MontBell Alpine Light Down Parka - Women's - 2007 BCS

So, for the price, this jacket rules. Definitely go up a size, I got a Large and typically wear a Medium (5'9" and 145lbs). The one thing that I'm kind of disappointed in, is that if I have a pair of heavy gloves in the pockets the zipper comes apart from bottom up... maybe I got a faulty jacket though. It's warm and I am excited to wear it in the backcountry split-board hiking!

I love the jacket, I was looking for something lightweight but warm, and I found it! I love the color and it is nice and cozy! Wish is had a draw cord around the waist to prevent drafts, but other than that it is great.

This is a very light jacket which made it cost less to ship to New Zealand. So far I am very pleased with it, it packs down really small so will be great to take traveling. The shipping went really well too - I could track the jacket the whole way to my house.

First, it's difficult or impossible to find any weight down parka with a hood. This one not only has a hood (that is, if you choose the hooded option of the Alpine Light Parka) but also has a soft, microfleece layer inside the neck that keeps you are cozy whether the zip and hood are up or down. On top of that, the parka is warm enough (800-fill) to wear on its own or underneath an outer layer. For around town, I wear mine under a roomy OR softshell when I need it and couldn't be happier. When skiing I wear it under a Gore-tex shell and same thing. As toasty as if it were a big puffer parka, but you can barely see that there's a down layer under your shell - and, the material has a windblock effect as well. There are other benefits to having a hood - when it's rolled down around your neck it acts like a puffy neck warmer and keeps the cold mountain wind from seeping in (lack of substantial down in the neck cuff and no fleece liner at neck was what made me return the OR Ergo Down). I have not had the torso length issue others have had but I am a bit short in the torso! But having read those reviews, I tried the small and medium and opted for the medium because I didn't want the super close fit. That medium also gave me an extra 1/2-1" length in the torso. One last unique thing about the parka is that instead of one seam from the armpit to the waist there are 2, 4" apart, for better fit. Lots of high-end details in a very functional, very warm and very lightweight parka.

I really loved this jacket. it is very lightweight and would be quite warm; that is if you have a VERY short torso. I had to return it because of how short it was. who wants a great jacket that wind can blow up? It fit nicely everywhere else, but the length.

For sure not a stand alone, go ice climbing in Ouray jacket. I mostly use it for kickin' around town and spring hiking. It would work well layered under a shell except for the fact that the hood gets in the way. It is true to size, but cut sorter in the torso, it hits about 3 inches below the top of my hip.

Nobody does down fill like MontBell! The materials used in this jack stretch to fit one's shape exactly. When you first put it on you feel all puffy like that little fat kid from South Park, CO but, within minutes, you are truly one with your winter layer.

As others have stated, at first I thought this jacket was short in the back. But this no longer bothers me; I actually like the shorter fit. I'm assuming MontBell made the shorter back so the jacket could be used under a weatherproof shell (no need to have your insulating layer hang out).

I checked out this lesser-known brand after owning a MontBell hugger sleeping bag. This jacket contains the same quality and warmth as MontBell's bags. The only downside is I never want to take it off; even indoors. Nothing quite compares to the natural warmth captured by real goose feathers! And it is nice not wearing the same brand name (Arc'teryx, Marmot, Patagonia, Mountain Hardware, The North Face) garment as everyone else at the cafe and lift line.

This jacket is ridiculously short. I tried on a small and medium and was somewhere in between. The small sat above my hip bones but fit everywhere else, and the medium was the right length but was too baggy around the middle. If you find it does somehow fit you however, it is an amazing jacket. It is the perfect weight, not too puffy but not too thin, and it packs down real small. And the hood is an excellent feature. I love the jacket but the short torso was just out of control so I did't buy it. It was a sad day.