Q – Down Jacket, proper fit

[Tanner M]

I could start with the brand jacket I have.. But, I decided to try another route. Rather than mention jacket, its size, and/or my size, I have decided to just describe the fit.

Many questions are about fit of a particular jacket so judgements can be made before ordering. This question about fit with the jacket in hand! Understanding good fit will help me in the future. Regardless of the particulars of my current jacket.. Unfortunately, this takes more words and I applaud whoever makes it through…

Okay. It is a jacket of lightweight construction with several ounces of down. The baffles are taut; the jacket feels firm and well stuffed. It is not a lifestyle-only jacket.

I will wear it with a wool shirt and perhaps a wind jacket or wind vest.. I may wear the jacket with a homemade vest of 3 oz. + 1.8 oz. of primacord (i don't remember, maybe it was climashield something…). The vest is custom fit to me + shirt like a second skin. The inner is snug and the shell has looser fit for loft. I am not sure if the fit of the vest will matter with respect to the jacket…

Right. with only a shirt on, the jacket hangs loose and the distance between the right and left zippers for each side of the jacket is about 2 inches. The jacket curves well around me and wants to close up on its own; the sides do not extend in front of me.. There is plenty of room. Zipped up to the bottom of my sternum, I can grab the zipper and pull it away from my body 5 inches. This is a gentle tug to pull the jacket and insulation on the back is not compressed. I can look down through the gap I have made and see my feet..

If I put on the wind jacket (Marmot Climashield), things are by no means tight, but I can feel that the folds of the fairly loose wind jacket fill the gaps between my skin and the down jacket. There will be no wind whistling up from the waist.

With the climaloft vest on, the zipper hangs open 3 inches. Obviously, things are getting a little tight. With the jacket zipped, there is still room around my gut, but i can tell there is no gap between vest and jacket in my upper torso. However, my shoulders don't feel bound because I have a vest on. When I bend over, I can feel that the down jacket is snugging against me, but there is no bound up or overly tight feeling. Sitting, it just feels snug around me. When I unzip the down jacket, the zipper hangs open 2 inches. So some of the loft was compressed. Overall, the two garments just feel snug.. as I tailored my homemade vest.

I am between sizes. According to the chart, the next size up jumps three inches. I figure my fit without the vest is pretty good. I will wear the jacket like that often. With the vest, I might not get the best fit of the down jacket… But, I think going to the next size will be too big without the vest… I don't plan on wearing more under it than the vest or some similar thing.

So. Pretty good fit in shirt only. Not bad fit with clima vest. I figure lying down to sleep, the vest and jacket will be compressed under me back and this will give a little more room for full loft of the down in the front of the jacket (on top of me).

> Sounds like a pretty good fit with best compromise between shirt-only/vest/sleeping ?

Sorry for all the words.. I am adding material to the optional roof liner for a TT Dble Rainbow. In the end, I will have something very similar to a double wall tent for 4 ounces on top of the weight of the liner. As contribution, I will post some thoughts on what I have… done. But, imagine how many words that will take me.. :o

[Raymond Estrella]

Great,

I guess…

[Tanner M]

thanks for the response :)

it was a bit different way of asking about fit…

[Tanner M]

alright, my reply wasn't showing and the browser timed out. So, I tried again.

[Tanner M]

a triple post
embarrassing

[Raymond Estrella]

I'm sorry but I read it three times before posting and could not get what you were trying for. Was there a question in there?

Now it seems you are asking about fit. What are you looking for?

[Tanner M]

yes, i described the fit and then asked if the fit seemed like the best compromise between use of the jacket with a shirt only or with the vest or sleeping.

[R K]

Hi Tanner,

IMO, given your description, a little bit of loft compression isn't going to be a big deal. Is it optimal? No, but is it a good compromise? Seems like it to me.

It always comes down to personal preference. Me personally I'd get a bigger size jacket but I like baggy clothes for outdoor use. They're just more comfortable. I don't really wear my camping stuff around town because 1) I don't want to damage it, and 2) I'd look like a sack 'o potatoes.

[Tanner M]

one of the articles here (Golite Bitter Root and Rab Infinity) has a picture of the jacket being pulled away from the lady's back. the caption notes there is too much room for a good fit. but there was no note on what is the (roughly) 'right' amount of.. slack to have. so this set me thinking.

it is just hard when there are no other sizes to compare; no store near me carries this jacket.

thanks for the thoughts.

[Author]

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