Stoic Luft Insulated Sweater - Men's

I really wanted to like this jacket. It's comfortable and the material seems durable. Unfortunately this latest season's version of the Luft Insulated Sweater (season with "Beehive" and "Black/Deep/Deep" as color options) is far too boxy for my frame. As Stoic gear tends more towards an athletic fit, I was surprised by the wide shoulders and waist on this jacket. Even with clothing layered under the jacket I had a lot of warmth escaping. Using the waist-cinch cord helped with retaining warmth but it killed the aesthetics of the jacket.

This thing is sweet! I got it on sale for a little over $60, and it's possibly the best money I've ever spent. I had previously owned a Mountain Hardwear Compressor, and the difference is pretty big. Warmth wise, this does a lot less, and the Compressor is puffier and has a looser fit than the stoic. I am 5'9" and 145lbs and wear a medium in both. The compressor is warmer, and this compares better to the Patagonia Nano Puff. It's unfortunate that Stoic uses proprietary Cirrus instead of Primaloft, because Primaloft has a much higher CLO value. The shell fabric on the compressor feels about as durable as a trash bag, after a week I had all sorts of furrows in the fabric and the DWR was already wearing off. In comparison, the Pertex Microlight on the Luft is almost bombproof. It feels so much thicker and durable, yet is still reasonably compressible. This is on sale almost constantly, making it a better deal than the compressor most of the time. It’s about as good a layer as I could want, my only qualm is that I kind of wish I had gotten the one with the hood. Four Stars because of the weight.

This jacket is fantastic. It has a somewhat loose fit, but not baggy. If you have tried last year's version, this one is longer in the arms and the body and wider across the torso. I know some said last year that they needed to size up, but this year's is very true-to-size. It is aesthetically really striking. I got the black/deep/deep colorway and the "deep" color is not nearly as bright as it looks in the photo. It's a more subdued color, I'd call it a dark-ish blue turquoise. It's a very great looking color, but not one that screams "Pay attention to me!" If I had known what the deep looked like, I might gotten the deep/black/metal colorway. It's very light and packable, however the warmth-to-weight ratio is pretty incredible. I've worn this down to -12 degree F with windchill (0 degree F base temp) in Minneapolis with a midweight merino baselayer underneath and been perfectly fine (or as fine as you can be in those sort of temperatures). It's also quite versatile, I wore last year's version in 60-65 degree weather with a t-shirt on and was not overheating. I wear this pretty much every day that I step outside in the winter, either as a primary jacket going out or as a insulating mid-layer under a shell while snowboarding.

Unfortunately, I have one complaint that keeps me from giving it five stars: I have had it about two weeks, worn it to school quite a lot, and the area where my backpack sits has small bits of insulation seeping out through the stitching holes. It's VERY minute quantities and mostly a cosmetic issue, but it's still quite annoying because this jacket has a lot of stitching (check out the close-ups of the back) and it's happening all over the place. This was a problem with last year's jacket as well and I hoped that they had addressed the issue, but two weeks in this one is suffering the same fate. The annoying thing is almost all of the stitching is decorative. Very few seams actually hold panels together, most of it is just for show.

Ultimately though, it's my favorite jacket. I wear it every day and the complaint is pretty minor, especially with Backcountry backing it up with a lifetime warranty. I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could.

Throughout the 2010/2011 winter this was my favorite jacket to wear out. I wore it mostly around town although I took it on a few fall and spring camping trips. It looks good although it is not as athletic as a lot of other Stoic apparel. Very warm on its own but allows you to breath too so it starts warming up a bit you won't overheat too easily in this. I got the large and I am 6' 175 lbs and it fits well, if not a bit loose. Overall I love it.

I found this jacket very warm for how thin it is. In a matter of fact, I think it may be a bit warmer than the Stoic down jacket. I have used this one and the down one with a stoic shell. And I walked around outside for the same amount of time with both of them. I felt more comfortable with this one.

Remember, synthetic is better if you are going to be in more moist situations or more active. The down is great for packability and when you are just sitting at a campsite before hitting the sack. The fit is great. I'm 5'8" at 150lbs small frame. I use a medium.

I don't know what everyone else is talking about but I think this jacket fits perfect! I am 5'10 and 175lbs and a Medium fits me just fine. The Luft is actually more wind resistant than I thought and it has the right amount of insulation to keep me nice and warm. I think the Beehive color looks pretty dang cool too.

My only concerns with this jacket are that there is ALOT of stitching, which concerns me because it may come loose sooner than later...but so far it is still in good shape! Also, the zippers snag more often when I am zipping it up, but I personally don't think its that big of a deal.

Overall - Great warm jacket and looks great. I recommend it!

