MontBell Alpine Light Down Parka - Men's

Great, versatile down jacket. Great use for Colorado, being a relatively dry state and all. I've used it for summit lounging, for days you don't plan on skiing thick trees (at it will probably rip) and for the morning walk to work whens its below freezing. If you want something even warmer, look at the Frost Smoke parka from Montbell, not gonna get much better for the price (neither will this one).

Fit : I'm 5'11 185 with a 36" waist and somewhat broad shoulders and the Large fit me perfect. Enough room for a light fleece and shirt underneath and maybe compressible enough for a roomy shell over it.

Color : I went with the "Terra Cotta" which is a true orange, almost rust orange, darker than the pic on bc.com, but fairly similar to the pic from Montbell's website.

Material : Its advertised as a 30-denier nylon shell, which seems accurate, specially when compared to other 15-20 denier down sweaters across the board. It could probably survive a branch or two in the woods, but nothing more. Just seems like a well thought out, well constructed apparel. For ounce counters, this would be a solid piece of gear to have in a stuff sack in the bottom of your pack for emergency situations.

Price : If you look at hooded down jackets (with even less down loft) industry wide, this price at retail is an absolute steal. I'd go as far to compare this to Patagonia's Fitz Roy, Marmot's Ama Dablam or OR's Maestro for literally over 100$ less.

This is a good medium weight piece of down clothing. The pockets and chin are micro-fleece lined and is a nice touch to the jacket. This packs up small and takes up little room in a pack. It does seem to run small however; I'm 5'5" 125# and I can't fit quite as much as I'd like underneath a small (I've never had that problem before), but it is designed in Japan and this fits with my experience with their products. Bottom line: warm enough for most conditions, nice materials and generous loft, be careful when sizing (scale up one size).

Great design with excellent features and a nice price. Love the pockets inside and out. Hood has great closure control with facial elastic and Velcro on the back. Additional elastic on waist controls drafts. Fit is great with down being well managed by quilting. My size large parka weighs 15.7oz with stuff sack. My size large jacket weighs 14.9oz with stuff sack. Colors are great I have a Terra Cotta parka and a Pure Indigo jacket. Love em both!

Not the greatest at writing these reviews, but I love this jacket. I was rather worried when it showed up as it was much lighter and thinner than I thought and I never would have imagined it would be warm enough to use as a daily coat during Nebraska's winter. Well, it was 14 degrees fahrenheit this morning and I had on a thin, long-sleeved shirt under only this jacket and couldn't be happier with it's performance. Kept me warm to the point of having to unzip the coat. I'm no mountaineer, and I don't spend my weekends camping in the mountains in winter....but as a daily jacket, this suits me perfectly.That it weighs less than a pound (compared to the 3.5 pounds of my shell and synthetic liner) only adds to my excitement. It feels like you're wearing air and doesn't weigh me down at all.Great construction, and a nice look round out for me being a really happy camper. Add to that I saved $65ish over a comparable jacket from that north company and my wallet is happy too.The only gripe, and it's tiny, is that the sleeves are a bit long. I ordered a large and I'm 5'11" (corrected) and 185 pounds and the sleeves are just ever so slightly too long for me. Isn't an issue I can't live with though.

This down is amazing, I use it for all my cold adventures. I sized in at M which is totally normal for me. It fits snugly over all my shells, and perfectly over my normal under-layers (e.g. at night), and I'm 5'11" and 165 lbs. Would have sized a L if I was looking for a huge belay parka, but I like it smaller for ski touring. Mont-Bell has the right philosophy, and this is the puffiest jacket I'd need in the lower 48, in combo with a good sleeping bag.

This jacket is the best. I so ashamed to say it but i'm addicted to Montbell gear, I bought both the Alpine Light Down Parka and the Perma frost Down parka, (already own the UL Thermawrap) thinking I would choose one and return the other...forget it; dumbest idea ever! This jacket is perfect for early - late fall and spring conditions. It hugs close to the body and the baffles are relatively thin (compared to the perma frost) so that it doesn't puff out too much, making it great for layering. It does loft higher than competitors such as the patagonia down sweaters though.

Like others said before me, I was initially worried that it wasn't going to be warm enough because it was so light at less than a pound! I started wearing it around town and was amazed that it kept me really warm. As for winter users if you're staying active i think this will do the trick, but if you're base camping in the 20's and below, you'll probably need another layer or another Montbell jacket haha

This thing rocks. Durable, packable, fairly light weight. My alpine light also sheds less feathers than one of my coworkers UltraLight MontBell jackets.

More feathers+less shedding+not that much more weight=better investment.

Mont Bell is a great company and I commend them for making what can be a fragile layer bomber and simultaneously light weight. cheers

Just got it in the mail, super warm and so light! the elastic waist/cuffs and the microfleece chin and pockets are great little touches. I'm 6'3 and just under 200lbs and got the XL and it fits fine, maybe a tiny bit big but a fine enough size to put my shell over it and still maybe include another layer underneath.

Grab the remaining ones before they go, seriously worth it.

