Down is the soft fluffy undercoating that grows next to the body of the goose—underneath the protective layer of feathers—that insulates it against cold. A down cluster looks much like a dandelion puffball, with thousands of soft, silky fibers radiating out from a barely visible core. Down’s three-dimensional structure gives it the ability to loft (see below), and each down cluster attaches to the next to form a network capable of trapping a large volume of air. It’s actually the air pockets trapped by the down fibers, not the down itself, that does the insulating. Down clusters allow our natural body heat to keep us warm while allowing moisture to escape, therefore providing a level of comfort that is unsurpassed.

Construction: Baffled