High end insulated jacket works for me in Vermont. Out there pretty much every day nowadays. I have shells, down, puffies, fleeces, vests etc., but for everyday Vermont skiing I need the full featured insulation + goretex jacket. When I go West or to Europe, even in January, I don’t bring the insulated jacket. Shell + layers. In Europe, you’re in trams and gondolas a lot of the time. Most Euro & western trips are from March onward, so no need for insulated jacket.