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Minimal weight, maximum warmth.

From basecamp to the bivy ledge, the Montane Men’s North Star Down Jacket has but one purpose—protect your core from epic cold. Stuffed with 800-fill goose down and designed with mini baffles to eliminate cold spots, the North Star packs massive warmth for just over a pound. The stowable, brimmed hood keeps out spindrift, and the included waterproof stuff sack makes for compact storage in warmer temps.

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Montane North Star Down Jacket - Men's

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Here's what others have to say...

4 5

David Stephenson

Member since 
  • Gender: Male

I thought it worthwhile to add to the other reviews a note about sleeve length/articulation. When I put this on I loved the fit (size L jacket on 6'3" 175 lbs.). The sleeves on me were great when slack at my side, falling below my wrists. But holding my arms in front brought the sleeves well up my arm, a good quarter to a third b/w the wrist and elbow. While I found this a well-engineered jacket (loved the way it hugged my body and Montane hoods are brilliant) in most respects, the engineering on the arms didn't work for me in a piece that fit great otherwise.

4 5

rogp121927

Member since 
  • Gender: Male
  • Familiarity: I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

After trying the Marmot Ama Dablam, and Guides Hoodie, I chose this for my daily commute to work. I really liked it but decided to return it for something with more wind protection and wrist/thumb gators to keep the sleeves down.

It is warm, but I expected warmer from 224 grams of 800 fill. You can wear a t-shirt under in temps down to 30F. I was hoping for more warmth.

Contrary to other reviewers, I found the zipper to be fine.

It does leak a little down, but I found that acceptable. Though I did wonder what that would mean in the long run.

Overall, I found the quality very high. It's made of good material and looks really nice. I was hesitant to send it back.

5 5

tdo4928964

Member since 

This jacket is ridiculously warm and full-featured for how light it is. It's so easy to get a perfect fit with this jacket due to the adjustable cuffs, hem and waist adjustments, aperture cinches, and velcro on the back of the hood to pull the visor out of your eyes. The Jacket also has a good DWR, and is surprisingly wind resistant. The two chest pockets (one inside the jacket) are also deceptively big. I only have two gripes; it leaks more down than my dad's Marmot Zeus ($100 less expensive), and people always ask why I have a Pepsi logo on my jacket, which is much more annoying than the leaking down.

5 5

Brian

Member since 

This fits me better than any puffy I've ever had. At 6' 172lbs the size Large fits more like a Medium-Tall than a normal Large. Very streamlined and svelte. The waist cinch and hem cinch really let you dial in the fit.

Montane overstuffed the baffles in this thing with 800+ fill down...200 grams total. That's more than the Patagonia Fitz Roy. You never have to worry about cold spots since the down can't shift anywhere in the microbaffles and if you compress any of the baffles they immediately pop right back since they are so stuffed with down.

The hood is fantastic. Velcro in the back, cinches on the sides, wire brim, and it zips up to your nose with soft material on your face.

The only thing I would tweak about this jacket is to put fleece lining in the pockets to make them that much more comfortable.

Mine comes in at just under 19 ounces on my postal scale. This thing packs a lot of warmth for that little weight!

As far as warmth...much warmer than the Patagonia Down Sweater Hoody, warmer than the Marmot Ama Dablan, almost as warm as the Marmot Guides Down Hoody but much lighter and not as bulky, not quite as warm as the Patagonia Fitz Roy but lighter and not anywhere close to as puffy-huge.

I've taken this winter camping, as a just-in-case insulation layer for snowshoeing, and worn it around town on extra cold days. It has performed flawlessly and I couldn't be more pleased!

4 5

Mjsturtevant

Member since 

Ummm.... I wrote a glowing review of this jacket awhile ago, but I just got back from a weekend in Colorado and I have to say I am changing my mind. I have had a few feathers come out here and there but other than that the construction is really good, no complaints there. However I did wear this in 20 degree weather with wind chills in the low teens for about 5 hours and I noticed my arms slowly getting cold. Granted, underneath I only had a thin t-shirt but from the reviews I was kind of expecting more. Im going to be spending three months in severe sub-zero weather and I don't think this jacket is going to be enough. Returning it today.

I see that Montane is a British company,...

