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Backpacking Down Jackets

I ordered a Marmot Ama Dablam today, been taking advantage of all the sales and free shipping.

Excited to try it. I own 2 other Marmot pieces, they’ve always performed well for me but they do seem to leak a little down at the seams. Where as I haven’t had that issue with Mountain Hardwear.

Next on my docket will be Rab and Montbell. I’ve never looked into montbell, but I appreciate your guys good reviews.
 
I have a montane that’s been awesome. Need to find it on sale though. I got mine for 60$ at Sierra trading post before they were bought by tj max I think. Now they kinda suck
 
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32 Degrees North Puffys are damn nice. Costco has them or they have an online store. For less than a quarter of the price. Haven't had a single issue yet.
 
I have a bad habit of buying puffy jackets, I bet I have averaged more then one a year for the last 10 years. My current favorite in Down is Filson’s Downfeather weight hoody, 850 fill down and super warm, very durable fabric with a slight weight penalty compared to similar high quality down. For perspective I have owned down from OR,Patagonia, Borah, Marromnt, Montbell, Featherfriends, Sitka, Kuiu...and a few more .
In synthetics I am not as picky, I am using a Kevlin Lite and Kifaru lost parka .
 
+1 for the Kifaru Lost Park. Mine has a permanent spot in my pack, even for summer backpack trips. Very durable where it needs to be, plus the insulation is a full sheet, so no cold seams you get with down.
 
Since someone mentioned a duck hunting jacket I will tell you that the Sitka Duck Oven is seriously warm, and windproof, and very comfortable. Many Subzero Duck hunts this year and it was great. It is 31oz, so not quite light to your specs, and it is bulky. But I love it.
 
I'm not entirely sure of the weight, but I have an Arctic Shield parka that does the trick. It rolls up and compacts into my Metcalf pretty well. And it keeps the cold and wind out. Not as expensive as a lot of the clothing "systems" out there these days.
 
Check out Eddie Bauer. I need tall sizes, so that's how I got turned on to them. So far I feel like all their stuff has served me well. They have various fill weights available.
 
Check out Eddie Bauer. I need tall sizes, so that's how I got turned on to them. So far I feel like all their stuff has served me well. They have various fill weights available.

+1 for EB. Their heaviest/warmest is probably the Downlight Storm Down jacket. DWR treated 800fp, weighs just over 1#, lifetime warranty and on sale for $140 right now. I'm not sure how many ounces of fill it has, but you can email customer service and they might answer the question correctly if you're very specific about how you ask it. Their ultra light model (micro therm 2.0) has 3.6oz of 800fp and is a lot less 'puffy' than the stormdown model.
 
+1 for EB. Their heaviest/warmest is probably the Downlight Storm Down jacket. DWR treated 800fp, weighs just over 1#, lifetime warranty and on sale for $140 right now. I'm not sure how many ounces of fill it has, but you can email customer service and they might answer the question correctly if you're very specific about how you ask it. Their ultra light model (micro therm 2.0) has 3.6oz of 800fp and is a lot less 'puffy' than the stormdown model.
+2 for their Downlight Stormdown. I have two and just noticed they now have a stuffable pocket that they have been missing in the past. It's the one thing that I really would have liked to have on mine. With the current sale, I may have to buy another just for that!
 
I tried and returned the Mountain Hardwear Supercharger, Stretchdown and Stretchdown DS. Just not enough fill and clearly not warm enough.

I also ordered a Sierra Designs Whitney Dri-Down and returned it. I was excited to try this one because it had the best fill weight and had the best reviews. Sierra Designs also seems to have a more fair price point than Marmot, Mountain Hardwear, Arcteryx, etc. The name seems to add about $75, or more, across the board for those. Especially Arcteryx.

I settled with the Marmot Ama Dablam. 1 lb 3 oz, 800 fill power. I picked it up for $162. I liked it the best due to its warmth, the larger baffles, fewer seams, inside pocket, the hood cinches and the waist cinch cords being located inside the lower hand pockets. The backyard in 45 degree temps isn't the best way to test down jacket warmth, but it was clearly radiating more heat than the 4 jackets mentioned above. It seems warm, lightweight (not too lightweight), decent features and had a fair price point.

Other good options: I would have liked to try the Eddie Bauer Downlight Stormdown next. But it's specs and price are very similar to the Marmot so I didn't feel the need. It sounds like a great jacket also, $167 on sale right now online. The Kifaru Lost Park sounds like another excellent option. Good reviews on both of those from the Hunt Talk crowd above. From the specs I feel like the KUIU Super Down Pro is probably the best (850 fill, 13oz, pit zips, etc), but at a price point of $415 after shipping. I'd rather use the $253 I saved on tag applications.
 
I believe the warmest down from a hunting company is the new First Lite jacket, 2nd is the Sitka Kelvin down hoody, behind those are the Kifaru and KUIU. The older non wind shear Sitka's are on closeout but limited sizes. The addition of wind shear in the 2018 Sitka may put it over the First Lite in the right conditions.
 
+1 for EB. Their heaviest/warmest is probably the Downlight Storm Down jacket. DWR treated 800fp, weighs just over 1#, lifetime warranty and on sale for $140 right now. I'm not sure how many ounces of fill it has, but you can email customer service and they might answer the question correctly if you're very specific about how you ask it. Their ultra light model (micro therm 2.0) has 3.6oz of 800fp and is a lot less 'puffy' than the stormdown model.
The Eddie Bauer Downlight Stormdown jacket has 4.6 oz of fill. I caught the sale and bought 2, so I could check the sizing. I have a couple of their jackets and have been happy with them, plus I couldn’t pass up the sale when I need a puffy for Wyoming in October.
 
Acr'teryx Thorium and Cerium on sale. Both pack small/light. Don't know snag resistance as they are usually under a shell for my use.
 
Feathered Friends jackets are amazing...so are the prices. RAB is a close second in my mind. Their warmest one with waterproof down has stitch through and baffel construction. Sometimes the stitch through method isn't as warm as a baffel for the same fill weight. I've also found that the lower power fill jackets feel warmer because they stuff more insulation in them. That could be a brand thing. I bought a go-lite 850 fill hooded down that gets cold spots from the stitch through construction but then I have an old patagucci I got on a killer sale years ago that is 650 fill and stitch through construction but since there is more fill to create more warmth the cold spots don't manifest. Like I said, it could just be a brand/quality thing.
 
I recently purchased an Arc'teryx Cerium jacket and really like it although I haven't had a chance to put it through anything really cold. So far I wore it out once in 40 and rainy weather and it was extremely warm.
 
I ran an long sleeve T-shirt, Kuiu super down ultra jacket, Kuiu 240 jacket on the outer layer. Ran my quad for an hour doing 20-35 MPH in 25 degree weather and was perfectly warm (except my face). Was really, really surprised at how warm I really was when I got out in the field. The wind resistance of the 240 and super down were a game changer. They work better in the field than you think they are going to for sure. I would think this system would comfortable get me down into the teens with no wind and staying dry.
 
I would suggest checking out first lite. They are coming out with a new 10.9 ounce 800 fill jacket called the Brooks Down Sweater. It should be available to purchase in June if I’m not mistaken. Their Chamberlin jacket is what it is replacing and I know that one is amazing so looking forward to getting the new one
 
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