reasonably priced puffy for snow

Great deals at Montbell web specials

Have you consider Stoic Hadron down jackets? I have the Anorak version and so far, quite like it. Got it pretty cheap awhile back. If Backcountry doesn't have sales or specials up now, likely they will at some point.

There was a thread last year about good deals at Cotsco. You might try them.

Costco does have some good deals, but you got to pay attention with them because they have some good quality ones and then some rather lower quality ones, and often at the same time.

For example, the Costco near where i live has some men's down vests and jackets that have 550 fp duck down/feather, yet at the same time their women's vests have 700 goose down fill. They used to have a men's jacket that i believe used higher quality goose down fill than that, and an interesting specialty fiber from Japan (that made up the shell) that was supposedly very strong for it's weight, and semi-hollow at the same time slightly increasing warmth retention.

I had bought a couple of their last years womens' vests because they fit better, and had 740 fill rating goose down, and was only like 30 dollars!

How much fill did those Costco jackets have? I have a Montbell UL Down Inner Parka, but I'm looking for something with a bit more insulation.

I don't think i have ever seen fill weights on any of their down stuff, they just list fill quality/power. Their primary marketed crowd isn't quite the same that people who peruse Montbell, RAB, Stoic, Feathered friends, etc. Off hand and very generally, the vests i have don't have a lot of down, but neither are they anemic. It's been awhile since i have seen one of their higher quality men's down jacket, so can't say;

If i was in your shoes, i would consider not completely ditching my current jacket, but perhaps combining it with a cheaper down vest. But then again, i don't have a lot of money to play with.

The Kirkland jacket is very similar to the Patagonia Down Sweater – it doesn't sound like it would be quite enough for your needs.

I have a big 750 fill down puffy from Cabelas that is uber warm. They have some on sale right now for less tahn 50 bucks

Golite?

Has anyone used the Mountain Hardwear Chillwave or Sub Zero Parka? Found some good deals on them on gear trade. They look like they may be a little heavier than the UL stuff, but that's OK. If so, I could use some help on sizing too since they are either discontinued or on closeout. I'm 5'6", 155 lbs. with 38" chest. Not sure whether a small will be too snug.

The Eddie Bauer stuff will probably go on sale on black friday if you can wait. Other then that i've seen some deals on sierratrading post on Mountain Hardware etc if you get on the email list and wait for a coupon.

Someone needs to make a simple, reasonably priced, baffled down jacket with lots of down for the weight like the MEC Reflex again…

The Montbell Mirage is $60 off right now through their web specials (I've never seen it on sale).

Other than that, keep looking on GeartTrade.com. I've bought most of my higher end stuff from the site, like a MHW Hooded Phantom for only $100.

RIght now lots of (X)XL stuff but some decent brand/models in medium and small available in the $100-$200 range.

As for sizing of MHW…they run fairly slim and athletic. I'm a solid Small in all things arc'teryx (36 inch but with climber's build, so most of my "chest" is actually in my back). I wear a medium in MHW outerwear and even that feels a bit snug around the armpits. I can squeeze into a small if it's a stretchy fleece or baselayer, but can't for jackets at all. So for your build I'd recommend a medium, and a little extra room is preferable to constricting blood flow when it comes to insulation.

One caveat is that I'm basing this on their athletic down garments like the Hooded Phantom. The Chillwave type jackets could be a bit boxier cut, but since you have a larger chest than me, that shouldn't hurt you at all.

Also MHW customer service is pretty good about answering technical spec questions. Shoot them an email and they'll give you the amount of down inside the jackets which should help you decide if they'll be warm enough. For 650 down you'll probably want at least 6.5oz of down to compare to a 5oz 850fp jacket in warmth. The chillwave does have a windproof (and very water resistant) membrane with box baffling so while it's heavy it should be plenty warm for the San Jacinto.

Eddie Bauer Down Sweater. (see my avatar)
800 fill down and got a good rating from Will Reitveld in his down jacket review.

>> Sharon J. said: The Kirkland jacket is very similar to the Patagonia Down Sweater

I agree, same fill power, similar overall weight. The Costco one doesn't stuff into a pocket.