David Stephenson

Member since 
Posted on

I see that Montane is a British company, so sizing may be different, and I've read some size comments. But I'm still trying to triangulate the best size for me. I wonder if anyone out there reading may be about my size, has worn the NS and can give a definitive suggestion? I'm 6'4", 185-190, on the slender-athletic side of things. Every athletic jacket I own is from a US company and large is always spot on, but perhaps this rule may not hold here. I prefer athletic clothing to be more fitted than billowy, but still want to be able to move well. Thanks for any suggestions.

Jeremy Stoshick

Member since 
Responded on

It is a little smaller - but take a look at the sizing chart that details that perfectly. Depends on brand in US - I wear medium and some I float in and some I need large.

4 5

Mjsturtevant

Member since 

If it wasn't for the zipper, I would have easily given this jacket 5 stars.... but like all of the other reviews before me said, the zipper is awful! I haven't even attempted to unzip it because I don't want to deal with any problems zipping it back up. But the crappy zipper aside, the jacket is really warm. I wore it today in 30 F weather with a heavy wind and after a while I started sweating. Im going to Russia in 2 weeks, and the temp there will be averaging in the -30's F, so I will let you know how it stands up to that when I get there. Overall though, I am extremely satisfied with this jacket!!!

bruto

Member since 
Responded on

I can tell you right now it won't stand up to -30F for longer than 15 minutes unless you wear something warm underneath it and something windproof on top :)
When it's that cold here, I pull out my big puffy (1200g down jacket, next best thing to the full-blown Michelin man kinda jackets like Marmot 8000M and others).

Oh yeah, and don't be under the impression that all of Russia freezes over during winter ;) This December is actually kinda warm in many regions compared to previous years.

W/ Hood Zipped

Mjsturtevant

Member since 
Posted on

AlexL

Member since 
Responded on

Hi! Could you tell me-what color is it??? It looks like dark (indigo) blue, but I have never seen such color in stores, only black or blue (electric blue). Thank's in advance.

AlexL

Member since 
Responded on

Oh, I believe I found the answer-"Morrocan blue", but looks like they didn't produce them anymore.

5 5

bej4852855

Member since 

I bought this after doing plenty of research. I live in Minnesota and was looking for a nice light down jacket for everyday use. It still isn't crazy cold here yet, so we'll see how it goes, but I tried it out recently on a 34 degree morning and it was def warm at that level. (We'll see when it hits -30F lol)
I've never had an ultralight jacket before, so I was surprised (and a little concerned at first) by the weight; it's VERY light. However, the quality is apparent. It's puffy, but not too much so, and looks good for wearing out in public.
I see what people say about the zipper, but I think people are a little too sensitive; I had a couple times where it was hard to zip, but after separating and trying again it worked just fine.
I'll update this review when winter comes and I have a chance to try it out in really frigid conditions. So far though, it's awesome and I'm very happy :)

UPDATE: Today is the first real "Minnesota" winter day we've had (-16F, -35F with wind chill) so I thought I'd update my review. Now, I didn't spend hours outside, just scraping off the car, taking garbage out, etc this morning, but I felt totally warm with this jacket. I could see how people who get cold easily might want an undershirt or something, but even just light walking from the house to the car, you'd likely be fine. Still love this jacket and wear it all the time :)

Im 6 foot, 165 lbs, should I go large or...

cheetaferr1044789

Member since 
Posted on

Im 6 foot, 165 lbs, should I go large or Medium?

bej4852855

Member since 
Best Answer Responded on

I'm 5'7, 210lbs (muscular build) and the large was a little bit tight on me in the chest and arms (by tight, it was still comfortable, just not loose like most jackets). Lengthwise was perfect, but I have a longer torso. I went by the measurements in the sizing guide and they were pretty spot on. That said, it's a bit of an athletic fit, so if you want to layer, I'd go with the bigger size.

1 5

Stan

Member since 

Great jacket, but the zipper issues are, in fact, very real. Straight up sucks. Returned.

Lovewool

Member since 
Responded on

I wish the zipper would give a POSITIVE CLICK-feeling like on bigger double zippers so I know it's safe to zip up. But because it's a light weight zipper (probably to save weight), I don't get that tactile feedback. It is annoying, but I still love this jacket.

