Ben Smith rocks. Goosefeet parka!

[Ryan Linn]

I just got myself a swanky new GooseFeet down parka. 12.4 ounces, 7.1 ounces of 900 fill down, a ridiculously light bundle of warmth. Full details here. Just thought some of the folks here would be interested in this kind of thing…

[Bill Reynolds]

Very nice! How does the price compare to other similar parkas?

[William Brown]

That's a toasty lookin' parka!

[Ryan Linn]

"Very nice! How does the price compare to other similar parkas?"

Well, let's just say I'm going to buy a lot less gear this coming year than I'd initially planned, but I'm okay with that ;)

[Stephan Doyle]

I've talked with Ben about a similar jacket. He's got a lead on some Pertex Quantum 1oz stuff that I'm waiting for the result of.

For those asking about price, it starts out comparable to mainstream down jackets (at full MSRP), and is already a great jacket "stock." Extra options drive the price up, but at that point you're getting a one-of-a-kind, just-for-you piece.

At 7oz of down, most jackets out there will be in the 20+oz range. Even Feathered Friends' jacket is up in there. Rab makes an Infinity (~6oz of down), but it's sewn through the wazoo and I found the fit a bit strange and still weighs ~18oz.

Now consider at 12oz, you can throw out your EB Down Jacket or similar piece with 3oz of down and take this at the same weight.

Rock on Ryan! Love the jacket. Looking forward to a more detailed review soon!

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Looks awesome. My Montbell Alpine Light parka only has ~4.3oz of down and it's quite a bit heavier at ~16oz.

[Brett Peugh]

Crap, I was hoping to save money. Already looking at the down pants by him.

[Samuel Kau]

That is one really cool jacket! I have been thinking about buying a Montbell alpine light parka but may have to check this out first! I wish Ben would update his website though to reflect all the products he is doing.

[Ryan Linn]

"Crap, I was hoping to save money"
Yeah, me too. Whoops.

It's been an ugly and warm winter here so far this year, so no good tests so far. From wearing it around near my house, however, I can tell it's much more insulated than my previous jacket. I have yet to see how humid conditions will affect the 900-fill, but I'm still optimistic that it will still be plenty warm.

Price was $340 total. More than I should have spent, but it only hurts before you spend the money. Worth it. ;)

[Brett Peugh]

Yeah, I am using a Montbell Alpine Down jacket that used 6oz of down for a medium even though I am using a XXL and a Nunatak Down Balaclava using 2oz of down and this is making want to sell those off. Granted they weigh 20oz combined.

[CW]

Just for accuracy, the Infinity has 7.4 oz of down and my small Endurance version is 14.3 oz.

With that said, if I hadn't gotten it pretty cheap I would have definitely gone to Ben (I just got some pants from him).

Oh yeah, and Ben rocks! :-)

[Vince Contreras]

And the bar is raised…

[Bradley Danyluk]

That is really very impressive.
How water-resistant and down-proof is the shell?

I've been reading a lot lately about the use of faux-fur (or real fur, if that's your thing) hood trim (around the face) as a way to very effectively cut cold wind from hitting the face. You can effectively go without a balaclava in most cases with a trim. There's a reason the Inuit have been doing it for a very long time.
I wonder if Ben would consider trying a hood trim on this design. I think the idea jives very well with the UL mindset.

[Ben Smith]

Bradley,

If you can point me towards a good place to buy the stuff, I'll put it on a jacket for you.

Or, even just a down balaclava… :)

[Bradley Danyluk]

I can't justify it just yet, but I imagine I'll be contacting you in the future at some point.

I'm constantly amazed by the game-changing, boundary-pushing engineering that seems to be spawned out of the BPL community. Great work, Ben. You and a few others here are doing things that have never been done by anyone, ever. And it's happening right here. So cool.

[Ryan Linn]

Chris, the Infinity was the top of my list until Ben told me how cool the jacket he could make would be. Rab's website says size L Infinity Endurance is 7.4 ounces of down and 17.4 ounces total in size L. Do they keep the 7.4 ounces of down even when they size it down two sizes? That would be neat.

I also had access to a discounted Infinity, which made the GooseFeet decision a little tougher, but… I figured I had the chance now and might as well take it.

Ben's down pants are probably rockin. All the other ultralight down pants have very little down in them, but Ben can make them the same weight with huge puffiness!

[Eugene Smith]

PM or email Skurka, if he gets back to you maybe he can give you an inside line on some suitable fur, he had the hood on his insulation jacket furred up for his big Alaska/Yukon trek for all the reasons mentioned.

[CW]

I doubt it, but the they do over spec the finished weight based on everything I've seen/read in reviews.

[Ceph Lotus]

Is this parka a special order? I didn't see it listed on the Goosefeet website.

[david]

I was ready to go all Michelin Man on Mother Nature, but she seems to have backed down….

It looks like all my down clothing will be goosefeet; though it's hard to justify completing my set now with the current weather…

Would a tunnel hood be something like this :
http://www.ebay.com/itm/230638738193?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_2457wt_1037

[Ben Smith]

Release of my new website.

I don't have everything ready yet, but most of it is there. For right now, jackets and quilts will continue to be custom orders.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Nice site!

[Samuel Kau]

Great site! Really like the options you have for the pants to add customization!

[Ryan Linn]

Whoah!

I hope I didn't push you ahead to start the new site early… pretty awesome, though :)

[josh wagner]

ben that looks really great bro. so glad to see the business doing so well. love the background shot on the webpage. couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

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