The Norrøna Falketind Down750 Jacket is a versatile lightweight down jacket that’s equally at home in the backcountry as it is on the chilly sidewalks of a mountain town.
To get us a closer look, Norrøna sent Man Makes Fire a review unit. After wearing the Falketind Down750 Jacket in cold winter conditions down to single digits, as well as using it as a mid-layer skiing, this is what we learned:
Norrøna Falketind Down750 Jacket Review
Norrøna is a Norwegian outerwear clothing brand that makes high-quality apparel for trekking, skiing and mountaineering.
The Norrøna Falketind Down750 Jacket is a versatile midweight down jacket that’s designed for outdoor activity — yet it also delivers a stylish triangular baffle design across the chest and back. In some ways, because there is so much excellent down jacket competition these days, baffle design, color, and overall style start becoming important decision factors — and that’s one of the reasons why the Falketind Down750 Jacket caught my attention.
The men’s Norrøna Falketind Down750 Jacket has cool triangular baffles over the slightly trim-fitting torso.Norrøna packs the Falketind Down750 with — as you might expect by the number in the name — 750 fill-power down. The down is responsibly sourced RDS-certified down, and 750 fill power is midrange quality down. It’s not hydrophobic down, but the Falketind Down750 is actually a hybrid down jacket: Norrøna uses a synthetic insulation in the shoulders, forearms, and sides. These areas are more likely to get wet, and synthetic insulations retain heat better than wet down. Consequently, the lack of hydrophobic down is not a critical drawback for this jacket.
Surprisingly, when you wear the Falketind Down750 Jacket, the implementation of the synthetic insulation feels seamless next to the down baffles. I doubt most people will even notice.
The face fabric is a 20D nylon with a PFC-free DWR coating that can shed light rain and wet snow (but isn’t technically waterproof). Upon close inspection, it seems as if the face fabric is a ripstop nylon, but Norrøna doesn’t identify it as such.
For the arm and shoulder panel face fabric, Norrøna uses a reinforced 45D recycled nylon. It’s still supple but has a slightly different texture. The panels are obvious on the splashy Hawaiian Surf/Indigo Night color option, but I also appreciate the subtle style cues the panels deliver on the Caviar Black and Indigo Night Blue color options.
Overall Design
Norrøna uses 750 fill power down with synthetic insulation underneath the shoulder and arm panels.The Norrøna Falketind Down750 Jacket uses elastic in the cuffs, which is sized perfectly to seal out cold drafts. The hem hits fairly low on your hips (and slightly lower in the back for better warmth and coverage) and Norrøna includes an almost hidden drawcord if you want it tighter. You can feel a push-button adjuster inside the face fabric near each end of the drawcord — squeeze it to release the cord. Most competing down jackets have exterior hem adjustment hardware, so this might be a bit confusing at first. Once you figure it out, it’s easy to use, though.
The single left chest pocket is roomy with the insulation situated on the outside of the pocket. I like this design because it lets you stash a smartphone in the pocket where your body heat can keep it reasonably warm.
The elastic cuffs do a great job of sealing out cold drafts.Hand Warmer Pockets
The two hand warmer pockets have a very odd set of stitches across the zipper about two inches up from the bottom. At first glance, it looks as if the zipper should open up farther but obviously does not. I think it’s an intentional design quirk made to create a more visually appealing pocket line. Functionally, without the thread stopper across the zipper, I could see some contents falling out of the pocket if it were completely zipped open. So the thread stopper does have a purpose beyond allowing for more vertical style elements.
In fact, Norrøna does the same thing with the chest pocket zipper, but I only noticed after examining the hand warmer pockets. Interesting.
You can see how the zippers stop two inches or so before the end of the zipper line.Functionally, there’s nothing wrong with this, and I likely never would have noticed except for this one thing: The right pocket functions as a stuff pocket for the jacket. However, because the pocket opening is a bit small, it takes a bit more patience to use it than I personally like. Basically, the stuff pocket opening is small, which is a minor drawback.
