down jacket for that special someone

If time is on your side I'd keep an eye out for one at Costco. They periodically offer down jackets at very, very low prices.

Take a look at the Uniqlo women's hooded UL down jackets. They are roughly equivalent to the EB jacket in terms of warmth, they're made surprizingly well (they DON'T look cheap) and the pricing is SO good, that you could get her a second gift as well!

Daryl, Unfortunately I don't have a costco membership, though it is mighty tempting with all of the awesome found things people show off here. Valerie, Wow those prices are almost too good to be true. nice that they come in a ton of colors. How is the hood? the pics look pretty good, but personal expereince is always better. My wife is a very slender 5'6", any recommendation on size?

Maybe more warmth than your looking for but last year I bought my wife a women's Montbell Frost Line parka and she was thrilled with it. They are like furnaces. Great for me and my poor circulation as well. We got good deals on holiday sales but unfortunately Montbell no longer deals with retailers. At $220 they are still a fair deal for what your getting. The only thing left in their outlet is an XL at $175. Good on you for starting early on your shopping, jimmyb

The hood on the Uniqlo jacket is fine — as you can see in the photos, it's got sewn elastic around the edges (not a cinch-cord), but it's comfortable, and it stays on very well. It's not made for a climbing helmet, but I don't think that'll be a problem if your S.O. will just be wearing it around town! She will likely be perfect in a size small (I'm slim and 5'5", and I have the medium because I like extra room for layers). Silly as this sounds, I love all the colour choices they have…

I was really hesitant about buying Uniqlo at first b/c I was intimidated by their sizing and I'd heard they can be inconsistent, but honestly everything I've bought form them runs true to size and their sizing charts are very thorough (they list garment measurements, not just generic body measurements). Anyway, I have the colorblock hooded jacket in a size small and it fits perfectly and looks great–not too techy, which makes it a little more appealing for around-town use. I'm 5'5" and 115#. The hood fits me well. The only thing I've noticed vs puffies from more outdoor-focused brands is that the cuffs are a little looser, but I have tiny child-sized wrists, so maybe it's just me. Oh, and it weighs exactly 8 oz on my kitchen scale. I live in the desert, so I can't speak to the "Water Defender" feature yet. :-)

If weight is not an issue, there's no reason to get down. Unless I am missing something? Look at the synthetics, or even better: wool. The right wool jacket could be a real treat, and should last forever.

I have a beautiful wool coat but it's a pain to travel with because it does not compress. It will last me forever but there are many situations where I opt for a down jacket even just around town because I can throw it into my backpack and forget about it if I get warm. Synth is not as good an investment as down because it loses its loft over time and will never regain it. A good down jacket will keep you warm for many many years.

Ahhhhh, Mocai's assertion that wool "should last forever" made me think of my brother and chuckle… Many years ago, my brother bought a potted cactus as an anniversary gift for a girlfriend. Sigh. I had told him to get flowers. His rationale for the cactus? 1. Easy to care for; 2. Will last a very long time. Suffice to say, the plant was NOT a hit. I think they broke up soon after that…Venus and Mars stuff, indeed! I totally understand not buying down for ethical/moral reasons. OTOH, if you love eating duck (I do) and feel ok about using their feathers, too … well, there's nothing quite like being wrapped in a weightless cocoon of warmth. That's where down really excels. I've tried several types of synthetic, and they're quite good, but there's just something about how down reflects back my body heat… unbeatable. Oh, and KMagz' point about compressability is not to be sneezed at, either!

My apologies. I never really know what brings this out, it just kinda happens…. “I totally understand not buying down for ethical/moral reasons. OTOH, if you love eating duck (I do) and feel ok about using their feathers, too … well, there's nothing quite like being wrapped in a weightless cocoon of warmth.” When you’re trying to go light, Using feathers ain’t right, That tends to make some people frown. Well I don’t give a #@%$, Gonna eat me some duck, Then snooze under a blanket of down. Of course wool ain’t without, A contingent that pouts, When some poor lamb loses all of its hair. But I don’t give a damn, Gonna eat me some lamb, And then wear merino without care. So synthetics seem the right Choice to make in this fight, That’s what the ‘responsible’ folk do. They say, ‘That’s the one!” Thinking no harm is done, But I eat plenty of synthetic food too! To the OP: I’d suggest whatever you get cinches at the bottom. Wind can rob a lot of heat from the bottom of a jacket when you’re just walking around town. Or, a bit different of a direction, you could get a nice Uniqlo down vest, and a Uniqlo blended wool jacket! Layering always provides more options, this still stays around $200, and you get to give her two gifts instead of one!

You might get lucky at Sierra Trading Post – they often have high end down jackets available and fashion and around-town functionality tend to be higher priorities than hard backcountry use. I have nothing but great things to say about MontBell down jackets. I've owned or beta tested four or five, from SUL to a heavyweight -20 F parka; all have worked well. And MB has a large lineup so you can select just the right weight.

2 suggestions – first of all forget about making it a surprise gift … Take her out to try different jackets and get what FITS her … Proper fit is key, not just for fashion but also warmth – second if you want to buy online blind (without fitting first) then make sure its from somewhere with a no questions asked return policy with free return shipping … Or a retail location you can walk into Except for warranty and "cool" factor … The particular brand is irrelevant … All the decent recognized brands make good down poofays Its a commodity these days … FIT is what matters most … Though i must say dead bird poofays does make my favourite climbing partner quite happi ;)

A while ago I got my wife a long down coat, knee length. She really likes it's length, so I would recommend at least considering that, since this isn't a hiking coat. I can't remember what brand it was, though, and I'm out of the country so I can't go look, but I think it was something like this L.L. Bean: http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/78728 That'd put it a bit outside your price range, though. (And mine predates DownTek.) Duluth Trading Co. makes a women's down parka, too, and it's cheap, but the colors are depressing.

I agree; a long coat is a smart option. I got my "special someone" a long, down coat made by Tommy Hillfiger. I purchased it on sale from Amazon, and if I remember correctly, it was a a fair amount below $200. She says she doesn't typically like TH clothing, but she really likes the coat. It has a detachable hood that snaps on. It's even fairly light, so she could take it camping if it were particularly cold (though she has a lighter coat for this purpose). So, I'd call this long coat purchase a success.

I got my wife a full length down coat from the local North Face discount outlet, she absolutely loves it. It has a detachable faux fur ruff.

Backcountry.com has a new line of clothing called Basin and Range, and the down jackets at http://tinyurl.com/qg4xrwx look to be quite fashionable. If you're thinking a long coat, I believe that MontBell offers one.