Cirque is a fantastic jacket, purchased mine January of this year. Wore it the rest of the winter here in MN (0 to -30 degree temps) and it kept me nice and warm with a base and mid layer. Going to be perfect in November once white tail season rolls around. Can't wait!I haven't tried the aerolite, but I like the Cirque for active use and really packing on the warmth under a puffy while glassing. I'm going to AK next year and I think that the synthetic will be a good choice for those conditions also.