The Finisterre Nebulas is a seriously warm, fully recycled insulated jacket built for cold British winters. Cosy, weather-resistant and packed with eco credentials, it’s ideal for campfire evenings, chilly woodland walks and everyday wear. It’s not cheap, but it’s one of the comfiest and most sustainable jackets we’ve tested.

Finisterre Nebulas insulated jacket

Ideal for: Everyday wear, sub-zero hikes & wildcamps

Not suitable for: High-intensity activity

The Finisterre Nebulas is a super warm, guilt-free synthetic insulated jacket designed for cold-weather adventures and everyday wear. With an RRP of £210, it’s not cheap — but the eco credentials, lush comfort and cracking looks go a long way to justifying the price. Fully recycled from liner to insulation, it’s a rare example of a sustainable coat that doesn’t compromise on performance.

Finisterre Nebulas insulated jacket review

Based on the rugged coast of Cornwall, Finisterre is a brand that’s built its reputation on doing things the right way. With a deep-rooted commitment to sustainability, they’ve become something of a go-to for outdoor folk who care as much about the planet as they do about performance. From surfers braving the Atlantic swell to hikers chasing some of Britain’s biggest adventurers, their kit has quietly earned a place in many a British adventurer’s wardrobe. What sets them apart is a genuine, no-compromise approach to responsible manufacturing — recycled materials, low-impact processes, and timeless designs that are made to last. The Nebulas insulated jacket is a prime example of that ethos in action.

The Finisterre Nebulas is a synthetic insulated jacket designed to deliver serious warmth without any of the usual guilt. It’s built with a fully recycled polyester shell and liner, as well as 100% recycled insulation, and finished with a PFC-free water repellent treatment. The idea? A do-it-all winter coat that keeps you warm and dry in the drizzle, without filling the skies with nasties in the process. Weighing in at 875g for a medium and packing down to roughly rugby ball size, it’s not ultralight — but it’s certainly portable enough for most British adventures. At £210 RRP, it’s an investment, however, but one that may well be worth it if your adventures don’t stop when the mercury drops.

Set against the competition, the Finisterre Nebulas sits somewhere between specialist mountain insulation pieces like the Rab Nebula Pro (£200, 568g) and more general-purpose winter jackets such as the Columbia Oak Harbour II (£180, heavier and bulkier). The Rab is a strong choice for ultralight expeditions or deep-winter wild camps thanks to its high-performance insulation and stripped-back design — but it leans heavily toward technical use, with a style that won’t suit everyone off the hill. The Columbia, on the other hand, offers proper waterproofing and dependable warmth, but it’s heavier, less packable, and clearly built with practicality over polish. The Finisterre Nebulas, by contrast, carves out a thoughtful middle ground. It’s warm enough for cold camps and slow winter walks, yet smart enough to wear around town. For UK-based adventurers wanting a jacket that works across multiple settings — without compromising on ethics — it’s a very compelling option.

Testing the Finisterre Nebular insulated jacket

We wore the Nebulas on a full-day trek across Dartmoor in early winter — one of those days where the wind cut straight through your base layers. With temperatures hovering just above freezing, it was a proper test of warmth. And you know what? The Nebulas smashed it, keeping us cosy (and dry enough) that we didn’t bother digging out the hardshell until the rain properly set in. That PFC-free water repellent finish isn’t designed for downpours, but it shrugged off persistent drizzle impressively, and more importantly, the synthetic insulation kept doing its job even when damp.

Over the winter of 24/25, we also clocked up plenty of miles in the Nebulas on freezing walks through the Chiltern Hills and into the frost-laced woodlands of the Surrey Hills. On several outings, the mercury dropped well below zero — down to -3°C at times — and we were still comfortably warm with just a t-shirt and a thin midlayer underneath. The fit allowed for easy layering, but we rarely felt the need to pile on more. Whether it was stopping for tea in a wind-exposed clearing or ambling slowly along icy trails, the jacket proved itself as a reliable winter staple — warm, comfy and confidence-inspiring in the kind of conditions where a poor choice of gear quickly becomes obvious.

Our favourite features

Warmth

Let’s start with the warmth — because really, that’s what this jacket is all about. Finisterre list the Nebulas with a tog rating of 5.1, and yes, that’s officially duvet territory. It’s rare to see a brand even mention tog ratings, but in this case, it makes perfect sense. This thing genuinely feels like you’re walking around wrapped in the cosiest quilt you’ve ever owned. It’s not the jacket you reach for on a lung-busting summit push, but for cold evenings at camp, slow winter wanders or just waiting for the kettle to boil on a frosty morning, it’s spot on. Think post-hike pint in a pub garden or bleary-eyed dog walks before sunrise — warm, comforting, and just really nice to be in.

But it’s not just warm — it’s also surprisingly lovely to wear. A lot of recycled kit we’ve tried over the years has felt a bit… well, compromised. Stiff linings, itchy fabric, insulation that crunches when you move. Not here. The Nebulas feels genuinely plush. The recycled insulation is soft and lofty, the liner glides over layers without bunching, and the outer fabric manages to be tough without feeling like you’re wearing a tarp. It’s the kind of jacket that feels premium from the moment you put it on, despite its eco-friendly build — and that’s not something we get to say very often.

Extra features

Practicality hasn’t taken a back seat either. There are two deep hip pockets that double as excellent hand warmers, and a handy little stash pocket on the inside for keeping your essentials safe. The zips — on every part of the jacket — are buttery smooth and fitted with long toggles that are easy to grab, even in thick gloves. A small thing, maybe, but when it’s properly cold, those details matter.

