Help me pick a new winter coat

For the next few days, there’s the RAB Neutrino Endurance available via Massdrop at $190.  If you want the Neutrino Plus, check the gear swap here as Stuart is selling one.  Which one you want will depend on where you are and how cold it gets.  I already have a Plus, but suspect in most cases the Endurance would be better suited.  (The Plus is very warm, but quite voluminous.)

As to your second request, I have an old Columbia 3-in-1 jacket that’s now of drinking age.  I no longer use it, and generally prefer to mix and match jackets.  In my mind the differences in volume between items like a Nanopuff, a down sweater, a down jacket, and the Neutrino Plus are too great for a single shell to really cover.  Thinking back to that old Columbia jacket, the inner jacket is not much thicker than a Nanopuff anyway.  I think the main thing to watch for is the length of the shell vs. the length of your insulation layers.

-J

I just picked up the Eddie Bauer (First Ascent) Downlight hoody. I was originally looking for a down, <span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>relatively</span> lightweight (also wanted durability for everyday wear), and warm for winter backpacking. However, since buying it last week for a whopping $99, I have literally worn it everyday. I absolutely love this coat. It’s not as warm as the above mentioned Rab, but since I discovered the principles of layering, it’s plenty. I have now picked apart my jacket “collection” and have been testing every known combo. I have a HyVent NorthFace jacket that I bought ~five years for snowboarding. It’s still going strong, but I’m just not a fan of wearing such a stiff and over-qualified jacket for daily wear. Said jacket has a thin synthetic liner that is removable. Just last night, as it’s currently single digits in Indiana, I decided to snag that synthetic liner and try it out under the Downlight. It is WARM. Throw my Houdini over that ad it’s an oven.

The point of all this is that when looking at the Downlight alone, it may not appear all that “puffy”, although 4.5oz of 800-fill isn’t too skimpy, especially for $99. Mine weighs 15.8oz for a size M and is durable enough for a daily jacket. Just food for thought…

I gifted myself a Montbell thermawrap guide this year for many of the reasons you listed and because I wanted to add a warm synthetic layer for really wet/damp days. It wasn’t the least expensive but I liked the idea of a water proof shell and synth combo for times I  want a grab and go jacket and not deal with layering with a rain jacket.  Probably wont see a lot of back country use but it certainly would do fine as a camp jacket in the shoulder months if you need something this warm as I often do. So far I’m really liking it and it is getting a lot of use. It has a nice fitting hood and overall cut is less bulkier than some others but still not restrictive. At the time I also ordered a MH super compressor and a Rab nebula. Kept the Montbell. The rab’s sewn through design was not nearly as warm and the hood cinch for me was not good. The super compressor was way to big for me even in a small and then the neck was terribly restricting when fully zipped with only a medium weight layer beneath.The Montbell was warmer as well.  As for durability, only time will tell.

Thanks for the suggestions! Keep em coming :)

I had heard of Massdrop but never visited before and OMG I think I have a new favorite thing. Subscribed to the UL and EDC categories, that suggestion might wind up really costing me in the long run! So many bargains.