Down/Primaloft Jacket

I'm looking for a down jacket (or similar material like Primaloft) jacket for this winter for rest stops and extremely cold days above treeline. Seeing a lot of stuff in last year close outs at what seem to be decent prices. My first and only down jacket purchase was a bad decision not knowing much about the material and I am disappointed with it and need to replace.

Any favorite brands out there? Features? Durability? Fill weight, blah, blah, blah. What should I be looking for? REI has a lot of Black Diamond products from 2014 on clearance. Was looking at the Cold Forge Parka but it is 70% down/30% Primaloft. I semi-researched this last year but the season ran out before I pulled the trigger. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

First Ascent from Eddie Bauer is decent stuff if you are tall. Being 6'3", it's difficult to find gear that is long enough without being for fat people.

The downtek down that's treated to be hydrophobic appears to be a feature worth looking for. Beans rolled it out a few years ago but I expect other firms are using it. I do have one that gets used on occasion and my perception is that it does retain it loft better in damp conditions.

You should be looking for a hooded jacket with baffled construction that weighs around 2 lbs. and is filled with at least 700 cu.in./oz. goose down. The Marmot Greenland would be a good choice. I've been happy with a Feathered Friends Frontpoint. Get a compression stuff sack, which will make it easier to stuff when wearing mittens (you put the jacket in the sack, then compress it), but don't compress it as small as possible so you don't damage the down.

I'm 6' 3" as well and somewhat.....rotund... in the mid section. I'll take a look. Thanks.

jfb said:

You should be looking for a hooded jacket with baffled construction that weighs around 2 lbs. and is filled with at least 700 cu.in./oz. goose down. The Marmot Greenland would be a good choice. I've been happy with a Feathered Friends Frontpoint. Get a compression stuff sack, which will make it easier to stuff when wearing mittens (you put the jacket in the sack, then compress it), but don't compress it as small as possible so you don't damage the down.

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I concur with the hooded jacket suggestion. Mine is a Mtn. Hardwear Subzero, & I hate that it doesn't have a hood.

OTH, for the intended use that the OP describes, I don't think that baffled construction is necessary. If wind is an issue, just wear your shell over or under the jacket. The lighter weight & compactness of a sewn-through jacket like the Feathered Friends Helios Hooded Jacket, would be preferable.

Avoid down sweaters/jackets with narrow tubes. Narrow & small stitched sections are used to keep a lesser amount of down evenly placed. These jackets are great for the concrete jungle, but they're not going to keep you warm when it's cold & you're not moving much. You want big, fat pockets of down.

TEO said:

I concur with the hooded jacket suggestion. Mine is a Mtn. Hardwear Subzero, & I hate that it doesn't have a hood.

OTH, for the intended use that the OP describes, I don't think that baffled construction is necessary. If wind is an issue, just wear your shell over or under the jacket. The lighter weight & compactness of a sewn-through jacket like the Feathered Friends Helios Hooded Jacket, would be preferable.

Avoid down sweaters/jackets with narrow tubes. Narrow & small stitched sections are used to keep a lesser amount of down evenly placed. These jackets are great for the concrete jungle, but they're not going to keep you warm when it's cold & you're not moving much. You want big, fat pockets of down.

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Lesson learned there. My first jacket is said type of jacket (without hood). I got hung up on the 850 fill spec because I didn't know enough about it when I bought.

TEO said:

OTH, for the intended use that the OP describes, I don't think that baffled construction is necessary.

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For use while hiking, I tend to agree that baffled construction is not necessary. If he gets stuck spending the night and is carrying a sleeping bag, then wearing the down jacket inside the bag will be warm. I prefer to carry the warmer baffled jacket and leave the sleeping bag at home.

jfb said:

For use while hiking, I tend to agree that baffled construction is not necessary. If he gets stuck spending the night and is carrying a sleeping bag, then wearing the down jacket inside the bag will be warm. I prefer to carry the warmer baffled jacket and leave the sleeping bag at home.

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I wouldn't be wearing the jacket to walk unless it was really windy and cold, like descending above treeline or similar situation. Looking primarily for a jacket to put on during stops (I like to take longer stops than most) and as emergency use in the event of an immobilizing event like an injury or severe weather. I carry a Gore Tex bivy for disaster insurance and agree with many others on this forum that having wearable stuff you can do tasks and move in is more desirable and a better use of the weight than a sleeping bag. If the weather is that insane that the sleeping bag is necessary it is highly unlikely I'd be out there in the first place.

Spent about an hour looking at jackets online earlier and there aren't many that fall into this category. The Marmot Greenland would be my leading candidate at this point. I have a lot of Marmot stuff and trust the brand quality, features, etc.

When I first started winter hiking, I grabbed a Land's End 600 fill down jacket at Sears for ~ $60. It works for me. It is too warm, big, and bulky for anything but rest stops in the winter.

