Warm Down Jacket/Parka Recs.?

LL BEAN sells a down parka (listed as a “jacket”) 850 Big Baffle hooded jacket that really IS a baffled parka for $399. It is 850 fill down treated with Down Tek DWR. I find down DWR to be very helpful in keeping up loft if I get a bit sweaty.

That price and LL Bean quality is hard to beat. Customer service tells me it is good to -35 F. That’s amazing B/C my Eddie Bauer Peak XIV parka is only rated to -30 F.  But Bean’s does not make false claims so I believe them because I have one of heir -20 F. down bags that truly is good to -20 F.

Thanks Eric for the suggestion.  Although the user  reviews are generally positive,  a number of folks said it’s just not warm enough.  I checked with Ll Bean and they say that the down fill is 5.6 ozs. which I don’t think is really enough for a really warm down jacket that I’m looking for.  I may check it out at the store near us, but I have my doubts. My experience of Bean is their clothing ( flannel and regular shirts, wool sweaters, etc) are excellent.  But I think their more outdoor type of stuff sold under their brand are decent but not up to the quality of high end outdoor companies (eg, Marmot, Patagonia, Rab, OR, etc).

The Montbell Alpine Down Parka might just fit the bill but unfortunately it appears they are gone for the season direct thru MB.  Maybe here?

Goosefeet Gear will custom build a jacket or parka to your exact measurements and specs, probably end up in the same price range and probably lighter if you want.

Agree with JR…Goosefeet may not be able to hit your hoped for price target, but you will get absolute top quality spec’d to your exact requirements.

The Cumulus Neolite Endurance might meet your criteria.

9oz of 850FP down (EU standard, so approx 900FP US) in a 19oz jacket, with H-chamber baffles. Adjustable hood, cuffs and hem. 2 zipped handwarmer pockets, external zipped chest pocket, internal zipped chest pocket and 2 internal mesh pockets for gloves etc.

$349 + $19 shipping, though.

I don’t own gear any from them, but their reputation is good on the UK-based trek-lite forum.

Thanks for the suggestion of Goosefeet.  I have their down pillow and use it on every outdoor trip and when traveling.  I’m a big fan of theirs.  I called Ben this morning, but it appears that to meet my specs, his price would be quite a bit more.  He thought that given my more or less average measurements, an off the rack garment would be my best bet at those specs price wise.

William,

Thanks for the suggestion of Cumulus.  I was unfamiliar with them.  After checking their website and some reviews, it looks like their Endurance would be a good option, but I’m hoping to find something that’s still a little less expensive.  With shipping, their jacket would be about $370, and if the fit wasn’t right, I’d have to return it back across the ocean. Will continue to check them though.  Maybe after the holidays they’ll offer some deals.  Thanks again for the suggestion.

Brett,

Thanks for the suggestion.  I am a huge fan of Montbell.  I own a number of their stretchy down sleeping bags, which I think are terrific and what I use on all of my camping trips.  I also use one of their lighter weight down jackets for temps down to about the mid-40’s range.

I think the Alpine down is a possibility for my current quest.  I’m a little unsure if I should go for a jacket with 7 or 8 ozs. of down, but it does sound like the Alpine Down might work.  Just waiting to see if they come or some else with similar specs offers a good deal after the holidays.  Thanks again for the suggestion.

Gerry

I don’t like Mont bell Parkas, because they are to short in the torso. A winter parka needs to be long, the longer the better. (have owned the MB ones, and sold them).

I just got my daughter the MHW Phantom Parka. It ticks all the boxes. $280 on sale.

https://www.mountainhardwear.com/p/mens-phantom-down-parka-1851251_S.html?dwvar_1851251__S_color=636&dwvar_1851251__S_size=L

~7.5 oz 800fp down

20d Diamond fuse Pertex shell fabric balances weight/stuffed size with durability.

box baffles everywhere, including arms .

No extra layers of shell fabric (very common on RAb and Outdoor Research and others).

