Awesome cheap puffy

It'd make a good vest if your skilled on a sewing machine.

I'm 5'9" and 148-150 lbs. and it is ever so slightly big. But the Large was not big enough.

Tried one on just tonight, and the XL felt like a more athletic cut than my Large Montbell UL Parka. If i didn't have that already I'd have totally bought one. How easy do you all think it would be to make it into a vest?

Kat, thanks a lot!
I got the Paypal too. Thanks!!

Should be very easy.
The difference between a vest and a jacket is just the sleeves.
Just cut off the sleeves and sew it up.

Don't waste the sleeves too, there's lots of stuff you can do with the sleeves:
– Neck gaiter/ scarf
– Down pillow
– Down socks and mittens
– Kids pants
– Doggy winter coat/vest (easy, just cut two holes for the legs and sew it up. You can take more trouble to make it nicer if you like, such as making a hood, etc.)

The best way to do this is to sew two lines 1/4" apart and cut in the middle.
make it about 3/4" longer than you would want the vest to be at and just do a double fold to hide the cut and make the seam look good.

For you bay area folks,

I just swung by the Richmond, CA Costco today, and noticed that they had these jackets in pink, purple, blue, electric blue, green and black. Quite a lot of colors! There seemed to be XL sizes in all the colors except black.

I checked these out today, I could only find an XL in pink and sleeves were too short for me, otherwise not a bad fit (although my wife said it was too small); I'm 5'10 and 135 lbs.
My wife (5'5 and 95 lbs) tried a light blue L – sleeves were on the short side, body was loose but long. She also tried a black M sleeves were way too short, but the body was actually boxier than the L, so there's some variance. We gave up.
They are quite lofty and I'd say a 600 fill. If your arms are on the shorter side, they're worth checking out.

Got a black XL today and it is pretty neat for the price. I did notice that there are inconsistencies in the sleeve length, one XL had shorter sleeves than another XL I tried. This thing puffs up like 600+ fill and is exactly 12oz on my scale.

For those who have them, what does this thing compare to from regular big brands in regard to bulk and warmth? Montbell UL Down Inner or Alpine Lite Parka? Patagonia Down Sweater? Eddie Bauer Down Sweater? Others?

I ended up getting an XL green, last XL left. I'm short, but needed the XL in the chest area. It is pretty long, but it covers my butt, which has a tendency to get cold at night, so that's a bonus. I want to try winter camping and am looking for ways to extend my current gear. Can go wrong for the price and down seems really nice.

Took my son today to get one for him and the sizing was all over the place. He tried on 4 or 5 XL's with sleeve lengths from 4" above his wrist to just below his wrist.

My Green XL is 12 ounces. Wanted a size Large, but the shoulders and under arm was just a little too tight, especially to sleep in.

I also noticed that the sizing seemed inconsistent. I chalked it up to Boy's vs. Girl's sizing.

Overall, pretty nice parka. Montbell is offering a new parka that is 12.5 ounces and they want $199. Seems this Triple Star Parka is a real steal. It'll work great on the shoulder seasons and with a pair of down pants I am currently giving thought to now.

Has anyone sown theirs into a vest? There's no way an XL will fit my arms, but a vest could be cool!

im around 5'9, 150lbs, medium-long torso which size should i get?

Also does any1 know where to get it fo $30 online? I cant find it for that cheap online.

Ike, I am about the same height and weight as you and the XL fit pretty good.

I'm around the same build too. The large will not fit you. It'll be a little too small through the shoulders and under the arm pit. Pretty good find if you can score one. I think you need to walk into a Costco to get the good deal. I think they are more expensive on Ebay, but still a deal. The Blue and Black were my favorite colors but had to settle for green cause that's the only XL they had. Still stoked.

Huge thanks to Kat for purchase and post.

Posted five days ago with USPS First Class International, and arrived today

At 5'10" and about 150lb, I can 'just' fit into the Large (I bought these for my kids). I'd say the Large is probably equivalent to an XSmall First Ascent, if such a thing existed. It's about a size smaller than my wife's Small Mens.

They look like a great option for Macs and Evie. Macs is a skinny 12yo, and the Medium fits pretty well, but the arms are only just long enough. The Large is a bit big, but he's growing fast. Build quality looks pretty good. Certainly very acceptable for the price. Probably equivalent to some Lands End down we have. The hood is a little underfilled on both, but should still keep them warmer than a collar.

Thanks again Kat

Rod

Bought an XL, I'm 5'9", the arms were the difference, I could fit into an L but with my arms hanging down the sleeves only came to 1.5" of my wrists =( the XL isn't much bigger but the arms are longer.

I also grabbed a M one of my female housemates, she said the sleeves were a bit short for her too. she's deciding if she wants a L which would be a tad bit too big on her body but the arms should fit her better.

I guess kids have shorter arms…

they are really light, I don't have a very good scale but it also shows the XL being ~12.5oz. I'd compare it to my nano puff, but down and with a hood. also the fabric doesn't seem as "tough". we'll see how warm it actually ends up being.

noticed these at my local Costco a few weeks ago. had the same prob with the sleeves. I'm 5'3" 115# a large sleeves in black were too short for me – no XL's were avail. but when I tried on a green large it seemed to fit different.

one of the workers said a new shipment will be in this week. I hope to get over within the next couple of days to try a few more on. hoping to find some XL's

The vest idea might be a good plan too

Bought a boys XL and girls XL for myself yesterday and plan to do some heavy mods to both.

The boys XL is perfect in the sleeves but about a baffle too long in the body. I'm going to chop off the last baffle and remove 1/2 the zipper and the pocket zippers. Maybe the hood too, it's kinda dinky.

The girls is probably going to be a hooded vest. Oh, and it's purple!

I also saw one of those furry hi loft fleeces in the kids section, light fleece balaclava, and a set of 2 pairs of yak-trax like snow/ice grips for $15

Very excited

If any1 is going to buy one, could u buy me a boys xl and i will paypal you the price plus shipping? Costco is an hour away and i am not a member.

I'm in the same boat as Ike. If there's a Costco around here, I haven't heard about it, but I'd really like to have a boy's xl. I'd be glad to add a few bucks to cover the cost and trouble of such an arrangement. Please let me know by PM if you'd be willing.

Stargazer

FWIW, I've been very pleased with the Costco softshell as well. For $30, it is good softshell. Does not have pit zips or other small features of high end jackets, but for the price it works well.

The brand is Double Black Diamond (a company out of Vermont, not to be confused with the other Black Diamond!) http://www.blackdiamondsportswear.com/

Use it for backcountry skiing

Climbing

it warms my heart to see so many BPLers saving money on gear … or at least redirecting it towards other things ;)

I don't know Eric, this new cheap puffy seemed decent enough to me that I sold my MB Alpine Light and bought a tarp. Now I am looking a quilts and lighter packs!

Just picked a black XL from my local costco. I had to ask if they had any more in stock because the only XL left on the display table was pink. They pulled out some more XL's from stock. For $33 it is a good deal.