MontBell Ultralight Down Jacket - Women's

I bought this jacket for snowboarding. I usually wear 5 thin wool layers under my un-insulated snowboarding jacket, since the weather in Colorado ski resorts can be pretty cold. It certainly feels very bulky, and with this sweater I was hoping to replace 2-3 layers that I'm currently wearing.

I tested this sweater out last week when we skied in Winter Park, CO, where the temp at the base was 10 deg F, snowing, with wind chill below 0. I wore 3 thin layers under this down sweater, and topping it off with the snowboarding jacket. I was cool on the chair lift, but definitely not cold. On the third day of skiing, temp was in the 30's, sunny, and I wore 2 layers under this sweater, and I was not hot. So thickness-wise, I'm very happy with it.

In terms of design, this sweater couldn't be better designed for an under-layer. I'm 5'6", 110 LB, small is perfect for me. Sleeves come up to exactly where my wrists are, making it very nice to wear with snowboarding gloves. The length is perfect as well - it comes down to just under the waist, short enough for me to tie my powder skirt with the pants and not having any part of the sweater extended below the skirt. In fact, when I fell into deep powder, the bottom part of the sweater was very protected by the powder skirt, so it didn't get damp at all. So overall, this jacket is ideal for layering, and perhaps a tad short and thin to use on its own.

this jacket is light, stylish and compresses down to nothing. It can stay stuffed for an extended period of time and will keep it's loft when unstuffed. A perfect cold weather backpacking midlayer. t weights less than a fleece, is windproof and keeps you warm. What more do you need?

I've only been using this jacket a couple of weeks but so far so good. Yesterday I wore it with only a short sleeved t-shirt underneath on my morning walk. It was a brisk 34º outside with no wind. I was perfectly comfortable. I have also used it two nights tent camping where it came in very handy as an extra layer of insulation around my hips inside my Mont-Bell #7 down bag. This bag is rated to 42º and it got down into the high 30s. The jacket was the perfect thing for a little extra warmth.
I wish the jacket were a wee bit more generous in the shoulders, allowing a little more loft but then I'm a wee bit more generous around the chest than the average gal. I'm looking forward to using this jacket as a replacement for my heavy fleece while backpacking this summer. It has shed a couple of feathers but nothing out of the ordinary.

Bought it for a present for my wife for camping trip. She loves it and wears it often. It is incredibly light weight and packs up nicely to stash in backpack or bag for extra layer on cool evenings. Will be a good layering coat during ski season as well.

I was looking for a warm down jacket to replace a few years old North Face one and this is NOT it. This is an extremely thin, layering jacket. It fits in a teeny tiny stuff sack, so that should give you an idea. If it's super light weight that you want, then this may be a good choice. But I wouldn't even categorize it as a down jacket.

people kept commenting on how shiny it was! warm though. but it's really shiny!!!

Here it is--powerful heating in a very small, light package. Backpacker perfection. I tried this out on a short walk at 36-degrees with a light cotton sweater under it and started to overheat! JUST the thing for apres hike when you're camping out in the cold. And a GREAT value.

A long time ago, I went on a white-water river rafting trip sponsored by my university rec. dept. Of course, we all got wet, and on the bus ride home, I started to get very chilled (not life-threatening hypothermia or anything, but I was VERY uncomfortable!) My friend reached into his backpack and produced what looked like a tiny pillow (in reality, a stuff sack with a down jacket inside!). I put on the jacket and could not believe what a difference it made in my warmth and comfort level. Ever since then, I've been searching for a lightweight down jacket of my own. I finally found it in this MontBell Ultralight! It's perfect...not too bulky. Only suggestion: I wish the stuff sack were attached to the jacket so it won't get lost. (I plan to sew it to the interior pocket myself...) To Backcountry officials: it would help if you could give us the actual garment measurements so we could decide how snug/loose the garment will truly be. Sizes vary so much from one manufacturer to another, size charts are not always accurate. I had to return a medium for a small, but the Backcountry service was easy and great!

I live in my ultralight - great on it's own or under my rain jacket - perfect for west coast climate and recent trip to the snow covered east coast