, or down the pub.

In moderate conditions it's more than enough to keep you warm, while in colder temperatures you can add a midlayer underneath without compromising breathability, even if you're on the move. It's a genuine all-rounder, and one that I'm sure I'll be using for a long time.