If your gear list for an autumn or winter trip has a gap where a midlayer should be, this week's deal is worth a look. Helly Hansen's Odin Stretch Hood Insulator 2.0 — a synthetic-insulated hooded jacket built for hiking, ski touring and fast mountain days — is currently discounted by 50 percent, according to Backpacker's Deal of the Week.

What makes this jacket interesting rather than just another puffy is how much movement is built into it. Raglan sleeves, articulated elbows and elastane panels along the sides mean it stretches with you instead of fighting your stride, which matters on scramble-y terrain or a long day when you're putting in thousands of vertical metres. Backpacker's tester wore it on a midnight summit run up Colorado's 12,522-foot Uneva Peak and reported the PrimaLoft GOLD Active+ insulation held off the chills without overheating, and it stayed comfortable on a midwinter ski tour at Jones Pass too.

Breathability is handled a couple of ways: a recycled ripstop face fabric, plus fleece patches under the arms that help dump heat where you need it most. That's a smart setup for anyone who runs hot — think uphill hikes, trail runs or skinning up a resort boundary line — where a standard insulated jacket can quickly turn into a sweat box.

Fit-wise, it's cut slim with a low-bulk profile, so it layers cleanly under a hardshell rather than bunching at the shoulders. And while it's not a rain jacket, the DWR treatment on the face fabric was enough to shrug off light precipitation on its own — handy for the kind of drizzle-and-flurry days that seem to find every summit.

Why should a traveller care? Because insulated midlayers are one of those items that carry across almost every kind of trip: a shoulder-season city break in Scandinavia, a trek in the Alps, a winter walking holiday, or stuffing into a carry-on as your plane-to-trail layer. Synthetic fill like PrimaLoft is also a better pick than down for damp climates, since it keeps insulating when it gets wet and dries fast. A half-price discount on a technical piece from a heritage Norwegian brand is the kind of window you don't usually get long to browse.

One caveat: deal-of-the-week pricing tends to be time-limited and sizes sell through quickly, so if it's on your list, check your size early. — via Backpacker