Patagonia DAS Vs Mountain Hardwear alcove

Julian,

They are both belay parkas which weigh 26oz and 35oz respectively for size medium. The Alcove is the less expensive, more water resistant, and warmer of the two. They are both excellent products for their targeted belay use. They are also viable solutions for in-town use in cold wet environments where weight is not an issue.

Neither is optimal for UL backpacking; an UL alternative is to layer a down parka (~15 oz) under an oversized but, perimeter sealed WPB shell (~10 oz) when inactive. This solution is both fully water proof and warmer than the alternatives you are considering. When active, the same shell, worn over your base layers, can be utilized for weather protection which significantly reduces your UL backpacking total clothing system weight.

Julian, be very specific about your intended use (activty, area, season) and you will likely get as much advice as needed.

I have not used the MH parka, but my DAS is warm, compressable, and has good features for belaying in the Northeast. I do not like the cuffs as I often have to pull the arms inside-out when removing the coat. You have to decide if the extra cost is outweighed by the extra weight of the MH.
That said, I'd switch to a down parka for NE winters if I was not concerned about ice tools/screws, etc possibly slashing the jacket (seen it happen more than once).

Thanks to you both for your informative replies .
I think I'll go for the MH ,purely for its superior wet weather performance .

fits really small size up to make it fit ok, maybe even to to throw it over a bunch of layers.

The DAS fit is quite big I know .Are you saying Robert that ,for example , an XL in MH alcove would likely be a tighter fit than an XL DAS ?