I have three light weight jackets, the Montbell AlpineLite, Marmot Zeus half-zip, and a Patagonia Nanopuff pullover.
I wore each outside at several temperatures after sitting for about 30 minutes. I stood around for 10 minutes in each. I wore no gloves, hat, or shell, and Patagonia expedition weight top and bottom, and hiking boots as the only insulation.
At 45f, all were adequate. The Nanopuff was only slightly warm, though it maintained the same warmth over time. The other two were both more than adequate. In a survival situation with this as your only insulation, any of these would have been acceptable, thought the Nano may not have been comfortable.
At 35f, the Nanopuff started out cool and became slightly cold after 10 minutes. Without a hat, gloves, and shell, 35f is beyond its sustained capability. IMO the Nanopuff is a good layering garment, but its ability to replace a normal jacket is lost at around 40f.
With the 13.2oz Zeus at 35f, my hands and head were cold, but the jacket itself was adequately warm. Even without hat and gloves, one would survive at this temperature. Given a hat and gloves, the Zeus should be adequate if pressed to spend the night at freezing or slightly below. As the Zeus is only 3 ounces heavier than the Nanopuff, I see it as a far better general solution. It has DWR, a well-sealed neck closure and waist cinch, making it a far better solution in windy conditions as well.
At 35f, even though my head and hands were cold, the AlpineLite was very warm. Unlike the others though, the Montbell has both a hood and hand warmer pockets. With the hood and pockets in use, the AlpineLite is not at all challenged at 35f. I repeated this in the morning at 27f and again it was totally warm. While the AlpineLite is initially heavier at 15.7oz, for either of the others to approach its temperature ability, one needs to add a hat and gloves, if not a shell.

I have had this jacket in western Montana now for a few winter months. It is built well and I have not had any issues with durability. Although, it is not a tuff as a heavier down parka. Overall, I love the parka and feel that it does exactly what it is supposed to do.
Pros: Light weight, warm, packable, long enough to cover hips, small enough to fit comfortably under a shell. hood makes all the difference. (Side note for those with glasses and the accompanying hood issues of not being able to rotate your head without having hoods push on your glasses frame; The hook and loop hood adjustment and large hood provide a great solution to this problem).
Cons: Could use a little more down for those real cold days, but that adds weight.
Can't beat this for the price. I own and have owned several down jackets and am most happy with this one. If you are looking for a really warm jacket to add to a tee shirt on below zero days, this is not it. But if you are willing to layer appropriately, this is it.
I am 6'3" 200lbs athletic build and the XL works perfect, the arms are even long enough.

I also own the Montbell ultralight thermawrap jacket and was looking for a warmer layer for PNW winters. This jacket adds a ton of warmth and weighs just under a pound. I am very happy with the fit and find it better than my UL jacket. I am 6' 2" and 175 lbs and the large fits very well. The micro-fleece lined collar and pockets are a nice touch that add a lot of comfort. I have not used this jacket in an active setting, but it performed very well keeping me warm in the low 20s standing around with only a long sleeve shirt underneath. Overall, this jacket is a great value and adds a lot of warmth, not to mention it compresses down and can easily be brought along as a back up layer. I only have two negative observations so far: the back seems to not have nearly as much loft as the front and arms of the jacket and the draw cord adjuster on the hood gets in the way when taking the hood on/off.

Got in a 10 degree and windy day at Breckenridge and was toasty with this under a shell and over two light baselayers. Agree with all the reviews out there that indicate ordering a size up -- I wear a medium in most other outdoor manufacturers (6'2", 165lb), but the large was the right fit for this. Also, I think I saw a review on another site complaining the jacket doesn't have as much loft as an older model; I can't speak to older versions, but it's definitely lofty/puffy compared to other similar (and uber popular) jackets out there from other makers. Highly recommend.

Bought the alpine light for use in the adirondack winters. I typically make a few over nights in the high peaks where -20 degrees or colder is a regular occuance! Needed a jacket that was light, compressible, and warm. Haven't taken it out into the backwoods yet but its certainly warm! The hooded version is the way to go. It holds in 10 times the heat! The fit is excellent. The large fits me perfectly, loose enough to be comfortable but not bulky. I'm 5' 11" 165lbs. I'd definitely roccomend this to anyone looking to shed the weight of their go-to fleece and triple the warmth!

This review is in regards to sizing:

After ordering this jacket in a small, then reading more reviews, I was expecting to send it back due to sizing issues. I suppose it depends on how much room you need underneath, but this jacket fit much better than expected. At 5'9'', 150lbs, I still have an ample amount of room to move. With an under-layer (monkeyman light fleece), its snug, but definitely not constricting.

Look forward to getting some use out of it.

6' and 180 - had a medium. The fit was excellent.

I almost gave this jacket four stars, but I really really like it. There is only one drawback that is easily resolved when necessary. The jacket was incredibility warm and comfortable into mid-teens almost by itself - this thing traps heat on calm nights.

Unfortunately, it is nowhere near windproof. It's more like breezeproof. Strong winds found in the high desert during winter and alpine destroyed a noticeable amount of this jacket's heat retention. However... when layered with just a basic shell (hard \ soft \ rain jacket), it regained all it's warmth.

Solid for the warmth, down, and price. Cost vs. Benefit = go with this jacket.

Best Down for Buck, Best weight for Buck, Best Heat retention for Buck, Best Puffy.