4 5

srlevy970124

Member since 

There is nothing that a designer could have done to improve on this jacket. The details are so well thought out, and the fabric feels great. It is very thin, and appears to be air tight. In a strong wind, I felt no air getting through and no loss of warmth. I wore the jacket on a day in the low twenties and the jacket was very comfortable with a long thin undershirt. With the wind blowing at 20 MPH, I could sense the cold but it didn't chill me. I would think the jacket could accommodate a heavyweight fleece without feeling too bulky, and with that, the combination would be good to zero. I also know I could wear the jacket with a shell over it and that would also allow it to be worn at lower temperatures. For the price, it is fantastic.

5 5

BC JR

Member since 

Wore this for the first time on a nice frosty day at the local hill, started at 10 deg, warmed to 18, with a light wind -- no more than 10 mph. Gave the jacket a real workout on the down (would have been cooking in my primaloft layer), and must say I was warm and comfy in all conditions -- I was never cold, and never too hot, either, it feels as though the jacket vents well given its loft. For me (5'11' 190, wide shouldered) the large fit was right on, no obvious air-gaps (like the second internal pull for helping w/ this), nice long drop in back to keep all the right parts nice and toasty. I agree with the previous reviewer about the zipper, a bit hard to engage, but I don't find it overly cheap. Love the iridescent red color, made it easy for my riding partners to find me. The stuff bag is a bit too tricked out for me, and overly bulky, would have preferred a nice standard stuff bag (Brits overthinking it here), so I'll borrow one from another piece of gear. Gotta love the price too, amazing for this kind of jacket.

4 5

Gre3349252

Member since 

The zipper SUCKS! its one of those zippers that go both up and down, which a fair amount of jackets have (and i dont get that, because dont people usually zip their jackets up from the bottom?) But anyway, the zipper is low quality and its hard to get it to catch, much harder to use than any other double way bullshit zippers i have ever used. But the rest of the Jacket is way cool. Good length/fit, good warmth (im consistently in 0 F weather in montana with just a T shirt underneath). I would no doubt give this jacket a 5 star rating if the zipper was better. I cant be freezing and trying to get my zipper up. other than that I cant stress how good of a jacket this is.
Dear montane: I love you, but FIGURE OUT YOUR ZIPPER SITUATION

utah whatchamacallit

Member since 
Responded on

Holy crap- i completely agree. This jacket may be returned due to the zipper.

Jake Doxat

Member since 
Responded on

Hi

I work for Montane. The zip is two way to enable you to access lower inner pockets and to vent yourself when too hot. This type of two way zip is common or higher end/more technical pieces. The zip itself is the top of the range YKK model, regarded to be the best zips money can buy. They are more awkward to operate, but you do get used to it, and after time they become easier and easier. The secret it to really push the two sliders down before inserting the bottom stop and pulling the zipper up. I hope you can learn to love it! Jake

GR

Member since 
Responded on

Absolutely correct THE ZIPPER SUCKS. How ridiculous to have a cold weather jacket that I can't zip up until the 3rd or 4th try.

5 5

Nick

Member since 

I live in Wisconsin, so I needed a jacket that would stand up to our pretty cold winters (temps often in the teens, single digits with wind chills well below zero).

At first I thought I needed the biggest, puffiest jacket I could get my hands on, so I tried a few jackets like OR Virtuoso (too short, bad hood/neck protection).

But, after trying this jacket out, my mind was changed. I realized that with appropriate layering on the coldest days (such as a good insulating mid-layer at 10 below), this jacket is sufficient for my needs. It is definitely on the "less puffy" side, which makes it more stylish, but it is 800-fill down, so it is high quality and is stuffed just enough to be very effective.

The jacket fabric is pretty standard ripstop, so it's not waterproof, but is definitely water resistant. I've had a couple small feathers work their way out, but nothing to complain about. You pretty much have to accept that this is going to happen with a down jacket. Overall construction quality and attention to detail is high.

The jacket is much more stylish than the puffys, so I appreciate that. It is cut a bit longer than the typical waist-length jacket, which helps keep out the wind.

The final feature that I really love is the insulated hood - the hood is awesome with the bendable brim, and the neck of the jacket is actually sufficient to cover your face if you cinch the hood down. This is invaluable! I have tried on many jackets where the hood seemed like an afterthought, but this one is really well designed and effective at snugging in your whole head.

Great jacket, highly recommended.

Summary: Warm, Stylish, light, well designed.

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