How good is this cheap down parka you think?

[Charles P]

Somebody on Whiteblaze found this, and it seems like a pretty good deal.

http://www.uniqlo.com/us/store/goods/072644?gareco=r_l4

I emailed the company about specs and got this in reply:

■ Shell: 100% nylon; filling: 90% down, 10% feather; lining: 100% nylon
■ Hand wash cold
■ Imported
■ 640 FP
■ Weight 7 oz

I asked about fill weight, but didn't get a response.

How warm do you think this piece is? I know that's subjective, but I'm wondering how it would compare let's say to a Montbell UL down parka. I don't know, for 50 bucks (and free returns) seems like a great deal.

[Paul I]

I just bought one at the San Francisco store for $50 & haven't had time to test it in the field, but the warmth seemed comparable to my MB UL jacket (when trying it on in the store). The hood had a decent fit too. My understanding is the fill is 640, but there is some question if that is the European scale (in which case it would be warmer) 90% down and 10% feathers

I agree that, at this point, its good value…

[Charles P]

Ah, didn't realize there was a store in SF. I'll have to head over there. How is fit, suitably athletic I hope?

[Paul I]

Consistent with MB and First Ascent…

[Charles P]

I just got another email from Uniqlo, and they're saying fill weight is about 5 oz. Not sure how that can be with a 7 oz jacket, but…

[And E]

I was browsing the site and it says the 7oz weight is for the women's size L JACKET, not parka. So men's would weigh more, especially for parka, but still pretty good if it is 5oz of down.

[Ryan Smith]

Uniqlo comes up occasionally and their stuff normally gets good reviews by anyone who has their products. Although, that's always very few people. They have an UL down inner jacket that's similar in weight to Montbell's version IIRC. It would be tough to miss at that price.

Edit: Found a review that stated the 640fp was EU rating.

Ryan

[Charles P]

What does it mean that the fill is an EU rating? What is difference?

[robert van putten]

"They have an UL down inner jacket that's similar in weight to Montbell's version IIRC"

Where? I didn't see it.
But anyway that looks like a great deal on the parka ( I perfer a hood since I have very little hair left and my heeed is always freezing! ) so I went and ordered two of 'em, one for me and one for the wife. She wouldn't answer her cell so I hope she likes the color I picked for her….

Thanks very much for the heads up on this deal!

[Stephen M]

What does it mean that the fill is an EU rating? What is difference?

EU rating numbers are rated 100lower than Us numbers, so lets say 700eu Fill power would be 800Us.

[Ryan Smith]

Robert-

I looked on their website. The Uniqlo jacket I was thinking about is their UL down jacket. It weighs in a little over 8 oz depending on size from what I've read.
http://www.uniqlo.com/us/mens-clothing/collections/mens-ultra-light-down-collection

Also, attached a previous thread from 2011 with some details on Uniqlo stuff.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=55587&skip_to_post=477733

Ryan

[Jim MacDiarmid]

This isn't the specific Uniqlo jacket you are looking at, but here is a 3 year old thread about >my impressions of a hooded Uniqlo parka that is comparable to a Montbell Alpine Light down parka(I owned the Alpine Light jacket)

The Uniqlo stuff, including my parka, seems fairly high quality in person. One thing about the fill power, as I said in the post, I'm pretty sure Uniqlo uses the EU fill power scale, which gives lower ratings that the US scale. I can't recall where I got the info, it might have been from that actual tag on the jacket, but I determing my 680FP rated jacket was more like 700+ in US terms.

The parka was warm, but could have been warmer if the fit was more athletic. There's no draw string at the waist, which probably partly accounts for it weighing less that the MB Alpine light parka while have more loft(compared to my Alpine Light Jacket.) The loose fit at the bottom allows for some cold air to make it's way up. Also, the neck is not padded or tight fitting, which allows for heat loss that way. I've tried on past versions of the UL Down jacket being discussed, and the fit issues are about the same. Nice jacket in the store though, and for the price vs Montbell or Patagonia. . .

[Daniel Russell]

From Uniqlo customer support after probing them:

"Dear Daniel,

Thank you for contacting the UNIQLO USA Customer Center.

Regarding our fill power it is on the Asian scale and is 640 FP."

Hmm….
"Asian scale" is new to me. Anyone else know what that means?

[Ryan Smith]

I got mine in the mail today. Black, XL. Seems like an awesome jacket for $50. Comes in at 10.3oz on my scale for the hooded down parka with all tags. So a medium will probably land in the upper 9oz range.

Do miss the right hand zipper(feels weeeirrrdd) and the drawstrings on the hood & waist. Maybe I will put in a snap or two. I think fill weight is in the 3oz range instead of 5oz. We're hitting the AT in two weeks so I'll see how it does where it counts.

Ryan

[Angus A.]

I got mine last Wednesday and I was able to test this over the weekend. I got the one with the hood and per my scale it weighed 10.12 oz.

I wore the hoody with only a short sleeved synthetic base layer and I can say it kept me warm until the temps dropped to about 36 degrees. When it dropped that low, I had to wear my TNF fleece under the hoody to keep me warm. So with a short sleeved base layer, TNF fleece pull-over, and the down hoody on top, I was able to keep warm to about 24 degrees. Not bad IMO.

[zorobabel frankenstein]

I got my S parka and my wife's XXS at the beginning of November.
I was worried about fit, but boxy fit they are not .
The men sizing is definitely american, except for the waist. I'm a 30" waist and the S size parka is snug around the waist, it has just a bit of stretchy material. I'm 5'9.5" with a 19.5" torso (a bit on the long side for my height) and the backlength is similar to the EB First ascent downlight hoodie – good, but I would have liked it just a tad longer in a parka. My arms are just a bit on the long side and the sleeve length is ok but about 1" too short if I reach to front with my arm – similar to the EB FA. Upper torso is roomy, maybe a bit too roomy, but less so than the FA. The hood is not as snug as I would have liked and can't be adjusted. It has less down fill than the FA. The down seems high loft – at least 700 fill. The quality seems excellent indeed. My S parka weighs 250g.

My wife's XXS parka is a different style. I don't know much about women sizing, but the parka is a bit snug around the shoulders and a bit loose around the lower torso; that said, it fits her way better than any other mass produced jacket she's tried. It is long (almost the same back length as my men's S) and she loves that about the jacket. Her XXS parka weighs 220g.

We wore them around camp on 11/3 with temps in the lower 30s but no wind. I had a medium/heavy weight baselayer (Prana Snakebite shirt) and light wool sweater underneath the parka and I was comfortable. My wife had similar layers, but wished her parka was warmer; she tends to be cold in camp and usually heads for the sleeping bag ASAP.

[Charles P]

Glad to hear all the positive experiences with this jacket. Next time the parka's on sale I'm going to grab one.

[Angus A.]

I was able to compare the uniqlo with a similar product from jcpenney and they looked very similar in quality. Fill was also the same. This might be a good alternative and price is also $50 right now.

http://www.jcpenney.com/dotcom/men/brands/jcp/jcp%25e2%2584%25a2-down-puffer-jacket-%25e2%2580%2593-big-tall/prod.jump?ppId=pp5002010327&cmvc=JCP|SearchResults|RICHREL&grView=&eventRootCatId=&currentTabCatId=&regId=

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