Mountain Equipment Lightline Review

The Mountain Equipment Lightline is an ever-popular deep winter down jacket that delivers exceptional warmth in a packable and reasonably lightweight package — and it represents fantastic value for money when compared to other jackets in this space

The Mountain Equipment Lightline

The Mountain Equipment Lightline is a rugged, warm and burly deep winter down jacket that will keep you warm on the coldest days or atop the UK’s highest peaks — and does it all at a great price.

Mountain Equipment Lightline down jacket review

A staple of UK winter hillwalking, the Lightline has long been one of the most popular down jackets on the market. One of Mountain Equipment’s longest-running and most successful lines, it delivers outstanding warmth, is reasonably lightweight and packs down to a good size — and does all of this for a very reasonable price.

Now, this isn’t a jacket built for fast and light sub-zero adventures. A transportable duvet that you can throw on when the mercury plummets, it’s equally not designed for high-output activities.

It’s a heavy-duty overcoat manufactured to keep you warm on the coldest winter days — the type that we don’t get all that often here in the UK. But that’s not to say it’s overkill. The Mountain Equipment offers exceptional warmth at a reasonable price — especially when you compare it with other equivalent jackets in the space. And, thanks to the 700-fill power duck down, it also packs down fairly well, squashing down into a stuff sack that comes in the coat as standard, and it weighs the same as about 2 cans of Coke (750 g).

The jacket itself comes with a detachable hood, two huge hand warmer pockets and a deep internal stash pocket that’s perfect for keeping electrical devices warm or keeping a water bottle close to your body in sub-zero temperatures. The fit of the jacket is also well-considered, being tight but not too tight. It’s loose enough that you can wear a thick base layer or jumper under the coat, yet it’s close fitting enough that you can still wear it in just a t-shirt and not feel like you’re drowning in down.

The shell of the jacket is made from a thick 40-denier water-resistant nylon, and all the seams are cover-stitched to lock in warmth and avoid any pesky drafts getting in. This also makes it surprisingly water-resistant for a down jacket, although you should do your best to avoid wearing this in the rain. As with all down products, once wet, they stop keep you warm, and the Lightline is no different.

While we’re on the subject of down, all of the insulation in the Mountain Equipment Lightline follows the highest ethical standards. Mountain Equipment’s Down Codex has long been the standard bearer in the industry, and the brand guarantees that all of the down they use in their products is sourced ethically. To find out more about Mountain Equipment’s Down Codex, click here

Finally, one of the most impressive things about the Mountain Equipment Lightline has to be the price. When bought directly from Mountain Equipment, the coats cost £240. The Rab Neutrino Pro, for example, costs £325 when bought directly through Rab, whereas the Patagonia Fitz Roy comes in at £400. And while both jackets are lighter and more packable, we don’t think the differences are enough to justify the higher price tag for most people. What’s more, if you shop around, you’ll also commonly find Lightlines on sale at the likes of GO Outdoors, Millets, Blacks and co. Towards the end of the winter season, we’ve even seen them on sale for under £150. At this price point, the jackets simply cannot be beaten in our opinion — which might go some way towards explaining their popularity.

Our experience using the Mountain Equipment Lightline down jacket

Interestingly, every member of the GBAC team happens to be a long-time owner of a Mountain Equipment Lightline. We’ve all got one, bought at different points over the last 7 years, long before the prospect of reviewing them was an option. We each bought one because we identified that the coats represented the best value for money in the deep-winter down jacket space. And we love our Lightlines to this day. Due to this, it also means that we have a wealth of experience using this jacket: Together, we’ve spent thousands of hours inside them, and have worn them on everything from autumnal jaunts in the Shropshire Hills through to deep winter Highland mountaineering trips in the Cairngorms.

Now, the first thing that you need to be aware of is that these jackets aren’t small. They pack down to a similar size as a 2 or 3-season sleeping bag. That means that if you plan on taking them on a winter backpacking trip when your rucksack is already packed out with a four-season tent, sleeping bag and sleeping pad, carrying a Lightline with you as well might be a struggle. Additionally, weighing in at 750 g, the jackets are also not very lightweight.. For us, however, we only really turn to the Lightline on the coldest days, choosing to take it only on trips where, because of the challenges associated to the low temperatures we’re about to face, weight takes a backseat to comfort and safety.

