Adult-sized, “down sweater”, 800-fill, Costco: $70

I guess I'm not following why you don't think it is a good deal. This is Costco's everyday price – so folks can buy it now, later, anytime. The amazing, magic deals you refer to happen when? And for how much?

No offense, but I suspect that at 6'4" and 176lbs you are going to have a difficult time finding a perfect fit.

:) I was built like Zorg when I graduated high school, although an inch taller. I swam in shirts that weren't "slim fit", just like he does, and often had to pick between adequate sleeve length vs. tent-like fit with gear. Of course, he's going to swim in an "L" jacket designed for a 44-inch chest when he's fit like a cross-country runner. And as with anything, the beauty of being able to fondle and try on the product is that we can figure out what fits us, very quickly.

In my case, my sleeve length, chest size, shoulder width and massive lipid storage component make the XL appropriate and it feels just like my Patagonia XL does, too. At $70 plus local tax, this is a very good deal, even though it doesn't have a chi-chi label on it. I'm gonna call Mont-Bell and beg up some stickers.

Hey, those hot dogs are only $1.50… I can afford several! Oink

800 fill jackets are being commoditized along with every other good piece of outdoor gear … IMO this is a GOOD thing as it means lower prices for good quality and return policies …

theres no reason why the teaming masses shouldnt have warm poofays … just like fleeces, softshells, rain jackets, shaved sheep, etc …

There is another down jacket available at Costco. Womens Calvin Klein XS-XXL 90% down 10% feathers No notation of fill amounit. No hood, Two zippered hand pockets and two interior pockets. $39.99. I am 5' 11" 210lbs. and the xxl fits awesome. Needs a waist cinch to make it a less feminine cut. Will post pics soon.

over a baselyer with some room to spare. i thought it was a pretty nice jacket. costco is located in issaquah, washington, maybe they have somebody on staff that wants to grow their outdoor clothing line.

How water repellent can this or any other down jacket like it be made?

See, while this looks like a nice jacket to throw in my pack for post-hike, say down to 40 insulation, I would most likely use it just as much travelling. I like a nice light jacket when moving between terminals, airport to transportation, cab or car to store or restaurant, etc. Problem is, I've been caught in some serious downpours at times, though not for long periods of time. I've been kinda laser focused on synthetics such as a nano-puff because of this, but can a down jacket be made to be just as suitable?

The DWR in the shell allows water to (hopefully) bead up and roll off, making it decent in a light, brief drizzle. This is the same for the synthetic. The absorbency, and sustained loft, is the issue. When the garment becomes SOAKED through, the synthetic maintains more of its loft, and thus warmth. So the DWR isn't really the issue, as in a downpour either garment will become soaked. The down garment just requires a bit more forethought than the synthetic. For this reason, I believe down is generally well suited to backpacking, being thrown on at rest stops and in camp, and stowed most of the day in your pack liner.

I just revisited this thread and am a bit surprised at the fuss.
Yes, in 2011 I bought at my local Costco a $40 down kirklands jacket exactly like the 2012 photo posted by this thread's OP. Bought it, took it home, compared it to my First Ascent jacket , kept it about a month & reluctantly returned it since the FA already covered my needs. Mine was black; IIRC the other options were blue and green, neither in shades I liked.
All the observations about the 2012 jacket also are correct for that 2011 jacket, including weight. I had a men's XL which fit me well at 6.0 and 180. It was NOT a child's jacket, although I believe the posters who say those are also good buys.
I agree someone at Costco is, happily, interested in offering some good quality technical gear.
So far this year thatvsame Costco branch has not had any men's down products, although they have had the $30 women's down mentioned elsewhere.
Part of Costco's success formula is focusing their store demographics. Of the two Costco's near me, one is noticeably upscale ( where I found that 2011 down jacket) and the other trends much more blue collar. They will have very different offerings in apparel, electronics etc. Products also only get a short rotation life: badabbing, some items are only there 7-10 days and gone. Most of their product lines, including apparel, never appear in their online catalog–this is not REI or LLBean with long product lives.
As for why the same jacket was in one of my Costcos last year and again more widely in 2012, my affluent outdoorsy East Coast store could have been selected for test marketing to gauge demand or was just deemed more likely to respond to a Patagonia knockoff.
I liked the 2011 jacket a lot BTW and would have kept it if I hadn't already had the FA jacket. The Costco jacket was packable, not under filled to my eye, had good long sleeve length as it should, and was cut to layer well. Outer shell fabric less luxurious than the FA (doh) but nice enough and felt reasonably durable.

Just to add a little information: I'm 5'10", 180lb or so (little bit of pudge on me) and about 42.75" chest. Unfortunately, I have a hard time finding clothes that fit me as I am a large medium or a small large.

I had very much wanted a Patagonia Nano Puff, but after trying one one I discovered they just don't fit me. The medium was too restricting and the large I swam in, especially considering the generous cut.

The medium from Costco fits pretty near perfect. Just right around the middle, good arm length and pretty good overall length. Shoulders could be just a touch larger, but then it would probably be too big for most medium people out there.

