Help on my first down parka

If you want a parka with integrated hood, the price and weight of the Superior down parka is hard to beat. If you just want a jacket, then the Borah Gear down jacket is hard to beat (more fill than the Superior jacket – 2.3 vs 1.9 oz, and 850+ vs 800 fill power down). I have the Borah Gear down vest and love it. If weight is not a concern, then the MB Alpine Light has the most down, and it’s under your $200 budget.

If you plan to spend significant time around camp on your JMT, then a parka with hood might make sense, especially if you prefer to avoid lots of layers. Otherwise a lighter down jacket or vest is fine for the JMT in summer if you wear base layers with a light fleece and shell – it all boils down to weight versus layering preference (and how cold shoulder season in Indiana are). I’m OK wearing all my clothing layers around camp if it saves half a pound or more in my backpack. But for shoulder season here in WA state , a “heavy” 13 oz down parka is worth the extra weight IMHO.

My top layers for the JMT next summer will be a long sleeve sun shirt (RR EcoMesh 7.4oz), an ~ R100 fleece pullover (Costco 8.7oz), hooded wind jacket (North Face Binary 3.1oz), BG down vest (3.6oz), and oversized hooded rain coat (DriDucks 5.4oz) over everything.

Lester,

Thanks so much for your input. To narrow down the temp ranges I might hike in around home, I would likely never go below 40* daytime and 20* nighttime tempts. As for the JMT, my wife and I will be getting a little quality time away from kids so we will be taking our sweet time and spending a little bit of time around camp in the evenings. :) while weight is somewhat of a concern as well have a relatively lightweight gear list, I want an effective piece of clothing. I only plan to buy one down jacket since I don’t get to do much overnight backpacking so I’m looking for some versatility in the 20*-50* range with minimal layering.

Montbell exlight anorak is plenty for JMT. And it’s light. The Borah did is nice. Lukes UL has some good offerings too

Thanks Ben. I think if I decided to go truly UL on the jacket I would likely opt for the MH Ghost. I have read so many reviews on this forum stating that it is warmer than the ex light or superior. Anyone disagree? I have researched the heck out of this and I’m still unsure so I really appreciate any input you all have to offer that might contradict my findings.

Yeah for 20-50 a Parka seems like potential overkill. Note I discovered through error that a better fitted jacket to your bodytype can be warmer than a jacket with superior stats. Try them on to see what size/brand feels warmer to you. Pay attention to draft around the bottom..

Skurka gave some advice a while back that was really helpful to me. If you’re hiking all day, just get in your sleeping bag at camp. It’s warmer than your sweater or parka.

Specific to your question. When I last reasearched Parkas I really like the Montbell specs/look. But they weren’t as common in the stores for me to try on so I went with a MH. The Rabs also had really good reviews but was concerned the down wasn’t as well baffled.

To date I’ve only used my Parka in blizzards. The rest of the time I’ve layered my light jacket down to -30. The sleeping bag is my hidey hole!

The fit of a poofay matters just as much as the paper specs

try to find one that fits well and work from there

id rather have a 650 fill poofay that fits well than a 850 fill that fits poorly

;)

Since the only one on my short list that is available locally is the First Ascent Downlight, I’m going to swing by and try it on today. At the current price of $91 it might be hard to pass up if it fits well. Being in the midwest, I think it’s going to be wise to get something with WR down due to humidity so Montbell might not work out. I’m going to try to track down an MH Ghost Whisperer as well to try on and see how it compares.

Thanks for all the help.

Well, if anyone is curious, I went with the FA downlight hoody. I tried it and the microlight on. I was not at all impressed with the microlight (virtually no down or loft) and it did not fit well, which is important per the other comments. The Downlight, on the other hand, fits like it was tailored. I am really happy with the feel and the loft of the jacket. Lastly, I was bummed because I really wanted a hood but knew the price was right on the Downlight but their website no longer lists the hooded version. To my surprise, the store had the hooded model and in my size. I walked out with the coat for just under hundred $’s and couldn’t be happier. Yea, it’s not the lightest, but I will trust it for casual use without being afraid to rip it in half. All in all, I’m thrilled with it for my first down “jacket”/sweater.

