Mountain Equipment has been recognised with a 2025 ISPO Award for its Super Oreus Jacket, a new benchmark in synthetic insulation performance. Building on the success of the original Oreus Jacket, which won the same award in 2023, the Super Oreus delivers down-like warmth, comfort and packability in a fully synthetic build designed for the realities of serious alpine and winter climbing.
“By doubling the insulating effect of its predecessor through a two-layer construction, the Super Oreus sets a new benchmark for synthetic belay jackets. It delivers impressive warmth, fast drying, and reliable protection at minimal weight—showing clear progress for serious alpine users.” Says the official ISPO Jury statement.
Developed and tested over two full Scottish winter seasons with the instructors of Plas y Brenin, the National Outdoor Centre for Mountain Sport in England, and alpine climber Tom Livingstone – who recently received a Piolet d’Or 2025 for his first ascent of the West Ridge of Gasherbrum III – the Super Oreus represents the next stage in Mountain Equipment’s Aetherm insulation programme.
Using two full layers of Aetherm™ Precision Insulation, the Super Oreus achieves almost double the thermal resistance of the original Oreus, while remaining light, compressible, and reliable in sustained cold and wet conditions. “The aim was to create a synthetic jacket that climbers would genuinely choose over down,” says Dr Matt Fuller, Product Engineer at Mountain Equipment. “With the Super Oreus we’ve achieved that, delivering exceptional warmth, outstanding comfort and reliability in any condition.”
Super Oreus jacket doubles up on Aetherm insulation
Tested in the field
Mountain Equipment say that field feedback from Plas y Brenin instructors described it as “the best Scottish belay jacket we’ve ever used,” offering down-like warmth with less bulk and improved comfort during active use. Tom Livingstone noted “a down-like feel, excellent loft and impressive performance when wet.” Lab testing has shown that the thermal resistance (RCT) is practically twice that of the original Oreus Jacket, while the warmth-to-weight ratio is the highest of any heavyweight synthetic insulation we have tested.
At –20 °C during Environment Chamber testing, infrared thermography showed the Super Oreus to be warmer than Mountain Equipment’s market-leading Citadel Jacket and approaching the insulation levels of the award-winning Mountain Equipment Kryos down jacket, while being 60g lighter than the Citadel and only 70 g heavier than the Kryos, despite being entirely synthetic.
Testing the Super Oreus in an Environment Chamber
Aetherm Insulation
Aetherm is Mountain Equipment’s proprietary synthetic insulation developed through a five-year research project to achieve the warmth and packability of down with the reliability of a fully synthetic system. It uses precision-placed, multi-filament fibres woven through a heat-reflective scrim to trap more warmth with less bulk. This structure provides Aetherm with exceptional thermal efficiency, resilience, and recovery, even after repeated compression or saturation. The original Oreus Jacket, introduced in 2023, featured Aetherm insulation and was recognised for its outstanding performance and versatility. The Super Oreus builds on this foundation with greater protection and warmth for alpine and expedition use, setting a new standard for synthetic belay jackets.
More info: www.mountain-equipment.com