FYI, just back from Costco in SoCal:

–the adult down jacket, a la Patagonia down sweater, is still on the racks

–the youth down jacket, is still on the racks

–there's a new, girlie-version of the youth down, with fur

–there's a women's down vest, still on the racks, $30

–there's a new 600-fill women's down puffy, $35

I bought the medium size right from Costco.com. I think shipping was $2.99. Shipped from Canada, IIRC. You can even pay a small extra fee (I think it was $3-$4) if you are not a Costco member.

I'm 5'10", 165lbs. The jacket fits me well. I have seen other guys around town with what I thought was the exact same jacket, only for them to turn around and to see the front of the jacket with that ever popular "Patagonia" label. Don't get me wrong, all the Patagucci stuff I've owned fits like nothing else and lasts. But $200 for the P Down Sweater vs. $70 for the Costco one? The Costco is made in Vietnam and on Patagonia's site it says made in Vietnam or China. From the outside, they look nearly identical, the styling. Even the pockets (including the inner one) look remarkably similar.

I have yet to actually try on one of the said Patagonia down sweaters, anyone compared these two, side by side? I do know the P one is supposedly lighter by a few ounces, yes I know, a big deal for us weight freaks. But what a $ deal…

EDIT: The Patagonia Down Sweater is 12.1 oz for size M. Someone here said their Costco version was 13oz for size L. I will weigh my Costco size M later and report back. They are closer in weight than I had previously thought.

FYI: I am 6.0", 185, 34 pants waist, and in shirts I wear a 35-36 sleeve length usually. The Large fit me just fine, and with plenty of sleeve length to keep my wrists covered with my arms outstretched. Also roomy enough to wear it over a fleece vest.

Nice to be able to buy it online. The black is black, the grey is a sort of muted silver-pewter-grey.

JR, I've compared the Patagonia and Kirklands, side by side, as I own both. I love the Patagonia and have used it well. My only complaint is that the shell is so soft that it tears easily and I have repair tape on both cuffs and inside where the stuff pocket zipper snagged it.

I bought the Kirkland because I could tell it was a screaming deal after I checked it out in the store and I wanted to test it out to see whether I could recommend it to my fellow Scout leaders and some of the larger youth. Since starting this thread, I've worn it many times, stuffed it down twice, managed to find myself in heavy fog without a shell and come to like it very much. The shell is more durable than the Patagonia, oh and the "Scout Green" version is spot-on in terms of color. The interior pocket is smaller, is not mesh and does not have a two-sided zipper–it is not a stuff pocket– and this is the primary shortcoming of the jacket.

The fit between the two XL's I own is nearly identical and the methods of construction ARE identical. Stitch placement, cuff material, etc… all the same (as if there's much room to vary).

In terms of weight, the Patagonia weighs more. I tared out a hanger and put them on the digital scale:
–Patagonia Down Sweater: 16.1oz
–Kirkland Down jacket: 13.1 oz

I think it must be fill, because I can't believe the Kirkland shell cloth weighs less than the softer, thinner gucci stuff. It hasn't been cold enough for me to discern the difference.

I've been waiting for these to make their way up to MN but I haven't seen any hit the shelves since this thread started. They aren't available online anymore, so it looks like I've missed that window as well. Up here the stores deny that they even exist. I'm beginning to think that these are the down-sweater equivalent of Bigfoot.

Out of curiosity (and hope that I have friends in those areas), are you folks still seeing these in stores? If so, which ones?

Nick, if you're a size large and like green, I have one I could send you. I bought it for my Dad, he wore it for about half an hour and decided it didn't really suit his needs.

I just bought this Costco jacket yesterday. The price in Oregon is $49.99.

And there is nothing like it at the So Calif Costco's I've visited. They must stock based on expected temperatures.

I have them at my Costco for $49 AND I found a SMALL!!! …even though the sign said they only had M-XXL. WOOT!

Delmar, you're correct, Costco ships to stores based on climate patterns and also neighborhood demographics. I posted earlier how, in Northern Virginia, two Costco's near me always have widely varying inventory based on demographics (one in a very affluent neighborhood, another more working-class). I suspect they know exactly what sells in any given neighborhood. We BPL readers are not a huge demographic, but somebody at Kirkland is clearly interested in offering good quality UL and semi-UL gear at great prices.
All my Kirkland and Hawke & Co (Costco's other down supplier) down from Costco are individually as well made as Patagonia, and possibly better made, IMHO. YMMV.

I don't know why Costco.Com doesn't carry more down and offer it longer online. Having lived in Florida I know how hard it is to find decent cold weather gear in the Sunbelt. Costco.com would be perfect for that. Let's hope somebody at Kirkland is reading these Costco threads and bringing them into meetings to push for more good gear and longer inventory lifespans.

As of Thanksgiving there were still abundant men's down jackets and vests at 2 of the 3 Costcos in Northern Virginia and prices for the vests were down from $25 to $19. Prices definitely vary by store and managers must have a lot of pricing discretion. Once they're gone they're gone. 10 days is a long time in a Costco seasonal product cycle.
By January even though winter has months to go for most of the country, Costco and other retailers will be stocked for Spring. Always seems to me they;re missing a lot of their potential market. Retail has some aspects that seem an illogical mystery.

I was my Costco yesterday and see that these are all clearanced at $39.99.