The built-in stuff pocket is nice to have, but it’s a bit small and harder to stuff than it should be.Fit Characteristics
Like many European jacket fits, the Norrøna Falketind Down750 Jacket fits slightly trim compared to competing North American-focused brands. Personally, I’m a fan. I’m about 6’3″ and 220 lbs, which makes me a tweener in a lot of size charts. I have broad shoulders, long arms, and usually a fairly trim torso, all of which means I tend to need an XL to get the correct sleeve length and shoulder room. The drawback for me personally for many North American-focused outerwear brands is the voluminous amount of torso material.
The torso fits just a bit trimmer than most North American-focused down jackets.While the Norrøna Falketind Down750 Jacket fits about a half-size trim in the torso, Norrøna wisely keeps the sleeve length a bit longer than average. If you plan to be active in your down jacket — for instance, for skiing or trekking or climbing — you want to be able to raise your arms and still have sleeve coverage.
In person, the slightly trimmer torso and slightly longer hem length results in a down jacket that looks fantastic on.
Instead of looking all puffy like most standard down jackets, the Falketind Down750 delivers puffy performance but looks slimmer. The fit reminded me of the excellent Feathered Friends Eos Down Jacket — full Eos Down Jacket review here — but the Eos has thicker down insulation and comes in at a higher price point than the Falketind Down750 Jacket.
Shop the Norrøna Falketind Down750 Jacket at Moosejaw and get FREE Shipping!
High Collar
The relatively high collar gives you extra warmth protection when you need it.Even though the Falketind Down750 Jacket is a lightweight down jacket, it has a higher-than-average collar that’s more commonly found on insulated coats. The result is improved warmth when it’s really cold out. I particularly like the high collar when I wear it under a waterproof hardshell — it feels better than most hardshell collars and increases your temperature regulation options.
Meanwhile, from a style standpoint . . . I like it.
Competitive Options & Alternatives
The lightweight down jacket competition is steep — consumers have many choices. For most people, overall performance is similar among similar styles so it’s hard to go wrong with most high-quality down jackets. If you’re interested in the Norrøna Falketind Down750 Jacket, you might also appreciate the fit and design of these competitive options:
Feathered Friends Eos Down Jacket — The Feathered Friends Eos Down Jacket fits similar to the Falketind Down750 Jacket — just a bit trim. The key difference, however, is the amount and quality of down fill. The Eos is packed with 900+ fill power down, which makes it warmer and puffier — but not heavier. The only drawback is that it’s only offered in a hooded version.
Arc’Teryx Cerium LT Jacket — Like the Falketind Down750, the Arc’Teryx Cerium LT Jacket also uses synthetic insulation in the shoulders. It’s a bit lighter than the Falketind and uses 850 fill power down. The latest versions have a slightly longer body length for improved fit (but for some fashion reason the slim Arc’Teryx models seem to wear it a size down than most guys we know do for true outdoor use).
Black Diamond Approach Down Hoodie — Of favorite benefit of the Black Diamond Approach Down Hoodie is the awesome torso baffle design. It tends to fit slightly trim but has sleeves ready for active use. Like the Eos, Black Diamond only makes it in a hooded version.
Rab Microlight Alpine Down Jacket — In our experience, Rab tends to fit a bit trimmer through the torso. Like the Falketind Down750 Jacket, the Rab Microlight Alpine Down Jacket uses eco-friendly materials but goes one step farther: The 700 fill power down is 100% recycled. The non-Alpine Rab Microlight Down Jacket is the non-hooded version.
The Bottom Line
The Norrøna Falketind Down750 Jacket is a competitive lightweight down jacket hybrid with a slightly trim fit and excellent style characteristics. While it could be a few ounces lighter for serious backpacking use, it’s light enough and durable to make a versatile daily driver for most outdoor enthusiasts. We particularly appreciate the non-standard subtle styling delivered by the angular baffle design in the torso, as well as the rugged and ready reinforced shoulder and arm panels. Quality is excellent throughout. Very highly recommended.
Get the Gear:
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- Norrøna Falketind Down750 Jacket — men’s
- Norrøna Falketind Down750 Hood Jacket — men’s
- Norrøna Falketind Down750 Jacket — women’s
- Norrøna Falketind Down750 Hood Jacket — women’s
Shop the Norrøna Falketind Down750 Jacket at Backcountry.com and get FREE Shipping!
