Interesting. I guess, if you're prepared to be careful, then that's all well and good. I was thinking of the proper torrential stuff that always finds its way down your neck, but on top of that, the secondary issue is that if down does get wet, on your body or in your pack, it loses the bulk of its insulation value very quickly because the surface tension of the water simply overcomes the ability of the down to loft. Synthetic fillings are less efficient wet than dry, but still better than sodden down by some distance.
For wet snow, I'm sure the Plasma would be spot on, those are the sort of conditions it's intended to work in. For proper rain in close to zero conditions, which does happen, I'd be a little wary. Ideal if you get caught out by a shower on the way back from the pub though
It occurs to me that we should have mentioned Crux's sizing in the article. It's very much aimed at fit, lean, climbing types, and the Flak Pants in particular - at least the early ones we have - are quite sleek. I have a 31" waist and 32" inside leg and need a large, normally I'm a text book medium in legwear, sometimes a small. I guess they may have changed the cut since the first batch, but I'd definitely try before buying even if you're normally a standard issue size.
I'd kind of agree about the Flak v Torq as well. The Riri zip seems great, but I'd rather stick with slightly tougher fabric and a wired hood. I too was wondering about the North American influence on that peak. I suspect that for helmet use it won't be an issue, but without a lid, I'll be interested to see how it stands up to UK nastiness.