Pockets insulated on both sides

good hood and tall collar

good draft tube

long drop tail

elastic on the inside fabric in th small of the back, to pull it in close to the body

long sleeves

sleeves bound with elastic (better than velcro)  on the inside fabric, and about 1.5” up from the bottom, so it covers the base of your hand.

double mesh drop in pockets for water or gloves

two way front zipper for belaying or peeing

Tjaard

Thanks for pointing out the MH Phantom offer ($280 on MH’s outlet website) and it’s features.  I checked it out.  Looks like a good deal (hopefully comparable to post holiday offers) and just went ahead and purchased the Parka.  Looking forward to trying it out in our Upstate NY winter conditions.  Thanks again to you and everyone else that chipped in with helpful suggestions.

Gerry

Nice find on the MHW Parka!  Looks like a great buy!

“~7.5 oz 800fp down”

Where did this stat come from…didn’t see it on the product page?  Just curious.

Wasn’t my post but I did find a review of the jacket that listed the amount of down from size small to xtra large provided by their customer service, and that figure sounds about right for a large.

Found where the down weight is quoted.  It’s in response to a question at the end of the user reviews associated with the Phantom listing on the MH Outlet site.  Here’s the response from MH in response to question about down weight:

MHW
· a month ago

Hi Loui, thanks for your question! The Men’s Phantom™ Parka has a range of 185.2-237.8g of insulation, depending on the size. From Small to XX-Large, 185.2, 198.0, 211.8, 226.5 and 237.8 grams respectively.  

by the way, 211.8g for lg.=7.47 ozs.

Gerry

That LLBean jacket is now on sale for $229 )https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/123442?feat=506673-plalander&csp=a&gnrefine=1*Item*Regular^1*Size*X-Large^1*Color/Style*Carbon%20Navy) and looks pretty cool. I don’t own one but I do own a “down sweater” (https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/122733?page=mens-ultralight-850-down-sweater-hooded-jacket-mens-tall&bc=&feat=down%20sweater-SR0&csp=a&searchTerm=down%20sweater&pos=6) that’s on sal3e for $169 and it’s plenty warm enough for walking the dog when it’s above zero…

Just a thought: EE makes a terrific apex-filled jacket that insulates pretty well even when it gets wet, as jackets always seem to in the winter… I have tow, one xip-up and one pullover, and they’re definitely my go-to jackets for those temps.

You might want to take a look this Big Agnes Fire Tower Belay parka.  I bought for an upcoming trip.  I can’t think of ever getting cold in this one – and it comes at a nice discount from shops like REI:

https://www.rei.com/rei-garage/product/196322/big-agnes-fire-tower-down-belay-parka-mens

Although quite heavy when viewed through an UL lens at 29oz, 10oz (284g) of 850fp down with 20/30D shell and box baffle means it will be nearly impossible to be cold in this jacket! a warm one indeed!

I ordered a Montbell Alpine from the Japanese website.  $165 (at current exchange rates) and the XL fit like a US large.  If you spend 20,000 yen shipping is free so you might to add socks or liner gloves to get you to 20k.

Tjaard, How does the Phantom Parka fit for tall people with long torsos and arms?  Thank you.

John, are you in the US? Last time I checked MB Japan would not ship to the US.

Yes, in the US.  I ordered another for my son and it took a while but arrived fine.  Ordered on the 2nd of Dec and it arrived the 23rd.  For 18 of those days it sat in customs in Los Angeles.  The XL JPN actually fit me better than the US large as the shoulder area is a bit roomier.  It has a more athletic fit.  Sleeve length was reported to be about an inch short for the JPN xl vs the US large, but the sleeves can cover my hands with the arms hanging down and stay at my wrists with arms stretched over my head.  For reference I am 5’9” 165/170 lbs with a 42” chest, 32” waist, 52” shoulder circumference, and 72” from finger tip to finger tip with arms outstretched.

I should also point out, since this is Backpacking Light, that my XL Japanese weighed in at 17.1 oz on my scale and my son’s (also XL) was 16.9 oz.

John, the Alpine Parka looks to be the same in both Japan and US. Do you think that’s right? (Others, such as the Plasma 100 Parka, exist in two versions, Japan and US.)