Montbell Down T-shirt

I saw it in the Montbell store last time I was in there. I want one even though the wife scoffs at it. She won't give up her full jacket :)

Thanks for the lead. It's also mail-orderable through their warehouse in Boulder. 1-877-MONTBELL

The current model uses 720-fill down and comes in Japanese sizing only. One color choice – gunmetal grey. The new model, available in March, will be 800-fill, US sizing.

Bought one a year and a half ago from Montbell that weighs about 6 ozs but i believe it has a different name. The weight is great but for colder weather, you may need something more substantial to keep you warm in camp. There is not much to it. It lives up to it's name in that is like wearing a light sweater.

That's partly why I went ahead and ordered one now. 720 vs 800 fill isn't likely to make much difference when the total quantity of down is minimal, the garment is sewn-through, button-up, short-sleeved and open-bottomed. However, 800 fill could certainly raise the price a few degrees.

Montbell mentioned discussions with BPL over the item, of how BPL liked the idea of a camp layer without long sleeves and so less prone to various camp chore accidents. My own experience is that insulated arms are the third area to overheat during activity, right after the head and hands. Gloves and hats come off easily, but full-length down-encased sleeves mostly stay put, forcing removal of the layer. Which, with down, is sometimes the best thing to do. But not always. It'll be interesting to see how far a short-sleeve down garment can venture into the aerobic realm, while also offering superior core wind-resistance to sleeveless vests.

Our info is the same as Brett's. A US sized version will be available this spring.

We like to think we had something to do with this based on our OR coverage last winter and our regular feedback to MontBell.

re your comments on overheating, head, hands then arms. this is the main reason as a runner I would like someone to make a fully waterproof vest. I don't mind my arms getting wet, especially in the summer, but you don't want your torso soaking wet. I also find that when I run in a waterproof no matter how breathable my arms get soaked from the inside probably due to the bent arm position meaning the sweat congregates round the elbow region and the base layer can't cope because of the waterproof outerlayer.

So come on then, does anyone know of an event waterproof vest ? must be possible to make one sub 200g given I.D. s rainjacket is 270g?

A cut-and-whack s/s rain jacket would be easy to make, though psychologically maybe not, considering the cost of all things eVent.

Cut off the sleeves above the elbow, then fold in the raw edges and sew on a light stretch binding to serve as a cuff.

I can't picture many mfg's who'd be willing to mass-produce such an item, never mind a true "rain vest." The t-shirt approach would probably sell to a niche market, though. Who knows, might be a job for a cottage company…