Super pumped on this jacket, very warm and quite light. I use it on warmer ski days just by itself or on colder days layered just with a shell. Great for camping to use for a night jacket round the fire. One of my favorite jackets I own.

Things I really like=

Long arms- check
Light- check
Long arms- check
Surprisingly warm- check
Long arms- check

Did I mention long arms for us taller guys. The inner sleeve is nice to keep you wamer, but kind of a drag to get on and off and one side had a stich tear when putting on the coat.

Color Deep Blue is anything thing but Deep Blue, how about what it is = Teal is what I'm told. Reminds me of clear water in the pools of a trout stream or water near shore (over sand) on Lake Superior. Not my favorite color, but it's practical for the trout fishing I've been doing lately for sky camo.

Sleeves are a little on the snug side for my arm power, but still comfortable.

Fits well under a shell due to the coat's lack of bulkiness.

Zipper is a little on the wimpy side.

Dries fast.

Washes well.

Nice collar, no chafing on chin.

Longer tail is very nice.

Stitching on body is cool, but I'm getting nervous that I'll get a snag or two on the sleeves/belly.

I love this for 40-60 degree weather.

I'm 5'8" and 170 wide shoulders athletic not bulked. I got the large because I thought sizing would be similar to backcountry welder jacket. ITS not. this jacket is baggy and not form fitting. I thought it would be as this looks more like a layering jacket. Sadly the bagginess of the jacket is only on from the chest down and tight around the arms and arm pit. I wore a t shirt and a sweatshirt under this jacket and my arms and arm pit was tight and uncomfortable. I am not bulked up so this should not have happened.

the sizing a poor, I wanted to like this but I am returning this jacket.

So far so good. Just received my jacket and the size is great. Am 6'6", 250 and the XXL is perfect in body fit, body length and sleeve length. Am in Baltimore so it'll be many month before i am able to comment on the jackets performance.

Jacket is well designed with great features. Finish and construction is great. Arms are too small. This is the second Stoic jacket I have tried and had to return both. Length is great in arms, but they are way too small in forearms.

I love this Jacket. A ton. It's so warm, and honestly feels like i'm chliling in a sleeping bag. The arms are perfect length and i get comments on it every day.

However, there are some minor details for which i must take away one star:

THIS JACKET IS SHORT. if you're on the 5'10 and up side, you're going to want a large. I'm 5'10 1/2 and the medium rides up on me, not to a crazy extent, but enough to where tightening the lower jacket just makes it pop above my waist.

Also, as mentioned before the stitching isn't the best quality; when i received the jacket i had to pull and cut about 2 feet of stitching out...

Overall though, BUY THIS JACKET (I got it on SaC for 45). The teal/grey is a great color, and looks pretty similar to the picture shown.

Just got the Stoic Luft Sweater today and it's killer. It's heaver than the 19 ozs. listed, and it appears to be very, very well made. I would say it's in the same range as the Mountain Hardwear Compressor jacket in regards to design, weight and warmth, though I have to say I'm not too crazy about the color. I bought the blue/grayt one but it's more like a greenish blue and not quite a color I would go with. But, again, this jacket is really awesome and well worth the sale price, if you dig the colors.

So far it's pretty comfy and warm. I like the stitching effects, the extra pockets, the fleece lined collar and pockets. The sleeve cuffs are also pretty nice, with the snow proof liner. Not too happy about the fit as it's kind of square-ish. I'll be honest that I'm kind of a skinny guy and for me the cut of this jacket is not form fitting at all. It's kind of a square shape with a bit of a drop in the back.

I also own the Mtn Hardware Zonal jacket and really like the tight fit of that one for an insulating layer.

I've had the previous model of this jacket for a year and it is for sure my favorite jacket. It's super comfy, light weight and warm. Also, it's pretty durable, I've worn it climbing a few times and was sure I'd get holes in the arms but still no holes! I usually wear it by it's self but if it's really cold outside additional layers are needed. I also like the way it looks, very fashionable.

I've got a pretty slim build and this jacket fits just fine. It does run a little wider than, for example, the Stoic eVent, but it still fits fine.

I own a Patagonia Micropuff and 2 Mountain Hardwear Compressor Jackets so have a base line on which to compare a similar garment.

The sleeves are long and there's no adjustment for the cuff, so there's no rolling them up to clear them away from your hands. This is very annoying if you want to separate the garment from what's on your hands like during washing or applying suncreen.

The zipper sticks two or three times everytime I zip it up but doesn't when I zip it down (thankfully).

The fit in the body is good for a slender person but there is a bulge around the upper belly so there's room to grow there if you need it.

It seems OK overall and I got a deal on it so will keep it. Don't think that this on par (meaning pay top $ for) with a premium garment (compressor) from a well established manufacturer (like MH).