Down jackets are the de facto standard of winter clothing. They’re light, flexible, warm and so far, no one’s been able to make something better. Well, until now. North Face might’ve just made a jacket that’s better than down. It’s called ThermoBall.

The new ThermoBall jacket looks like your run of the mill down coat, which is to say it has horizontal pockets lined with fluffy, pillowy material. But unlike down, which craps the bed when it gets wet, ThermoBall manages to maintain its usefulness even when it’s wet.

The ThermoBall jacket won’t be out until mid-summer 2012 and is expected to cost somewhere in the $200-$300 range but for die hard winter lovers, ThermoBall jackets might very well be the jacket innovation you’ve been waiting for.   [The North Face]