Topic

Awesome cheap puffy


Forum Posting

A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!

Home Forums Gear Forums Gear (General) Awesome cheap puffy

  • This topic is empty.
Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 89 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #1280252
    William Zila
    BPL Member

    @ultralightwillinn-m

    Locale: Albuquerque

    Out of curiosity I picked up a "triple star" down jacket at my local Costco these are boys jacket but the xl the largest size falls in-between a small and a medium it weighs 13.30 ounces with stuff sack and tags it has maybe a inch of loft side by side with my down inner it is a good deal loftier it has a hood insulated with polyester fill the shell appears to be 20-30d the down I would place at 700-750 fp it is warmer then my down inner and best of all only 29.99$!!!!! Search triple down jacket and eBay has a boys xl for you to see a pic. Over all it looks like a good product for the price

    #1787585
    Kattt
    BPL Member

    @kattt

    Nice find! I'll go check it out. Can always need a little more insulation. Thanks

    #1787593
    Morgan Rucks
    BPL Member

    @rucksmtr

    those caught my eye too.

    #1787598
    James holden
    BPL Member

    @bearbreeder-2

    IMO alot of the down goods these days are "overpriced" … you can get good 650-700 fill jackets at retailers … i saw a down jacket which was marked a 90/10, no idea what the fill power was, but people who have bought it say its hella warm, the shell seemed pretty thin as well … it was $50, latter $30 on sale

    now of course they probably dont sell 800+ fill jackets at those prices … but then you really need to ask yourself if its 700 fill, is the extra 100 fill power worth being triple the price?

    not to mention quite a few brands sell 650-700 fill jackets for $$$

    same with merino, saw $10 dead sheep tops at costco that were made in canada … vs. the $100 bank breaker ones that were made in china …

    yuppies ;)

    #1787604
    Mary D
    BPL Member

    @hikinggranny

    Locale: Gateway to Columbia River Gorge

    That just goes to show that you don't have to get your clothing at the expensive hiker stores! Save the money for a good sleeping bag!

    #1787606
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    > ask yourself if its 700 fill, is the extra 100 fill power worth being triple the price?

    I do sometimes wonder about that. Our quilt at home has lots of small feathers, I am sure. But it seems to keep its loft very well. Does the presence of small feathers actually add some robustness to down? I wonder …

    OK – skip feathers for a back-country quilt, but maybe a jacket actually benefits?

    Cheers

    #1787611
    James holden
    BPL Member

    @bearbreeder-2

    roger … i wonder how many people camp in 50%+ humidty ;)


    Ryan Jordan
    ( ryan – BPL STAFF – M)

    Locale:
    Greater Yellowstone

    NEW Re: Re: Re: Introduction to Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008 on 08/10/2008 08:04:56 MDT

    Bill et al.,

    I spoke at length with IDFL yesterday about down testing.

    None of their tests stimulate real world testing. 900 fp in a test is going to be a pipe dream in the field, because they steam wash and dry the down to nearly zero humidity before doing the test. Ironically, this most recent iteration of test methods was designed to determine the maximum possible fill power for down rather than what it will look like in the field.

    Interestingly as a side note, we did some 900 fp testing of down a few years ago on two manufacturer's 900 bags. We cut the bags open and sent them to IDFL. Neither made the claimed 900 spec (they tested 830-870 using the steam method). What was more dramatic was that when each down (which clearly came from different sources as evidenced by visual inspection) was subjected to 50% humidity, the differences were pretty dramatic. One bag tested at 770 fp, the other at 680 fp. It seems that at least these two sources of 900 down had feathers in it that were not resilient in response to humidity.

    The kicker is that we ran the same test next to down taken from a manufacturer's 750 fp bag. at 50% humidity, the fp was 720. Why? It had more feathers that were stiff enough to preserve the loft in moist conditions.

    http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=39920

    #1787616
    Adam Kilpatrick
    BPL Member

    @oysters

    Locale: South Australia

    Top find Will. Pretty tempting to get one for my fiance; she's always cold, and that would fit her. Could easily save half and ounce for sure by trimming off tags and that inside pocket I see in one picture.

    #1787621
    William Zila
    BPL Member

    @ultralightwillinn-m

    Locale: Albuquerque

    I'm liking the 5-10 percent humidity so common here in New Mexico now :)

    #1787622
    James holden
    BPL Member

    @bearbreeder-2

    5% my azzz … for santa fe current =P

    #1787635
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    Hi Eric

    > roger … i wonder how many people camp in 50%+ humidty ;)
    50% is pretty rare for us, here in Sydney, Australia.
    It is usually more like 70%. 80% would not be uncommon. 90% happens.

    Cheers

    #1787636
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    > None of their tests stimulate real world testing. 900 fp in a test is going to be a
    > pipe dream in the field, because they steam wash and dry the down to nearly zero
    > humidity before doing the test. Ironically, this most recent iteration of test
    > methods was designed to determine the maximum possible fill power for down rather
    > than what it will look like in the field.

    And we know that the Europeans regard the new IDFL test method as futile and deceptive. They will not accept the results. Indeed, I have seen them quote things like '700 fill power (850 American)' for a bit of down gear.

