Montbell Ultra Light vs. Alpine Light

[Art Tyszka]

I'm wondering if anyone has both a Montbell Ultra Light jacket or parka and an Alpine Light. I'm curious how much more loft and warmth the Alpine offers over the Ultra Light. I have the Ultra Light and am considering getting the Alpine to wear as a general Winter coat and have a warmer option for packing when need be. The UL is great, and has been plenty warm into the 20's if I'm moving, but here in MN it's not uncommon to have days below zero and I'm wondering if the Alpine is "that" much warmer than the UL.

Thanks

[Link .]

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=18950

[Bob Bankhead]

According to Montbell, the Alpine Light items have twice the 800 fp down fill of the corresponding UL Down item, costs $10 more, and the Ballistic Airtite shell fabric is 30 denier vs. 15 D for the UL, so they should be more robust as well as warmer.

UL Down Jacket…2 oz fill…7.7 oz total….15 D shell……$165
AL Down jacket…4 oz fill…11.5 oz total…30 D shell……$175

UL Down Parka….2.5 oz fill….10.0 oz total…15 D shell…..$185
AL Down Parka….4.3 oz fill….15.8 oz total…30 D shell…..$195

[Mike M]

I have the ex-light which I believe is pretty comparable to the UL (little less down, but 900 fill) and I find they are significantly different in warmth- the ex-light is all I need in summer in the Mountain West, but doesn't cut it all for shoulder/winter season

the Alpine Light keeps me (tend run a little warmish) very comfortable sitting around camp to ~ 20 degrees, I don't wear it moving much (I find down to very poor on the move due to moisture mgt) but obviously would move the number much lower

what I haven't tried yet is to so how the ex-light will do combined w/ the AL, the AL is cut pretty roomy so there is room to layer a thin down jacket pretty easily

[Art Tyszka]

Thanks guys, this is exactly the kind of input I was looking for.

[Jennifer McFarlane]

I have both the UL Down inner and the Alpine light.
The down inner kept me warm down to about 30s at night in the Sierra's last summer. I was either moving or sleeping though, but the down inner plus a Western Mountaineering Caribou bag kept me warm while sleeping.
The Alpine Light is a much warmer jacket. I've only worn it a few times because it is really warm- I have had it down in the 20s at rest and was nowhere near cold- toasty warm, really. It was one cold, rainy weekend out in the California desert and I was really glad I had the alpine light instead of the UL Down inner. I spent a lot of time standing around in the cold and never felt it with the Alpine Light on. It is also quite a bit loftier than the UL Down Inner.

[Nigel Healy]

Hi I own the Alpine light if given the opportunity to puff out its quite warm but all that warm disappears where it is squished under a pack. To a degree the backpack on the back replaces the jacket's lost insulation with the pack itself but not down the sides where the straps under-arm.

[Kimberly Wersal]

I have both the UL inner jacket and the Alpine Light Jacket. I, too, find the Alpine Light to be much warmer. I almost always bring the Alpine, since the UL is just not warm enough for sitting around at night in Colorado, even in the summer. I never hike with either jacket (too warm). I have gradually started wearing the Alpine Light as my everyday winter jacket–it's too nice to let it sit around waiting for a BPing trip.

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