I've used this jacket on a mid-winter overnighter of Mount Iwate (2K meter volcano in northern Japan) and I've worn it skiing the northern foothills. The jacket worked brilliantly in both situations. Its the warmest, most comfortable coat I've ever worn. It allows layering underneath without being too baggy by itself. The huge inside pockets are also great for carrying anything...I keep my water bottle in there to prevent freezing. BTW...I'm 6'3" 185lbs and I find the Large size to fit perfect...even a bit on the loose side.

The DAS is a toasty warm sleeping bag with arm holes. Perfect for belaying, sitting around the winter camp, or freezing in Fargo.

The other reviewers have touched on the warmth, which is really quite good. I wear a Medium in all Patagonia, and the same with this jacket, so sizing is as to be expected with this brand; for reference, I am 6'0"/165 lbs. This coat will keep you warm no matter what you're doing, and it retains warmth even when soaked through (which is hard to do with the DWR outside). All in all, recommended.

I absolutely love this parka. I use it for ice climbing and alpine climbing, keep it in the top of my pack and put it on while taking breaks and during belays. Very warm, even when wet. The huge mesh pockets on the inside are great for holding gloves, food, melting my frozen water containers, etc. The hood is huge and fits well over my climbing helmet. During blizzards, I put this on and feel as though I've just walked into a warming hut. Can't say enough good things about this piece of clothing.

Fabulously warm. Great design- like th hood that comes all the way up to your chin in front. Great fit and finish.
i own several high-end parkas*, and this is as good if not better than any of them in all the important areas.Cut fairly large- I'm a stout guy and an XL still leaves me plenty of room for layering.Great value for the money!
By the way, service from Backcountry.com was superb!

*Mountain Hardwear Sub-Zero, Canada Goose Arctic, North Face Serow, Cloudveil Enclosure Parka, Patagonia Micro Puff,

Going somewhere with cold in the forecast, and wondering if you'll be warm enough? Stick this thing in your pack and quit worrying.

This jacket gets great ratings, and wow does it deserve them. Wandering around in -20F with a serious wind? You won't even notice with this thing on. It's light, reasonably water-resistant, warm, and cut wonderfully. Zip it up all the way, and it snugs up around your neck to keep heat in--no neck gaiter needed. Put up the hood and you feel like you're in a sleeping bag with sleeves. It's absurdly comfortable, and the cavernous inside pockets are perfect for hat, gloves, water bottle, etc. I'm 5'7" or so and ~170 lbs, and the medium fits perfectly. Highly recommended!

Doesn't get much warmer or more comfortable than the Das... As other reviewers have noted, you might want to size down with this -- I'm 6'1, 178 lbs, and size medium in the Das is plenty big with multiple layers underneath...

This jacket is da best :D

About sizing.. Everyone says downsize.. Then they write how tall and heavy they are/aren't... Well if you are tall with short arms, downsize.. I am 6'3" and have a wing span of 79" and a fairly long waist. I like my jacket a bit long, not like a dress though.. I wear the XL and it fits perfect in the arms, and length, its just a bit large in girth. With a fleece on a the elastic cinch tightened a bit, this jacket is great. I wear it snowboarding and have no complaints. I would RECOMMEND trying one on if possible before buying over the web so see how the arm length fits you tall guys. Cheers!

This jacket would be extremely warm for its weight if it were down. But as a synthetic? It's supernatural. I just spent a night @ 10,500 ft. in the Wasatch, with howling winds and a low in the teens; and this jacket kept me super-toasty outside the bivy.

It stuffs into about a 10"(tall)x5"(diameter), which means it's made it into my bc ski pack as a safety essential.

The fit is a bit on the large side - I'm 6'/160 lbs and the medium leaves me more than enough room for layers underneath.

I was going to knock it down to 4 stars because the hood seems to get in the way of my hearing when I get active - it rustles pretty loudly. But honestly, the hood is designed for optimal warmth, which is why I bought it in the first place, so how can I penalize?

