Written by K2 Base Camp Team Member Geneviève Norris-Roozmon - Instagram: @groozman
Written by K2 Base Camp Team Member Geneviève Norris-Roozmon - Instagram: @groozman
La Sportiva Lumina Down Jacket Review
La Sportiva's lightweight, packable down puffers are loaded with technical features to keep you warm in the mountains, but do they live up to the hype?
K2 team member Geneviève Norris-Roozmon put the Lumina 300 to the test on a recent trip to tackle classic multi pitch, The Governor on Mount Barney.
Here’s an outline of what’s covered in this blog post.
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La Sportiva's lightweight, packable down puffers are loaded with technical features to keep you warm in the mountains, but do they live up to the hype?
K2 team member Geneviève Norris-Roozmon put the Lumina 300 to the test on a recent trip to tackle classic multi pitch, The Governor on Mount Barney.
Here’s an outline of what’s covered in this blog post.
Jump to:
What is the La Sportiva Lumina jacket series designed for?
This jacket is an ultralight warmth machine designed to occupy minimal space in a pack for technical climbing ascents and/or skiing descents. When not in use, the jacket compacts into an included stuff sack about the size of a 1L Nalgene.
Where did you go to test it out?
Being based in Brisbane at the moment, I’ve only gotten to test this jacket out in a late July Southeast Queensland cold snap. This included morning coffee and gear sorting in the Frog Buttress parking lot and belaying at the crag, at 8°C, and around the base of Mount Barney while cradling warm cups of tea the night and morning before climbing The Governor (22, 320m), at 7°C.
While this is hardly the sub-zero temps the jacket is designed for, despite being born and raised in Canada, I’m happiest in a puffy jacket once the mercury dips any colder than 18°C, so these temperatures felt plenty cold enough to see how the Lumina 300 keeps out the chill.
What do people need to know about the fit of the La Sportiva Lumina jacket?
In short, this jacket made me feel like a very happy marshmallow. I appreciated the loft of the 1,000 fill down, which felt especially airy and akin to a wearable sleeping bag, albeit with an excellent fit that still made me feel like I had full range of motion.
The fit is also surprisingly streamlined for such a lofty jacket, which I think is thanks to the colour-blocking and arrowlike shape of the baffles, which help make sure you don’t look like a marshmallow even if you feel like one.
The hood is large enough to accommodate a helmet without feeling cavernous without one, thanks to an adjustable toggle on the back. Somehow, despite keeping me absolutely toasty down to 7 degrees, this jacket is also hyper-packable, stuffing down to less than half the size and nearly half the weight of my comparably warm and previous go-to belay puffy, the Black Diamond Mission Down Parka. This is a critical feature, as while the BD parka could be easy to leave behind on backcountry ski days warmer than -15 degrees, I have no excuse with the Lumina 300.
Ultimately, a properly warm parka can become essential safety gear to protect against hypothermia in the event of an accident in the backcountry, so having such a packable option gives me peace of mind.
What kind of trip is the jacket best suited for?
This jacket is designed for technical ascents and descents in sub-zero temperatures, where pack space and weight matter. That said, it would be well suited for anyone looking for a stylish, lightweight option for serious warmth, such as an extra backup for a resort ski trip in case the temperature drops, without taking up too much luggage space.
Where are you planning to use it?
The Lumina 300 will be a great jacket for anytime I’m recreating in cold temps, including backcountry skiing, overnight traverses and daytrips in the Snowies, New Zealand, and beyond. On any of those trips, this jacket would be ideal for warmth during rests and as mandatory safety gear in the event of an unexpected overnight. I'm also planning to take it to Yosemite for some trips up El Cap where I'll benefit from a good warmth to weight ratio.
Do you have any advice on sizing for a La Sportiva Lumina jacket?
I found the jacket fit true to size for La Sportiva, which trends towards a more streamlined European fit. The women’s Medium was my ideal fit, not too tight to layer nor too loose as to let cold air in. As a woman with broader climber’s shoulders, this is my jacket size in other brands such as Arc’teryx, while I find myself wearing a Small in brands more tailored to athletic proportions, such as Patagonia and Black Diamond.
Key features and specifications of the La Sportiva Lumina:
When deployed at rests or belays in sub-zero temperatures, this jacket shows off that 50% of its 350g total featherlike weight is high-quality 1,000 fill power Italian down (the gold standard in warmth to weight ratios).
I also like the jacket’s harness compatible pocket placement, which would allow access to necessary items during technical travel, or a handwarmer at the belay. That said, I missed the inclusion of an internal or external chest pocket in which to keep temperature-sensitive essentials (like a phone) as warm as possible, though I understand that would add precious grams and bulk to the jacket.
The outer Pertex® Quantum fabric with Diamond Fuse technology delivers some abrasion resistance against rock and metal edges, though the included repair patch kit will surely come in useful to prolong the jacket’s life, as it is still a very thin material to cut down on weight.
Having said that, I was hyperaware of just how fragile it feels due to its gram-saving thinness. If I could help it, this is not a jacket I would wear while climbing (as opposed to just belaying) or around ski edges (such as while removing or replacing skins during a transition).
The jacket also features:
- 2-way front zip
- Adjustable, padded hood for greater cold-weather protection
- Compression bag for packability
- Elasticated inner cuffs for extra warmth
- Adjustable hem for a precise fit
- DWR PFC free fabric finishing for light water repellency
You can check out the La Sportiva Lumina jacket series online or in store at K2 Base Camp.