Light down jacket vs vest

I would always pick a jacket over a vest if wearing one garment, but if using two
a vest is a great addition.

This does not exactly answer your question, but I've found the best solution to be one down vest plus one down jacket. Depending on the temperature, I can use one, use the other, or use both. That gives me a broader range of temperatures for use.

–B.G.–

I have both items you are considering but my Hyperion vest is some 6 years older than my Daybreak. I prefer the Hyperion vest over the Daybreak hoody and haven't taken the hoody with me for a while…it just wasn't warm enough to justify the added weight and bulk. The vest combined with my wind shirt and other items was fine down into the 20's. If it is going to be colder than that I take my Bitteroot jacket and sometimes the vest as well. I also much prefer the vest for sleeping, just draping it over me under my quilt without the hood of the Daybreak getting in the way.

"but I've found the best solution to be one down vest plus one down jacket. Depending on the temperature, I can use one, use the other, or use both. That gives me a broader range of temperatures for use."

+1 In my case a Montbell Ex Lite jacket and an old BMW Cocoon synthetic vest. But I'm about to pop for a down vest and retire the Cocoon after years of meritorious service.

There are down vests, and then there are down vests. Some are very lightweight, so they hold a moderate amount of high fill power down. Others are slightly heavier, so they probably hold a greater amount of moderate fill power down. The latter seems to hold up better, at least to me.

–B.G.–

For me it depends on base layer warmth. If you are wearing a heavier base layer anyway, say somthing like Cap4 or R1, then your arms are better covered and you can get by with vest and shell (wind or rain). The other factor is how much time you spend standing around in the cold. If its just setting up camp, you can always get in your shelter and sleeping bag/quilt. Wind makes a big difference too.

Ultimately, I like vests more for my spare summer insulation and that is what I typically load for my day hiking CYA layer. I would lean to a jacket in winter, with the possibility of colder than expected weather and the short daylight hours (read long cold nights).

Any good hiking gear locker should have both, but I guess I would have the jacket if only one was possible.

You could add a fleece to your vest for colder shoulder season trips. If you want to get outside the box, Jacks R Better has down sleeves. http://www.jacksrbetter.com/shop/down-sleeves/

Persactly Bob, and it's what I posted on another thread, vest and jacket, together or separately.

"Back in the Day", when Nordic patrolling at the 1979 pre-Olympics at Lake Placid I had a synthetic fill jacket with removable sleeves. I unstitched the sleeves and sewed Velcro on the sleeve and jacket so I could re-attach them as needed. Worked very well.

It may be messier with down so you'd have to sew both sleeve ends and jacket at the shoulder seam so when you unstitched it you would loose very little down if you wanted to do the Velcro route.

BTW, I've worn my EB vest under my EB jacket (photo). It fits but it's very "puffy" with that combo.

Wow! Just a few hours into the post and this many replies. Thanks all.

Agreed, that having both would be ideal. It does seem that the warm vest is slightly more multi purpose than a light jacket. I do tend to be more of a vest person, than a jacket person. With other layers that we would typically have with us in these conditions, (long sleeve base, and wind shell / hard shell) it seems a vest can be a good option. It does seem that there are limits on temp, and what you can do in it. It is understood that you may not be comfortable standing around for hours on end at the lower threshold of what is comfortable. Get moving, or climb in your bag! That is what I did for my AT thru hike in '03 and it worked just great.

John, do you have the Daybreak and Hyperion in the same size? If so, can they fit over / under each other?

The vest has significantly more down than the jacket…? I was able to buy a Brooks Range 900 fill down jacket with a hood on extreme sale two years back. I used to carry a very good Western Mountaineering 900 fill down vest for three season hiking, plus a shell and several layers. Now I carry the very very warm but heavier Brooks Range with a killer hood and leave one or two under-layers behind. The total weight comes out about the same but I'm much warmer in the BR jacket alone. (sorry, I don't have fill weight available. It's a significant jacket.)In short, I'm happier with one piece that takes the place of two or three others, is warmer than the combination of the others together, and that weighs the same either way.

It's true that several pieces are more modular to fit conditions precisely. But I find that during the day, when I'm hiking, I won't wear any down at all. then, when I'm setting up camp in the evening, I prefer to have one very warm piece to put on, and I'm done. I tend to run cold, so take that into consideration.

I carried a down jacket for years (Montbell Alpine Light); switched this past year to a vest (Patagonia ultralight, I think) and didn't miss the jacket. This is in the Sierra, from May through October. The vest cut bulk and weight.

I'm curious as to why people are carrying both. I can't see a need to ever wear mine at the same time. My jacket is thicker than my vest, and others seem to be carrying thinner jackets. But the solution would be to get a thicker jacket, no? What? Your arms get too hot?

I have owned a Hyperion vest and loved it. Very warm for the weight. There has been some debate about using down vests vs. down jackets. I prefer a down vest in any season except winter, but I run warm. I currently have a Nunatak Skaha vest and jacket to cover me throughout the year.

I have have the medium vest and large daybreak so I could wear the jacket over the vest. I am on the high end of a medium for chest circumference so it works. I also like a vest to fit just a bit more snugly than a jacket as it feels warmer and keeps the breeze out of the arm hole opening.

I wear my vest over my wind shirt and often under it depending on conditions and which ever one I happen to be wearing first. I also like the freedom of arm movement a vest provides and the cozy hand warmer pockets of the Hyperion. It's one of my favorite pieces of gear and rarely gets left at home.