    Cheers

    #1787648
    Sumi Wada
    Spectator

    @detroittigerfan

    Locale: Ann Arbor

    I personally think that this obsession with fill-weight is more of a marketing thing than a real performance spec. If you just do the math, it only takes 5.3oz of 600-fill power to equal the volume/loft/warmth potential of 4oz of 800-fill down. I think the fill-weight by itself is less significant than the design, fit and fabrics used. It's much more significant in a sleeping bag because you're using 12-20+ ounces of down but, even there, I think most people underestimate how much the design and fit affects performance.

    For a jacket, the bottom line is that a 600-fill jacket with 6oz of fill is probably going to be warmer than an 800-fill jacket with 4oz of fill. Add heavier "cheap" fabrics and you typically have something that's probably more water and wind resistant and even warmer, plus maybe a fleece inner collar and lined pockets that adds weight but also some "warm and fuzzy" comfort, and an unfashionable cut that covers your butt.

    Down and merino have been available forever. I'm not sure why we think that only hiking gear manufacturers know how to manufacture/use it or that the stuff they use is somehow vastly superior than the stuff people have been using/wearing forever.

    #1787677
    Jerry Adams
    BPL Member

    @retiredjerry

    Locale: Oregon and Washington

    "Does the presence of small feathers actually add some robustness to down? I wonder …"

    Some BPL article or comment hypothesized that lower fill was actually better if it got wet.

    #1787701
    Dale Wambaugh
    BPL Member

    @dwambaugh

    Locale: Pacific Northwest

    Here's a typical day in the Cascades. Note the 95% humidty, the dew point and the actual temperature 1F apart, and the glorious forecast. try to keep anything dry! I want an UL dehumidifier– but it can't be solar powered :)

    Seattle cold sauna

    Seattle cold sauna

    #1787728
    Eli .
    Member

    @feileung

    How do you folks who live in high humidity areas store your down sleeping bags? I live in SF and usually have my windows open. I almost never use heat. My apartment is pretty much in equilibrium with conditions outside. I notice differences in my bag (hung in closet) given differing weather conditions.

    Do you have any tricks for reducing local humidity in a closet?SF Humidity

    #1787734
    Kattt
    BPL Member

    @kattt

    I store my down in the shelf above my closet. I contain it with No see Um and the shelf itself is like a grate. Being higher up, against the ceiling, it is stored in the warmer part of the house, less affected by humidity. The area in general is humid, with the back of the house in the woods and the front toward a meadow, north of Santa Cruz. I like this storage better than hanging down, because it is neither compressed, nor weighed down.

    #1787779
    todd
    BPL Member

    @funnymo

    Locale: SE USA

    Jim,

    I'm in H-U-M-I-D Florida. My down quilts & bags are stored in their factory storage bags in a closet (up high like Kat's). AC is on over half the year.

    Todd

    #1788541
    Kattt
    BPL Member

    @kattt

    I bought one today! A boy's medium fits me perfectly and weighs exactly 10 ounces. The material used just like Goosefeet's down pants, softer and lighter than my Montbell. Oh, it's a parka , with a very nice fitting hood. Thanks for the heads up.

    #1788681
    Chris Quinn
    BPL Member

    @cquinn

    Locale: North Queensland

    @ Jim

    living in Tropical North Queensland means high humidity – see link – http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_032040.shtml . Like you, I keep my windows open. I store my sleeping bags hanging in my clothes cupboard, and keep a DampRid moisture absorber in the cupboard. During the wet season, it can need emptying and refilling every couple of weeks or more, but it helps keep the mould away. You need to keep the cupboard door closed as much as you can to make it as effective as possible.

    Not too sure how it would work in your conditions, but probably cheap enough to try. I buy mine at the local supermarket, but here is a link for you – http://www.damprid.com/product/refillable-moisture-absorber-fg01k – no affiliation, just a user of their product.

    CQ.

    #1788891
    Daryl and Daryl
    BPL Member

    @lyrad1

    Locale: Pacific Northwest, USA, Earth

    William,

    My wife bought one today at the Seattle Costco. Unbelievable deal.

    The XL was actually large enough for me to use but I sweat way too much to wear down clothing.

    Thanks for the tip.

    Daryl

    #1788898
    Jeff J
    Member

    @j-j-81

    Locale: Oregon

    Hey,

    Would anyone who bought one be so kind as to post a picture or two? I saw the ebay pics, but extra pictures are always welcome. Pondering one for my 5'1" girlfriend.

    Thanks,
    Jeff

    #1788903
    William Zila
    BPL Member

    @ultralightwillinn-m

    Locale: Albuquerque

    I will get some up tonight

    #1788911
    Rod Lawlor
    BPL Member

    @rod_lawlor

    Locale: Australia

    Are these only available in the bright blue?

    #1788914
    Kattt
    BPL Member

    @kattt

    I left my camera at work and the only online pictures I can find are of an Ebay sale
    http://compare.ebay.com/like/190583664256?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&_lwgsi=y

    The colors I saw in the store were black, blue, green, red. All but the black were somewhat bright.

Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 89 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Forum Posting

A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!

Get the Newsletter

Get our free Handbook and Receive our weekly newsletter to see what's new at Backpacking Light!

Gear Research & Discovery Tools


Loading...