When it comes to warmth, we’ve found the Mountain Equipment Lightline to be market leading at this price point. It’s really warm. At around 0 degrees Celsius, it’ll keep me plenty warm if I’m just wearing a t-shirt under this thing, and I run very cold. Last winter, in fact, I sat out in my Lightline on top of West Mill Tor in -13 degrees Celsius. I was wearing an Icebreaker merino baselayer, a Patagonia Better Sweater and a Patagonia Nano Puff jacket (as well as a hat, gloves and thick winter trousers, obviously). Now, I’m not sure if that’s the most efficient way to maximise the warmth of this coat (wearing it under a loose shell would probably have been smarter), but I was plenty warm even though I didn’t move for a good few hours.

The zips on the Mountain Equipment Lightline are also durable and high quality, and they’ve never snagged on any of the team’s jackets. They also come with large toggles that allow you to operate them easily when wearing thick winter gloves. The hood and the hems can be cinched tight using an easy-to-use elastic pulley system, and the cuffs can be strapped over or under gloves to maximise heat retention.

When new, we also found the Lightline to be reasonably water-resistant. Naturally, the DWR coating on the outside wears over time, but thanks to the durable 40-Denier material, it does a good job at keeping showers at bay. For the same reason, this jacket does a great job at wind mitigation. Due to the stitched seems, however, the jacket will never be as wind-tight as jackets with glued seams (such as the Rab Cubit Stretch jacket or the North Ridge Tech Down Jacket).

Mountain Equipment Lightline FAQs

The Mountain Equipment Lighline down jacket is very warm. Packed with 10.4 oz of 700-fill power down, the coat delivers amazing warmth the second you start moving. Only really necessary on the coldest winter days, we’d turn to the Lightline on wild camps when the temperature at camp is hovering around 3 degrees Celsius or lower.
The Mountain Equipment Lightline is a lightweight and packable down jacket that delivers tons of warmth. It’s designed to be worn during low-output activities in cold temperatures, such as low-intensity walks, sitting around camp or belaying a friend.
The Mountain Equipment Lightline isn’t a waterproof jacket. It’s designed to offer exceptional warmth in a packable and lightweight package. It is, however, manufactured from an ultra-durable 40-Denier outer fabric and comes with a DWR coating as standard. This means it can put up with very light drizzle and short showers, but you’re going to want to wear it under a shell if the weather gets any worse than that.
Yes, we think so. Costing £240 (or substantially less if bought during one of the numerous sales at the likes of GO Outdoors and co) the Mountain Equipment Lightline represents excellent value for money, especially considering the warmth you get for every penny spent.
The Mountain Equipment Lightline is definitely one of the more durable down jackets on the market. Manufactured with a tough 40-Denier shell, this jacket is highly resistant to scrapes and tears, and it performs surprisingly well in the rain, too.

Conclusion

Overall, we love the Mountain Equipment Lightline. Delivering incredible warmth at a very reasonable price, we rate its performance in a variety of conditions and trust it to keep us warm on the coldest British winter days. We also like the fit of the jacket, and find that the fairly close fit allows us to comfortably wear it both over layers or under a shell. That being said, if weight and packability are very important to you, the Mountain Equipment Lightline might not be the most suitable winter down jacket for you. There are numerous down jackets out there that deliver equivalent levels of warmth whilst being noticeably lighter and more packable. You’ll just need to spend substantially more money and sacrifice a certain degree of durability.

What other people say

I would highly recommend this jacket to anyone looking for a high-quality down insulated jacket, for colder conditions, that offers exceptional protection from wind, snow, and even the odd shower. Whether it’s for lunchtime stops on winter walks, cold evenings at the camp, or bouldering and regular visits to the crag, the Lightline will last for many years and won’t break the bank either. This is a workhorse of a jacket that, whilst not as light and packable as some alternatives, is definitely durable enough for everyday use and more technical use where longevity is a priority.

We’re really pleased to have scored Mountain Equipment Lightline Jacket so highly, givimg it 9.9 out of 10, making it well above the average for all insulated jackets.
We felt that this product gives one of the best overall packages for all aspects of our review, from the quality, to the specs, price and customer feedback.
All that’s left now is to head over to read lots of the customer reviews by clicking on the “view reviews at Cotswold Outdoor” button. Thanks and don’t forget to drop a comment below if you have any thoughts on our Mountain Equipment Lightline Jacket review.

A staple in the Mountain Equipment lineup for over 40 years, the Lightline packs a serious punch. This winter-weight jacket is very warm with over 10 ounces of 700-fill-power down and has a tough 40-denier shell—all for a reasonable $300. Taken together, you won’t find a better value, and it’s one of our favorite down jackets for frigid days.