Blending the Powers of Down & Wool: Ortovox DownWool 270 Jacket Review

I couldn’t wait to get back to the car and get warm. I’d worked up a sweat during a full moon skin to the top of Sunlight Mountain, and the ride down in the dark had been a cold one. My base and midlayers were soaked. I could feel them freezing under my shell as I skied down. Foolishly, I’d left my Ortovox DownWool 270 jacket in the car, and it was all I could think about.

As soon as I arrived at my vehicle, I kicked off my skis and jumped inside. I shed the wet layers and slipped into the DownWool 270. It offered near-instant relief.

The buttery texture of the jacket’s lining felt wonderful on my bare skin. The warmth of the down and wool insulation melted over me. Slowly, my shivers began to subside, and I regained control of my breath. I vowed never to forget my insulated jacket on a night skin again.

That was the moment I fell in love with the DownWool 270. But in the months that followed, as I continued testing it in cold Colorado conditions — on the skin tracks, at huts, in ski area parking lots, and around town — I grew attached to this jacket. It became my comfort blanket for chilly days.

In short: The Ortovox DownWool 270 ($550) jacket is an ideal companion for cold environments and high-output activities. The 70% down, 30% wool blend improves loft and absorbs moisture for better insulation in wet conditions or while working up a sweat. It’s comfortable, fits well, and has a notably trim look compared to many other puffy jackets. For active winter enthusiasts, this is a reliably warm, functional piece of winter outerwear.

Compare the Ortovox DownWool 270 to jackets on our guide to the Best Down Jackets and the Best Down Jackets for Women.

Ortovox DownWool 270 Jacket Review

I first saw the DownWool 270 at Denver’s Outdoor Media Association (OMA) winter gear tradeshow. I’d never seen a 70% duck down and 30% wool blend in an insulated jacket before. The blend supposedly increases loft (making the jacket feel warmer) and manages moisture better than straight down, making this jacket suitable for higher-output activities.

The concept piqued my curiosity.

Ortovox released the DownWool in spring 2025. According to the brand, it was designed mostly for freeride skiing and ski touring but can also be used for mountaineering, high alpine, and ice climbing adventures.

Design Features

The DownWool has a helmet-compatible hood with a high collar. It’s easily adjustable and fits snugly with a helmet underneath. The high collar protects against cold air and gusts of wind, and helps trap body heat inside.

This jacket’s cuffs aren’t adjustable; instead, they use an elastic band to hug the wrist. They keep cold air out and warm air in. However, they aren’t the easiest to get over a glove. You kind of have to tuck the cuff into your glove to create a seal. You could also tuck the glove into the jacket, but I personally think that looks kind of goofy.

This jacket has only three pockets. The two side pockets are lined with a soft, fleecy material, which not only feels nice but also helps your hands warm up faster when they’re cold (the chin is lined with this same material).

Then there is a chest pocket big enough to fit an iPhone 14 Pro Max, but there are no interior pockets. I never felt like I was lacking pocket space, but an inside pocket would have been nice.

The two-way zipper accommodates a harness if you’re ice climbing or belaying in cold weather. The zipper is sealed and water-resistant, and it’s got a decently smooth action. However, it’s a left-handed zipper. As an American, that Euro-style design always throws me off. I end up reaching for the zipper with the wrong hand every time. I also find it’s easier for me to snag the zipper when it’s left-handed — but that’s likely a user problem.

Finally, the DownWool 270 comes with a pouch in one pocket that it packs inside. I used it as a pillow on several car and plane rides.

Materials

The big attraction with the DownWool 270 is in the name. It’s 70% duck down and 30% wool. That gives the baffles a little extra loft, which helps them hold more warm air.

The wool also provides a buffer against wet conditions. If you get soaked in this jacket (which I have), the wool will still keep you marginally warm. It isn’t as good as synthetic insulation in that regard, but it’s better than just straight down.

The wool and down blend is also supposed to help this jacket manage body moisture better. According to Ortovox, it breathes better than down alone.

I think I could feel this when I wore the DownWool 270 on a hike where I worked up a bit of a sweat. I expected to be moist when I finished, but instead I felt as though the jacket was able to breathe enough that I dried out on the descent.

It was also notable when I threw it on after my night skin on Sunlight. I was damp when I put this jacket on with no layers underneath — by the time I was home (~20 minutes), I was dry.

Ortoxov used recycled wool (without down) in the underarms and on the sides. That is supposed to aid even more in moisture management when engaged in active exercise.

The outer material is a windproof, water-resistant PERTEX QUANTUM PRO. It’s got a lovely, buttery handfeel. I like to wear this down jacket with a T-shirt simply because of the material’s texture. It does well at blocking wind and will fend off water for about 15 minutes in a consistent downpour (more on this in the next section).

In the Field: Testing the Ortovox DownWool 270 Jacket

I wore this jacket skiing, skinning, hiking, and around town for about half of the winter and all spring long. I ended up wearing this jacket more because I liked it than because I had to test it. It came with me to Jackson Hole and Crested Butte, to hut trips, to winter concerts, and on more dog walks than I can count.

Performance-wise, this jacket met all of my expectations. While Ortovox doesn’t list the fill power of the duck down it uses, I can tell you confidently that this is a warm jacket. I wouldn’t take it on an arctic expedition, but for almost all temperatures and conditions I deal with in Colorado, it was more than enough.

In fact, on the skin track, it was always too much. This jacket stayed in my pack until I was skiing downhill.

I took the DownWool 270 on one very wet hike this fall. When I left my house, it was brisk but sunny. About 15 minutes later, it was cold and dumping rain.

The water resistance worked well — for the first 15 minutes. Then, I could start to see signs that the jacket was soaking through. By 20 minutes, I could tell I was taking on water, and the down was losing some of its insulating qualities on the shoulders and arms.

It dried out pretty quickly, though. And honestly, I was impressed it held up for as long as it did. Many other down jackets would have gotten soaked in 5 minutes or less, and wouldn’t have kept me warm at all after. At least when this jacket soaked through, there was still wool in there holding onto whatever warm air it could.

I particularly liked the length of this jacket in the back when I was skiing at a resort. The tail completely covers your butt, so when you sit on a cold chairlift, it still keeps your rump warm.

Drawbacks

I already mentioned that I don’t like left-handed zippers. My only other qualm with this jacket is its lack of an inside pocket. Typically, I’ll keep my phone or wallet in that pocket, and it’s always useful for lift tickets or sunglasses. The absence stuck out to me (probably because I use that pocket a lot). It’s no deal breaker by any means, but something to note.

It would also be remiss not to mention the cuffs again. They use an elastic closure instead of an adjustable Velcro one, which makes it somewhat tricky to figure out how to wear bigger gloves.

Ortovox DownWool 270 Jacket: Who Is It For?

If you like warm down jackets and spend time in cold environments, you’ll appreciate the DownWool 270 from Ortovox. It’s very comfortable and warm, and it uses a unique blend of duck down and wool insulation. Plus, the slim profile and length in the back look good and fit well under a shell.

At 23 ounces, it isn’t the lightest or most packable puffy on the market, but for most winter environments in the lower 48, it’s a great cold-weather companion.

It’s an investment at $550, but I’m already looking forward to wearing this jacket some more this winter. It will be in my bag every time I leave for a ski trip and in my backpack every time I go for a night ski (I learned my lesson there).