Reviewer: Dan Jones
Instagram: wildcamping.lifeuk
Product: Forclaz Trek 100
Review
Looking for a Down jacket but don’t want to spend 100s on one.
I’ve been testing out the Forclaz Trek 100 Down Jacket from Decathlon. A budget Down jacket coming in at just 49.99€.
Here are my thoughts 🤔
First of all, I’m totally buzzing that there is a down jacket on the market that doesn’t break the bank. At first, judging by the price it seems too good to be true right?
This is a solid jacket in terms of price, fit (no-frills, and I like its simplicity), and performance. It doesn’t feature the popular Pertex outer shell that the more expensive RAB Down jackets are made of but the nylon material of the Forclaz is water repellant and is surprisingly good at keeping you dry from moisture such as snow, light rain, and fog.
This RDS-certified down and feather jacket is promoted to keep you warm between +5° and -5°C. I’ve tested the jacket down to -3 with no issues at all. With a layering system, this jacket becomes a very warm jacket indeed.
Certain aspects of Forclaz Trek 100 jacket fall below average such as the cheap zips and some of the baffles hardly containing any down fill at all. The hood isn’t a snug fit so I found when the wind did pick up the hood had a tendency to get blown off my head.
Setting aside the cons which you would expect from a down jacket this cheap it still did the job. It kept me incredibly warm when it needed to.
WEIGHT OF THE FILLING:
XS: 82 g
S: 88 g
M: 94 g
L: 101 g
XL: 108 g
2XL: 115 g
3XL: 124 g
The overall weight of the jacket I’ve been testing out (size Large) comes in at 290g which is pretty light considering its warmth value.
Up to yet, I haven’t had any durability issues with the jacket.
Is it ever going to compete with RAB? No, but Forclaz Trek 100 is not made to compete with top-end down jackets. It’s aimed at the budget market. But as budget Down jackets go, this is by far the best on the market. For a Down jacket under €50, it most definitely is one of my favorite winter jackets which I can just throw into my daysack.