Two years ago, I made the mistake of buying a down mid-layer that I really wish was a synthetic insulation like Primaloft. It works well for day trips and as a camp layer in the summer but I worry about relying on it for overnights in the winter.

DayTrip said:

Spent about an hour looking at jackets online earlier and there aren't many that fall into this category.

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True. Lighter jackets are not warm enough and heavier jackets are so bulky that you won't want to carry them. Baffled construction is more expensive than sewn through, but warmer for the weight.

Something else to consider is that for a jacket to be warm, the density of down in the chambers should be higher than the density measured during the down certification test. The loft of the jacket is determined by the dimensions of the shell and by the amount of down. Jackets with the same loft may not be the same warmth. That's why good manufacturers list the weight of jacket and weight of down in their specs.

jfb said:

True. Lighter jackets are not warm enough and heavier jackets are so bulky that you won't want to carry them. Baffled construction is more expensive than sewn through, but warmer for the weight.

Something else to consider is that for a jacket to be warm, the density of down in the chambers should be higher than the density measured during the down certification test. The loft of the jacket is determined by the dimensions of the shell and by the amount of down. Jackets with the same loft may not be the same warmth. That's why good manufacturers list the weight of jacket and weight of down in their specs.

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Is this going to be a piece of survival gear if misfortune strikes? Budget appropriately, then pick.

jfb said:

True. Lighter jackets are not warm enough and heavier jackets are so bulky that you won't want to carry them. Baffled construction is more expensive than sewn through, but warmer for the weight.

Something else to consider is that for a jacket to be warm, the density of down in the chambers should be higher than the density measured during the down certification test. The loft of the jacket is determined by the dimensions of the shell and by the amount of down. Jackets with the same loft may not be the same warmth. That's why good manufacturers list the weight of jacket and weight of down in their specs.

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I'm having trouble finding this spec. I've narrowed my choices down to 3 jackets: the OR Floodlight, the MH Nilas and the Arc'terx Thorium SV. They are all basically the same overall weight, similar fill down but I don't see the specs for the fill weight. I consider all of these companies to be very high quality. I'm leaning toward the OR Floodlight for the weather proof qualities and construction.

To clarify, just because a manufacturer doesn't list the down weight doesn't mean the quality is not good. I'd go with the MH Nilas or Marmot Greenland or Rab Positron or Feathered Friends Volant. You'll probably never need the jacket for an emergency overnight anyways, but I think buying "more" jacket than you need is not a bad idea.

http://www.mountaingear.com/webstor...3Yu45L4go6xukCyQFm5hoCaNrw_wcB&ad=55685408175

jfb said:

To clarify, just because a manufacturer doesn't list the down weight doesn't mean the quality is not good. I'd go with the MH Nilas or Marmot Greenland or Rab Positron or Feathered Friends Volant. You'll probably never need the jacket for an emergency overnight anyways, but I think buying "more" jacket than you need is not a bad idea.

http://www.mountaingear.com/webstor...3Yu45L4go6xukCyQFm5hoCaNrw_wcB&ad=55685408175

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I instant messaged with a rep at BackCountry and got the info. The OR was 150g, the Nilas 215g and the Arc'teryx 99g. I came across another brand, Mountain Equipment, in a review and think they may have the best jacket for the money. Their K7 model is about $70 cheaper than the Nilas, has comparable features and has 330g of fill. Thanks for all your input. It has helped greatly with the purchase decision. I've never had trouble buying "more" when it comes to gear.

The K7 looks like another excellent jacket. Now, start thinking about insulated pants.

jfb said:

The K7 looks like another excellent jacket. Now, start thinking about insulated pants.

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Indeed. I already have.

jfb said:

The K7 looks like another excellent jacket. Now, start thinking about insulated pants.

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I did get this jacket after all and gave it a test SAT night on South Peak of Moosilauke. It was fantastic. Temp was 21-22 deg F with 15-25 mph winds. Kestrel calculated wind chill as 3-4 deg F. I stayed on summit for an hour (sunset was absolutely incredible) and was quite comfortable the whole time. One thing I particularly like is that the inner lining has an elasticized material so it conforms to your shape and leaves no air pockets or spaces inside. Want to test it at colder temps but my initial impressions are very favorable.

That's good news. I'm guessing you didn't get the jacket to fit over everything (including hardshell). Does it fit in your pack OK?

I was all set to get the Patagonia DAS parka, but after seeing the reviews for the K-7, I'm not sure now about DAS parka. DAS users Primaloft verses down and it weighs a lot more then the K-7. Although the K-7 looks to cost a lot more. I've never owned down before. I'm also concerned that DAS parka will be bulky to fit in my pack verses down. I've owned so much Patagonia clothes over the years, I rarely deviate to other brands because of how long the Patagonia stuff last. Now I'm not sure.