favorite high elevation summer down puffy??

I have a question for those with Uniqlo jackets… Im a slim 5'10" and normally wear a Med.. i like my jacket to fit but id hate for it to be too snug where its bothersome… also wouldn't want it to too baggy being used as a mid layer under my rain shell… would i be ok in a Small… or would a M be better?
Thanks

If you insist on a warm puffy, why not go with a much, much more expensive gear experiment? If you really want a warm puffy, why not pair it with something like a Feathered Friends Vireo or, better yet, a Nunatak Arc AT (8oz) or Akula (10oz) and a puffy like a hooded Skaha Plus (about 11oz)? Total weight of the system would be around 18oz -21oz and you get to buy 2 pieces of gear and spend twice the money! Skip a few meals out, sell some blood, work a second or third job . . . Sadly, this is exactly the kind of logic that drives my gear buying . . .

My son has a medium Uniqlo and it fits him nicely. He's 5'7" and maybe 140 lbs, very slim. A small would be too small for him.

You might want to find a Uniqlo store to see them in person. There's one in Emeryville if you're in the SF Bay Area.

I'm 5'11, 175 lbs. I almost always wear a medium size shirt, and I got a medium Uniqlo parka, but it was too big. I returned it for a small, which fits perfectly.

They may have changed their sizing though. If you can get to a store, that'd be the best way to go.

EDIT: Jacket was purchased in January, 2014

I'm 5 11, 155. Size small uniqlo parka fits great

Uniqlo changed their sizing templates in 2013 or 2012. If youre offering your Uniqlo sizing input in hopes of being helpful, state the year model.
I am a true Large and my 2014 uniqlo Large fits great. I really like the parka.

one thing to keep in mind since most of the commenters are men …

women often run colder, so you might want to keep that in mind … it varies between women of course, but you should have a good idea which way you run …

for sleeping bags the average women needs about 10F more of a temp rating than men for the same "comfort" … thats quite a bit more down

if youre a "normal woman" you may want more insulation that is being suggested here …

one thing ive learned about climbing with women … they REALLY hate being cold … men will just tough it out, women are much smarter than that

;)

HAHAHA!

First of all, Eric, you are totally spot on. And despite 4 decades of chicago winters under my belt, a measly two Austin winters have me shivering when it drops below 40 (sniff, sniff…).

Secondly, thanks Edward! I love the idea of taking out another mortgage to buy some super high end gear! you're right – it's EXACTLY how I make my gear decisions, too!

At the moment I may just suck up the extra ounces and take the WM – i really don't like being cold anymore.

Hi Jennifer. It was nice to briefly meet you at the GGG last weekend.

I might toss another idea into the pot, I think a vest was already mentioned, but what about a light synthetic vest? I picked up a Patagonia Nano Puff vest about a year ago to take as a backup for running adventures in really cold weather. I quickly found myself wearing it just about all the time. What I really like about it is I can wear it while hiking (or running) and don't have to be overly concerned about sweat or light rain, mist, or snow. Works great both over or under a windshirt, etc…

I sort of semi-ruined mine while on a trip late last year where I got a little too close to the fire. I need to make an attempt to fix the melted part (yea I'm a knucklehead) or I'll have to buy another. Having withdrawls presently.

been using the PHD Ultra Down Pullover for a while and think it's absolutely fantastic, if i lost this one i'd buy another again tomorrow

http://www.phdesigns.co.uk/ultra-down-pullover-k-series

Looked at the PHD Ultra Down Pullover, would have loved to have gotten it, but for a price (including shipping) from $426 to $528 (depending on tracking or not), it doesn't make sense for this side of the pond. Goosefeet will custom make something very competitive (better?) for $250.

Steve

yea for that kinda dough u can buy 3.5 MB Alpine Light Parka's rt now at BC…

Having enough experience in CO on the CDT, I'd stand by puffy of choice:
Backcountry Hadron Down Anorak: http://www.backcountry.com/backcountry-hadron-down-anorak-womens?ti=U2VhcmNoIFJlc3VsdHM6aGFkcm9uOjE6MzpoYWRyb24&skid=BCC0318-CHA-S

…and it's on sale right now.

2.3oz 850FP GGD. My men's small weighs 7.2oz.

I tried the Ex Lite Anorak and I sent it back. POS compared to the Stoic/BC Hadron. It is a much smarter design (at least the men's one is…that's all I can speak for).

HTH

KJ

kenneth
can you expand on the diffs b/t the 2?
give examples of the design superiority.
many of us may benefit from the comparison…

Down gives the best warmth for weight ratio of any garment. I decided on more down, one less layer. I'm warmer for less weight with a 13 ounce down jacket with hood and no merino/capilene mid layer/beanie.

Sure!

First off, the Ex Light was horribly filled. I found a number of cells that had virtually no down in them (ie – up to 4 across). While the baffles are open for shifting the down around, I do not see this as a benefit. The openings in the baffles are far to big for the amount of down in the jacket. Even with the down dispersed evenly (read: would have been a 3 hour patting session to get it anywhere moderately even across the jacket), the amount of down is still far to low to be a benefit for having partially stitched baffles. I say this because while I understand the purpose of building the jacket this way, they missed the target all together. If you are going to try to reduce stitch-thru cold spots by having open baffles, you need enough down in said baffles to lift the open space. Not only that, but you need enough down to mitigate down travel…especially for a piece that is going to get compressed when not in use. Part of me almost wonders if this was simply a poorly thought out tactic to save weight…or save on production cost (read: labor needed to fill the jacket).

Second, the hood of the jacket lacked down all together. I failed to understand it's purpose when it was merely two stitched layers of nylon. Not only that, but the hood did not fit as such to seal around your face when zipped up.

Third, if you're going to build a jacket that is to be so lightweight, and considering the conditions it is to be used in…why in the hell would you choose to put a zipper on said jacket…and then also add a wind flap behind it.

Fourth, to add more stupidity to stupidity, the body-side of the kangaroo pocket is nothing more than a single layer of 7d. So now we have a hood that doesn't seal around your face, a zipper with a wind flap to "seal out the cold"…and a kangaroo pocket that essentially adds two nice big holes in the jacket to allow air to pass behind the severely lacking and poorly dispersed insulation.

Now you may be thinking that I'm some kind of MB basher with all this ranting…but I own an Alpine Light Down Parka and my significant other owns a Frost Line and they are FAN-TASTIC. I just have no idea what MB was thinking when they came up with the Ex Light.

Now about the BC Hadron Anorak. I'm going to make this fast, because I want to get to sleep:

– Loft in the body of 2+X the loft of the most filled cell I could find in the Ex Light Anorak
– Loft in the hood of 4+X the loft of the most filled cell I could find in the Ex Light Anorak
– Down on the out-side and body-side of the kangaroo pocket
– Hood that fully seals around the face (provided you buy the correct size)
– 30d vs 7d, offering more durability and wind resistance
– Jacket stuffs into its own pocket to form a pillow
– I'm almost willing to bet the fill is MORE than 2.3oz
– $179 vs $219
– Tapered hand pocket that is easy to get your hands in and comfortable hang your hands in
– No zipper to fail or get caught up on fragile 7d
– Great fit and quality build (read: evenly filled cells and name brand materials)
– Lifetime warranty just like MB
– A LOT warmer…by far.

HTH

KJ