Down vests at Costco

Naw, I'd rather drop $200 so I can put ember holes in it, get pitch and chain grease stains on it and then snag it on a tree branch :)
Make sure it has a quality zipper.

You could spend $18 on SOCKS!

If is the same Hawke & Co. vest that they've had in the past, they are not high end by any means but they are well worth the sub $20 price IMO. I have 2 of them, they are light, pack small, and are good enough for warmer 3 season use. They tend to shed feathers more than the higher end down vests, but Ive gotten 2 years of occasional use out of them and they work like new.

I bought the first one on eBay, the second at Costco. They are made wide, so I bought a large (the eBay one) and took it in on the sides, an easy DIY job. I later bought a medium from Costco and found it long enough to use yet narrow enough to not have to alter it. I'm 6'3, about 190 lbs. I'll look up the weight of the vests, I have it somewhere. I think it was 6.5 oz or so for the medium.

IMO, they are not warm enough to count on as your sole insulation for something like the JMT, but could supplement something else for those kinds of hikes. They are nice for added insulation while sleeping, as you don't get the confining feel that jackets sometimes do when used in a sleeping bag or quilt.

Here's a link:

http://www.costco.com/32-Degrees-Weatherproof%C2%AE-Men%E2%80%99s-Down-Vest-Black.product.100157320.html#BVRRWidgetID

Interesting. That's a different brand, looks like it's worth a shot to me.

The ones at my costco actually looked really nice. Some interesting (weird muted) colors, too.

Weatherproof makes a lot of rain gear andvother outerwear too. Its on the big box store end of things and even Macy's, but a step up from the Hawke brand. It has YKK zippers, so it has a chance of lasting. I like vests for summer day hike CYA insulation. I could see wearing one over a light fleece, providing wind block as well as loft.

Ok, you guys got my curiosity up and since it's only $17.99, It's not really much to lose so went down to Costco and bought one.

The label is Weatherproof 32 degree Ultralight Down Vest. I tried them on and found the Large to fit like the Medium in the Hawke brand, so I bought it. It definitely has more of a quality feel to it than the Hawke, and it appears to have more fill. But it also feels heavier. I got it home and weighed it, 8.5 oz with stuff sack, 8.1 without it. I weighed the Hawke again and its 6.5 oz (stuffs into its own pocket).

So it feels like a bit better quality, looks to be a bit warmer, although I haven't tried it yet. It also appears to have a bit heavier nylon shell than the Hawke and heavier gauge zippers, do durability should be better, although the Hawkes have been holding up just fine. The Weatherproof weighs as much as my Montbell UL down jacket, but without sleeves. But it should save wear on the Montbell by acting in its place as CYA insulation in warmer weather.

I'm leaving tonight for a few days in the Sierras, I plan on testing it out.