looking for down jacket

how much down fill are you looking for … and what will you be using it for

It's for urban use. I want to be warm while walking around Toronto in winter, with only a light cotton shirt on. I'd like the jacket as a whole to weigh under 1000g. I don't know how much fill I need. How much fill would I need to feel warm at -20 (with only the light shirt underneath)?

“How much fill would I need to feel warm at -20 (with only the light shirt underneath)?”

This depends largely on body chemistry and your activity level. I would look for a garment that would fit the average temperatures of my locale. According to Wikipedia that would be 30 *F in January. Occasional cold stretches at 14 *F and -4 *F. Wind chill can push the temperatures down to your suggested temperature rating of -20 *F. At that point for an ‘urban’ jacket I’d be supplementing the garment and avoiding exposure as much as I could. You wouldn’t be facing life or death conditions as someone would in the backcountry with an under-performing insulating garment. Likewise choosing a -20* garment will likely cause you to overheat during the majority of the winter which has it’s own concerns in keeping you warm.

When living in Fargo, North Dakota, layering was the key to keeping warm when the wind chill would send the temps to -40* or colder. At that point the whole system was important. Gloves, Hat, Long underwear, and Scarf/Face-guards were essential in keeping you warm much more than the jacket itself.

Wikipedia-Toronto

Hi Eric, I meant -20 Celsius, which is typically as cold as it gets here in Jan/Feb. I move from outdoors to indoors several times a day, so I don't want the bother of removing layers. That's why I need the jacket to be warm enough for me to wear my regular "inside" clothing underneath the jacket. As to the length, I find that a cold bum really makes everything feel cold.

Search on "parka" rather than "jacket." The length is the real difference. All the major manufacturers have some version– North Face, Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, Patagonia and MEC too, but "parka" is the key.

LL Bean makes a 650 fill parka for $89US.
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/51588?from=SR&feat=sr

Check out the Mountain Hardwear Sub Zero SL Parka. I have the jacket and love it. Is nice looking and ridiculously warm. I have s fair bit of MH gear and highly rate it all for quality, last and looks. I don't think you'll find anything particularly light for those temps. It weighs about 1.2kg for a mens medium

I swapped out my Sub Zero Parka for an Eddie Bauer/First Ascent Peak XV. Higher quality down, an ounce or two lighter, and a lot warmer. On Sale right now

http://tinyurl.com/2uspxkx

Get it in black for around-town use. If you can wait, theres the possibility that it'll go on sleep clearance in winter (that's what happened last year)

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. But these jackets aren't quite long enough to fully cover the bum, especially once you've cinched up the drawstring. The Peak XV and the Sub Zero are 29.5" long, and the LL Bean parka looks about the same (and the LL Bean lacks the drawstrings).

I need something around 34" long. The North Face Vostok parka is 35" long, but it's too heavy at around 3.5 lbs. The Eddie Bauer Kara Koram parka is almost long enough at 32" but it too is 3.5 lbs.

Cloudveil Down Patrol jacket has a dropped tail that covers my backside (6'2" tall w/ 22.5 inch torso)… Not the lightest or highest quality down, but a nice parka nonetheless.

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I have sold ALOT of winter jackets for urban use. It can get to minus 40 here and I help people who work in the Mackenzie delta and on the arctic islands.( if your looking for a jacket with those criteria, I'm sorry but it doesn't exist. Don't constrain yourself to those things for a casual jacket. Your body can't stay warm with a cotton tee shirt as your layer, you can't trap enough heat next to your skin. the only jacket i know of that can do this kind of thing in Edmonton is called the snow mantra jacket.

If it's for urban use pick up a styled jacket. Look at sweet looking jacket like the Chillwack/Yorkville Bomber, Banff, Constable or the jacket.

length i believe is around 33+ in depending on the size .. you can ask bent gate

12 oz of 800 fill down … you could use this on any summer climb outside of the himalayas and antartica … and any winter climb in the lower 48

250$ on sale at bent gate … basically along with the EB FA Peak jacket this is the cheapest deep winter parka you ca buy (i dont include the mex reflex because its more a jacket) … one hell of a deal for 250$

its a top notch mountaineering/winter parka

and it even looks YUPPAY enough for toronto … lol

http://www.bentgate.com/mammutambler.html?productid=mammutambler&channelid=SHOPC

I am 6'5" with a long torso and find that the Montbell stuff in XXL is long enough in the torso for me. It is really light and I am sure the Alpine jacket would be more than warm for you in any situation. Other than that I would look at the Marmot stuff in a tall. It is about 32.5 but will be longer if you are smaller/skinnier.

del

Rick, that Montbell Japan jacket is exactly what I'm looking for. Does it have a hood? I can't really tell from the image. I think "thigh length" or "mid-thigh length" correctly describe what I'm seeking. The words I used may have connoted a jacket a bit shorter than what I meant.

Now, are there similar jackets available from the U.S. or Canada?

del

Rick, I had a look at the English translation of the Japan site. Are you sure this is a winter jacket? It looks like the weight of the entire jacket is 285 grams. That sounds way too light to be a warm winter jacket.

del