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

Ideal for: Winter backpacking and wildcamping, mountaineering

Not suitable for: Trail running, bikepacking, summer trips

The Mountain Equipment Lightline is a rugged, warm and burly deep winter down jacket that delivers serious warmth in freezing conditions — whether you’re out for a deep-winter hike, tucked into a bivvy on a wild camp, or just want something that’ll take the sting out of a January dog walk. With 700-fill down, a water-resistant shell and classic mountain styling, it’s a proper cold-weather coat that’s built to last — and when it’s on offer at GO Outdoors, which it frequently is, it turns a reasonably priced product into an outright bargain. It stands as one of our favourite down jackets of all time — one that we’ve long sworn by, and will long continue to do.

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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 built to keep you warm on the coldest winter days — the sort we don’t get all that often here in the UK. But that’s not to say it’s overkill. The Mountain Equipment Lightline offers exceptional warmth at a solid price — especially when picked up on offer at GO Outdoors, which it frequently is. Thanks to the 700-fill power duck down, it also compresses fairly well, squashing neatly into the included stuff sack — and it weighs about the same as two cans of Coke (750 g).

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The jacket itself comes with a detachable hood, two huge hand-warmer pockets, and a deep internal stash pocket — ideal for keeping electronics warm or stashing a water bottle close to your body in sub-zero temperatures. The fit is well-considered: snug but not restrictive. There’s plenty of room for a thick base layer or jumper, but it still feels comfortable if you’re just wearing a t-shirt underneath — close enough to trap warmth without feeling like you’re swimming in feathers.

The outer shell is made from a tough, 40-denier water-resistant nylon, with fully cover-stitched seams to lock in warmth and keep out unwanted draughts. That also makes the Mountain Equipment Lightline surprisingly water-resistant for a down jacket — though, as with any down product, it’s best kept out of heavy rain. Once wet, down loses its insulating power, and the Lightline is no exception.

Importantly, all the insulation in the Lightline meets the highest ethical standards. Mountain Equipment’s Down Codex has long set the benchmark for responsible sourcing, with full traceability and animal welfare at its core. You can read more about the Down Codex here.

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Finally, one of the most impressive things about the Lightline has to be the price. Bought directly from Mountain Equipment, the RRP currently sits at £240 — already a very fair figure for the quality, warmth and durability on offer. But here’s the thing: this jacket is almost always available for less. If you shop around — especially at the end of the winter season — you’ll often find it heavily discounted at retailers like GO Outdoors, where it frequently drops below £200, and occasionally even under £150.

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For context, the Rab Neutrino Pro comes in at £325, and the Patagonia Fitz Roy tips the scales at £400 — and while both are lighter, more compressible and arguably more technical, we don’t think the differences are enough to justify the significantly higher price tag for most people. The Lightline is warmer than many jackets in its weight class, better built than many in its price range, and more affordable than almost everything it competes with.

At its best price, it’s an absolute steal — and that might go some way toward explaining why it’s been one of the most trusted jackets among UK hillwalkers and wild campers for well over a decade.

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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 Lightline. We’ve all got one — bought at different points over the last seven years, long before the prospect of reviewing them was ever on the cards. Each of us picked it up for the same reason: we recognised that this jacket offered the best value for money in the deep-winter down jacket category. And we still love our Lightlines to this day. It also means we’ve racked up a serious amount of real-world experience with them — collectively spending thousands of hours inside these jackets, from breezy autumn strolls in the Shropshire Hills to full-on Highland mountaineering missions in the Cairngorms.

Now, the first thing to understand is that these jackets aren’t small. They pack down to about the same size as a 2- or 3-season sleeping bag — which is pretty bulky if you’re trying to squeeze one into a winter backpacking setup already loaded with a four-season tent, sleeping bag and mat. At 750 g, they’re not ultralight either. But for us, the Lightline is the jacket we reach for when temperatures drop well below zero — the kind of trips where comfort and safety matter more than shaving grams off your pack weight.

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In our experience, GO Outdoors often has the best deals on ME Lightlines.
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In terms of warmth, we’ve found the Lightline to be market-leading at this price point. It’s properly warm. At around 0°C, it’ll keep you comfortable even with just a t-shirt underneath — and that’s coming from someone who runs cold. Last winter, one of us sat out on top of West Mill Tor for several hours in -13°C wearing an Icebreaker merino base layer, a Patagonia Better Sweater, and a Patagonia Nano Puff — all under the Lightline. Not the most efficient layering system, granted (a shell on top would’ve made more sense), but the warmth it delivered was still seriously impressive.

The zips on the Lightline are high quality and bombproof. No snags, no stiffness, and they’re fitted with large toggles that are easy to operate with thick winter gloves. The hood and hem can both be cinched down using a glove-friendly elastic pulley system, and the Velcro cuffs sit neatly over or under gloves to help seal in heat.

When new, we also found the Lightline to be reasonably water-resistant. Sure, the DWR will wear over time, but the durable 40-denier outer fabric still does a decent job of shedding light showers — and it holds its own in strong wind, too. That said, due to the stitched seams, this jacket will never be quite as wind-tight as seam-sealed options like the North Ridge Tech Down Jacket.

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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.

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Conclusion

Overall, we love the Mountain Equipment Lightline. Delivering incredible warmth at a very reasonable price, we rate its performance across a wide range of conditions and trust it to keep us warm on the coldest British winter days. We’re also big fans of the fit — it’s close enough to wear over a base layer without feeling baggy, but roomy enough to layer over a fleece or comfortably slot under a shell. That said, if weight and packability are top priorities, the Lightline might not be the right choice for you. There are certainly down jackets out there that offer similar warmth in a lighter, more compressible package — but you’ll need to spend significantly more, and accept that they often won’t be as tough or long-lasting as this one.

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.

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