I carry a Mountain Hardwear Hooded Compressor jacket with me at all times while day ski touring in the Wasatch backcountry. It usually stays tucked into a stuff sack at the bottom of my pack, but when I do bust it out, it provides heavenly warmth. I think of this jacket as insurance I may not use it all the time, but when I do, I love it. I prefer the synthetic fill over down for just this reason you never know if you might have to use it in the rain, and down doesnt do well when it get wet, but the Compressor does. Another advantage of the synthetic fill is that if you accidentally rip the outer fabric, you dont dump feathers all over the mountains and lose your warmth.

I am a mens “medium in jacket size, but I have a large in the Compressor jacket as I wear it over the top of my shell, etc.. I could put it on under a shell, but this would mean stripping the shell off, putting the Compressor on, then putting the shell back on over it, which means you are going to get even colder. The beauty of a larger jacket is that you can quickly put it on top of everything and conserve warmth.

The Compressor has nice big pockets and an ample hood, which can be cinched down. For me, this is definitely a layering jacket as it is a bit thin and baggy on its own.

Light and packs up really small. I have had this jacket on with little else between me and the cold for several 16,000 foot bivy's. The shell fabric is a tad bit on the light side, but I have never had a problem. Big hood that fits over any helmet, 2 way zipper, big chest pocket, and an inside pocket big enough to keep your dehydrated meal in as it rehydrates. A must have if you plan on doing a big alpine route!

So a big heads up about this jacket. It does not have pit zips, and the hood is pretty sloppy in comparison to other competitors.

The jacket is pretty much an on or off thing. I am generally cold. With the jacket unzipped, and minimal activity, it is good from around 40F to 20F, zipped, it is good from 30-10 or so. If I start doing anything mild cardio, It's got to go off, (except for that one day it was -31 in Wyoming...).

The hood. On its own, the hood doesn't work that hot, because the hood can fit over a helmet, or inside another jacket. If you don't tame the hood some, it'll cut down on your peripheral visibility (like all hoods did, before Arc' revolutionized them...)

Bottom line for me: get this, a pro shell jacket, and a backpack to throw it in. You'll be set for foul weather from around 40 to -25 comfortably. Don't look at any other puffy, TNF redpoint, patagonia micropuff are thin compared to this, and OR Chaos' windstopper will choke out breathability when you layer it with a shell.

I'm 6'5" with long arms so finding a jacket that fits me well is always a challenge. When looking for a lightweight, synthetic insulation jacket, I tried on the Patagonia Micro Puff Hooded jacket, the Cloudveil Enclosure Hooded jacket and the Mountain Hardwear Compressor hooded jacket. The Compressor had the best sleeve length (generous length with velcro closure at the wrist.) I bought an XL. The other jacket's XL versions fit OK in the sleeves but the chest and body was huge. This jacket has a much more athletic cut but still isn't restricting.
The two-way zipper and bungee cord cinch around the waist are easy to use and very functional. The jacket does not come with a stuff sack but I have found I can stuff it into the internal pocket (it doesn't zip shut but stays compressed and contained in the pocket well enough) and stick it in my pack.

This is an outstanding jacket. I was looking for a very compressible, lightweight jacket that I could stuff in my pack, take up little room and be available for me to pull out if the weather went bad, and this jacket is it. The synthetic insulation was key since I use it mainly for fall and spring camping when the chances of it becoming wet are increased. My only negative opinion is I wish it had its own stuff built into a pocket or something. I ended up stuffing it into my stuff sack with my other layers when I would have preferred to keep it separate.

I'm 6'1- 6'2 about 170 and I wear a medium perfectly- I have a very slender climber body so that's my build- I just wanted to write more about my fit because that's what I always wanna know online. It is a warm jacket I wear it under a shell when im out under 20 degrees but you dont need anything if its about 25- I would say it's as warm as you would want it to be!

This jacket is really well constructed and has nice features,like a two-way zipper and really warm pockets, and is made of high quality fabric. However, I was in Canada for two days during this year's crazy "arctic blast" and I wore this jacket one day and a columbia fleece over a knit sweater the other day. I was disapointed to find that i was just as warm in the fleece and sweater, if not warmer. I should have gone with down, but was looking to save some green. Poor choice; I've already returned this item because of this discovery, and because of a bad fit(I ordered mine too small). Still, I'm not turned off of MH gear, just synthetic insulation.

This is a great jacket. I wore it out in 34-32F weather and it kept me warm. The jacket is very light and soft. The fit is almost semi-form fitting. I am 5'5" 130lbs, a small fit me just right.

I really like this jacket, it's lightweight, bordering on flimsy, but very warm. I bought it to replace one that I lost (same model, different color), and I think they changed the shell material because this is pretty "shiny". I preferred the more matte finish, but the jacket remains functional.w

Good jacket. I've wore it in some low 20's to mid 30's with a fleece pull over and have been comfortable. I'm 5'7 165 got a large for layering to go ice climbing. I hope it's not too tight. The zipper is a little hard to work sometimes. Got it on sale so good price.

Yes, the luster of the material is a little shiny, but once you've worn this out in 20 degree whether, you won't care anymore. It keeps you warm and even dry in light rain and snow. The bungie cord cinches at the bottom of the jacket and hood are easy to use. Nice inner lining stash pocket along the zipper line and the hand pockets are insulated enough to keep you hands warm without gloves. Just a nice utility piece for 20 to 50 degree weather. The fit is a little slim, but it only contributes to the insulation.

I really wanted to like this jacket...seriously, I did. I'm 6"10, so obviously I have trouble finding a jacket that is just the right fit, this one surely did fit, however...it has a certain glossy, lustrous finish to it. I just couldn't bring myself to walk out in public with it's trash bag shine. The overall construction of the jacket up to par, but the shine was just too unbearable. If you don't mind wearing sunglasses inside due to the intense reflections, this is the jacket for you.

In conclusion, the jacket fits and feels great, but I just couldn't live with the shine. This product would perfectly compliment an nice polished pair of moon boots. Then again that is just my opinion. Purchase with extreme caution!