I looked at real down and then this came along. Using it in nasty conditions and for sleeping, its nice to have the synthetic insulation. I also used this in conjunction with a half bag in -15F and my upper body was toasty, but my legs got cold. Did an awesome job, just need a better half bag.

Compare to most folks who buy this Parka, I don't use it for climbing, this is my goto jacket for Backcountry skiing and Snowboarding when the weather turns nasty. You can count on it when it's cold & windy on those ridges before you are ready to drop in, or for the final hike, when the wind is blowing so hard that you feel your blood will freeze instantly. For a jacket this warm, it's super light, packs fairly well in the included stuff bag. It's well sized for an over parka, so buy the same size as usual, it will fit over your shell & layers. The only thing I don't like to much is the hood design, as when you don't use it, it's kind of in the way, I would have like a different neck design for this hood, something less constricting when not used, but other than that, this parka will keep you toasty when needed!

Absolutely the piece for serious activities in serious mountains. Bomber construction, very warm, helmet-awesome hood, gets all the details right. Not as light as down but that's the whole point - warm when wet. Wear it around Camp 4 on those surprisingly chilly May evenings, wear it while you're belaying cooking up some grub at 10,000 feet in the Canadian rockies, wear it while belaying your buddy up Dracula @ Frankenstein.

Warm, light, and warm. This parka keeps the cold and wind out down to below zero. I like almost everything about this parka. Although it’s a bit robust in the waist area, creating a hollow cavity. Patagonia could have cut this parka a little slimmer in that area. But this is probably for storing gloves or gear under the parka, or to keep the fit for ice/mountain climbers who’s arms are raised. Anyway, I'm getting my money's worth living up north.

This parka is great it kept me warm climbing in the Adirondacks at -30F. It fits very well over several layers and it packs very well! Highly recommended.

After doing research for belay parka in mid-winter Canadian Rocky weather, I desided to take this. But not many stores curry this, so I couldn't try before ordering, and wondering between XS and S. I'm using men's S, women's S & M with Patagonia, depends on what kind of fit I wanna get for the activity. Since I was going to use this especialy for cold belay time on ice, I decided to go S. Sure it makes me look like huge frosty, but I can fit it over hurness full of gears and even ice ax, and covers my bum compretely while inner pockets hold wet groves and even camera to keep it warm. Impressive. So warm, so comfy, only problem is that it exaggerates how it's cold where it's not covered by DAS.

I bought the Das for New England mornings and nights and wanted something I could be out in no matter what the weather, because the black lab goes out.... no matter what the weather. I can throw it on over a t-shirt and the upper body feels like you never left the house. Only bad thing is you notice how cold everything else is cause your upper body is so damn warm. The hood is huge and can get in the way, but serves its purpose as very warm. As far as sizing, I would have worn a small at 5'11" 165 lbs, but the sleeves were too short, so I have a medium and that is what I wear normally in patagonia. I will also use this for frigid skiing and snowhoeing

I bought the DAS Parka about 2 months ago. I live in the Alaskan interior where the average temperature for the winter is -13. I wore the jacket at minus 36 and had to take off one of my layers underneath. The only thing I would change about this is the hood. When I fold the hood over w/o tightening, I feel like Darkhelmet. I leave it drape behind.

Nice jacket, very warm. Maybe too warm. Great hood. Tried to use it to climb cotopaxi in ecuador a few weeks ago and couldn't even use it. After 45 minutes I was way too hot. I think maybe it was unusually warm that night, or maybe people just exaggerated how cold it was in the trip reports that I read. This jacket is best for serious cold weather hiking and camping. Great for hanging around a cold campsite at night.

I love this jacket, it's super warm, compressable, and light. The inside mesh pockets hold gloves, skins, or a nalgene, and the hood actually fits over a helmet. If you need dependable winter warmth, the DAS is the way to go.