Montbell UL Down Parka vs Jacket

I don't know the answer to your question per se, I only own the UL jacket. If you need to bring a winter type hat because you will either be hiking in cold temps (and the parka / jacket are probably too warm to hike in) or to sleep in, then I would forgo the hood.

> I thought that the hood on the parka would have more than .1 oz of down in it so that maybe the rest of the parka would not be as lofty as the jacket.

What often happens here is that the jacket has a large padded collar but the hoodie doesn't. I have converted a jacket to a hoodie once and found that quite a bit had to be removed from the jacket to fit the hood.

Cheers

I love hoods.

I've seen them side by side and there is no appreciable difference in loft. I didn't measure or anything but i've held them both in hand.

I agree there was no difference in loft when I tried them on. The 1 or 2 ounces that the hood adds will give a lot more warmth than any beanie hat that I have.

Ryan

The weight difference is negligible and there are better ways to save weight than on insulation. If it's too hot to hike in that jacket then it's too hot to hike with a heavy hat, so this jacket and a very light beanie are a good balance (for late fall/early spring). Add a UL "jacket" as an inner in the winter; or a little heavier vest if your arms can handle it. The parka also is more comfortable when using in a sleeping bag for extra insulation than an itchy beanie or hat is. What would be great is if the hood attached with velcro or something and could be removed for separate use; that would scratch the beanie.

Thanks guys for all of the insight. I never thought about the weight of the collar on the jacket. I ended up going with the parka because of the extra warmth from the hood. Hopefully it will continue to get cooler here in Michigan and I can give it a full test run soon.