Speaking of warmth, we’ve got to talk about the cuffs. Instead of a standard bit of elastic or a Velcro tab, Finisterre have cleverly hidden the wrist cuffs under thick layers of insulation. The padding billows over your wrists, locking in warmth where you’d usually lose it. It’s a subtle design choice, but it makes a real difference — and once you’ve noticed it, you won’t want to go back.

The hood and hem adjusters work just as well, helping you seal everything in when the wind picks up. The hood in particular is seriously toasty — enough that we didn’t even need a hat most of the time. That said, we did run into a minor niggle when trying to sleep in it. The chunky rear toggle dug into the back of our head, making it awkward to lie down fully zipped up. Not a dealbreaker by any means, but worth knowing if you’re the kind of person who ends up sleeping in their coat during wild camps.

Design

Fit-wise, the Nebulas leans on the roomy side — which we really liked. It gave us loads of flexibility for layering, and it still looked good even when worn over a down jacket on the coldest days. If you prefer a slimmer cut, you might want to size down, but for all-round versatility and comfort, it’s bang on.

And finally, the styling. This isn’t some ultra-techy mountain shell that looks out of place anywhere else. We’ve worn the Nebulas from muddy hillsides straight into town and never once felt underdressed. The branding is bold but not shouty, the cut is clean, and the overall aesthetic lands firmly in that sweet spot between functional and fashionable. It’s a jacket you’ll wear because it works — but also because it looks and feels great while it does.

In a nutshell: How the Finisterre Nebulas performs in the UK

In cold, crisp UK conditions — the kind where your breath fogs the air and the ground stays frozen till midday — the Finisterre Nebulas really shows its strengths. This isn’t a jacket designed for fast-moving adventures or high-intensity efforts, but for everything else the British winter throws at you, it delivers in spades. Whether you’re wandering through frost-covered fields, huddled around a campsite stove, or heading out for a slow woodland walk before sunrise, it wraps you in reliable, lasting warmth.

What impressed us most was just how cosy it felt across a variety of low-temperature settings. On Dartmoor, where the thermometer barely crept above freezing all day, it kept us toasty from start to finish. In the Surrey and Chiltern Hills, where temperatures dropped below -3°C, we were perfectly comfortable with just a t-shirt and thin midlayer underneath. That kind of real-world warmth isn’t something we take for granted, especially from a jacket made entirely from recycled materials.

Breathability is decent too, for a jacket this warm. It’s not something you’d wear for a steep winter ascent or a long-distance hike at pace, but it handled short bursts of movement — setting up camp, marching between viewpoints, gathering kindling — without overheating or leaving us soaked in sweat. You can move about in it, but where it really shines is in the quiet moments, like boiling up a brew after a night in the tent or stopping on a frosty bench for a mid-walk sandwich. To us, that’s where the Nebulas earns its place in your pack.

Finisterre Nebulas jacket FAQs

Finisterre don’t list an official temperature rating, but they do publish a tog rating of 5.1 — which is extremely warm. In our testing, it kept us comfortable in temperatures as low as -3°C with minimal layering. It’s best suited to cold UK winters and lower-intensity activities where warmth is the priority.
Very warm. In conditions around freezing and below, it performed exceptionally well with just a base and midlayer underneath. It’s not the most breathable for high-output activity (yet still more breathable than many in this class), but for static use at camp, on gentle walks, or during rest stops, it’s like wearing your best duvet.
Sort of. It’s not ultralight or ultra-packable — at 875g and about the size of a rugby ball when stuffed, it takes up a bit of room. But given the warmth it offers, we think it earns its space. You won’t want to take it on a fast-and-light mission, but for regular cold-weather use, it travels reasonably well.
At £210, it sits at the higher end of the market for synthetic insulated jackets. But considering the warmth, comfort, and genuinely impressive eco credentials, we think it offers solid value — especially if you’re after something versatile enough for both outdoor adventures and everyday use. Not cheap, but definitely not overpriced.

Final verdict

The Finisterre Nebulas insulated jacket is a cracking bit of kit for anyone looking to stay warm through the UK’s long, bleak winters without making a mess of the planet in the process. It’s not the cheapest synthetic jacket out there — far from it, in fact. At £210, it’s unapologetically expensive for what it is when judged purely on specs like weight or packability. But to stop there would be to completely miss the point. The higher price tag reflects the brand’s deep investment in sustainable manufacturing — every inch of this jacket, from the shell to the liner to the insulation, is made from recycled materials. The water-resistant finish is fluorocarbon-free. The stitching is solid. The design is thoughtful. You’re not just buying warmth; you’re backing a better way of doing things.

And it’s also not just for the trail. One of the Nebulas’ real strengths lies in its versatility. This is a jacket designed with proper attention to how we actually live in winter: moving between outdoor adventures, muddy car parks, high streets and back gardens. It looks good enough to wear around town, but still performs where it counts when you’re off-grid. It layers well, wears comfortably, and doesn’t shout about its credentials — but they’re there, in every detail.

For eco-conscious adventurers, casual wildcampers, chilly dog walkers and anyone who wants a jacket that earns its keep day after day, the Nebulas is easy to recommend. Yes, it’s a bit of an investment. But in a world full of throwaway kit and short-term thinking, that’s exactly what makes it stand out.