Thanks again for your input.

P.S. In case anyone else is interested in this coat and wonders how it will fit…I am 5’10”, 167 lbs, slender athletic build with a 40″ chest and a 32″ waist. The medium seriously fits me like it was made for me which is a good thing since there is not a drawcord at the waist. The hood is also an absolutely perfect fit with elastic around the brim. It’s tight around my bare head so definitely not helmet-compatible. Lastly, if anyone would be curious to see any photos feel free to PM me and I can email you one if your interested to see it and how it fits. i know this jacket has been around for a long time but real world photos and input are always better than specs and stock photos.

Thanks!

I have a pre-DWR downlight hooded jacket and a new DWR vest

the EBs arent the lightest out there but the quality is good, the warranty superb, and they fit me quite well

i had an old worn out downlight vest where the stiching was coming loose, when i walked into the EB store the clerk said that its all good

so they gave me a decent credit for it and i walked out with a new one … I paid the difference between the credit and the new 60% off one

keep your receipt in a safe place

The hoody is one of the warmer down sweaters out there being on the edge of a light parka

for 100 dollahz … Once can deal with not having 950 fill down and 7D fabric

;)

I don’t own an exlight, so I don’t have much opinion.  There has been some testing confirming that the narrow baffles are not as warm as the larger ones as seen in the exlight.  The Borah and Lukes offerings seem to carry quite a bit more down per ounce.  But I do like the hood and it sounds like the price is right.

“There has been some testing confirming that the narrow baffles are not as warm as the larger ones as seen in the exlight.”

The FA microtherm has the narrow baffles similar to the MH Ghost Whisperer. However, in looking at pictures of the Exlight, I would say that the Downlight (not the Microtherm) I picked up has baffles that are nearly as tall as the Exlight. The loft seems excellent on the downlight:

http://eddiebauer.scene7.com/is/image/EddieBauer/0880772_742C1?$xlarge$

The downlight has good loft … Its sewn through but so are many down sweaters at the weight/price range

it has 4.5 oz or so of 800 DWR fill down… The shell is fairly durable

its blows away the exl which i also own in terms of “warmth” … The EXL i have fits perfectly under the EB though if you want 6+ oz of high fill down poofayness

6 years ago BPL did a measurement on a STOM report …. The EB downlight was pretty “warm”

;)

I do own this FA jacket. It’s plenty warm, but a bit heavy. For me, it’s a little much for summer on the JMT. You’ll just be a little extra warm

The downlight is a generalist rather than a specialist

you can use it in town just fine, it probably wont rip catching on door jams

you can use it in the wild without babying it

it has a great warranty, and really at that price if your dawg eats it you wont cry

its a “use every day” jacket

its warm enough for summer in almost anywhere, i used it in the rockies

and for winter/shoulder season in milder areas

you can still fit it under a rain or windshell, adding to the warmth and increasing the versatility

and its not so big that you need to size up yr quilt/bag wearing it to sleep

there are lighter ones out there, but they are more specialized and less durable

and honestly the weight aint too bad for 4.5 oz of down … Though SULers will prob nake fun of ya

if you had to have one down jacket to do it all every day the downlight would be close

Use it and even abuse it

but most importantly it FITS

;)

“Though SULers will prob nake fun of ya”

Well, I use a BA Copper Spur so I never stood a chance anyways… :P

Honestly, I was having a VERY tough time with this decision.  I was strongly considering the Frost Smoke Parka because I’m not worried about every little ounce and wanted the extra durability. My non-winter base weight is 9.84 lbs so carrying a puffay that has a few extra ounces of fat won’t kill me.Anyways, the MB checked my boxes for: 3+oz of 800fp down, hood, 20+denier shell, looks decent, <$200…EXCEPT I really wanted DWR down due to crazy humidity in the Midwest. So, landing with the downlight, I checked every single box I desired, saved $100 over the Frost Smoke, and only gained ~2.3oz. Oh, and .8 oz of that is down so I got a little extra warmth out of the deal too. I think I’ll live with those ounces and walk away a very happy camper (pun slightly intended).