This parka is the ultimate puffy jacket. When you put this thing on, it envelops you in soft down and you immediately get warm. I slept outside in -20 degree weather with this parka on and stayed toasty warm...that's right, slept...I had no sleeping bag and this thing kept me as warm as my -40 Darkstar sleeping bag. It's very warm. There is one design flaw in this parka however. It only shows up when it's extremely cold and very windy. You may be able to feel the chill come through the zipper area when it below zero and very windy like on many summits, especially if you don't have many layers on underneath.

I already own a new MH Absolute Zero parka so when I saw the super low price on the Himalayan I thought I would go for it since just about every review I've seen says the Himalayan is superior to the Absolute zero. Well, they're absolutely wrong. I would say the only thing better about the Himalayan is the down insulation doesn't seem to move around the arms as much but that's it. The Himalayan has 2 serious flaws in design. Number one is the zipper. This thing is almost impossible to zipper unless you're looking at it and for me it takes a few tries before it goes. The Absolutes zipper is big and burly and easily slides into place every single time even in pitch black. Number 2 is the drawstrings at the waist on the Himalayan. If you pull them tight, they immediately come loose causing cold air to blow up under. it's ridiculous. The hood is also a pain to adjust compared to the Absolute Zero, where both drawstrings are in the same position. The handwarmer pockets on the Absolute Zero are much bigger and are higher up on the chest. The Himalayan has that goofy clasp at the neck. I just don't know what clown designed this thing because they got it all wrong. I could go on but just do yourself a favor and pay the extra hundred and fifty and get yourself a real mountaineering parka. The Himalyan just doesn't cut it.

This so-called mountaineering parka is a huge boondoggle. Here's why:

1. The snap on hood comes detached easily and will rip the fabric around the snaps. The gaps cause a draft to blow in in high winds.

2. The down will become very thin around the inside of the arms and you will feel it.

3. The waist drawcord doesn't wrap entirely around your waist and you will no doubt feel a draft blow through. (what idiot came up with this design).

4. The zippers are a royal pain in the ass...pocket zippers get snagged constantly and the main zipper is a real pisser to get started.

5. The stuffsack is a bit small and it's a pain to get the darn thing into it.

The parka is worth maybe $100.00, and that might be too much. On the plus side, it looks great in the orange and black color and the fleece lined pockets are warm. Please don't buy this if you want a hassle free time trying to deal with it in bitter cold environments.