Warm and Light

By James MacDiarmid Ranked #152 - Men's Down Jackets January 7, 2009

I had the opportunity to test this jacket in some sub-zero Chicago temps over the holidays. It was good down to about 15-20 degrees standing still and close to zero active (chopping ice off the walk and shoveling snow). I felt that the thing that really held the jacket back was the lack of a waist hem drawcord. The elastic waist just didn't do the job in windy conditions in keeping cold air from making its way in and chilling me. I know this would add a little weight, but it would increase the jacket's utility. Either that or increase the length by an inch or so. Or well a shell jacket, I guess. The rear hem is not dropped, so I got some exposure when bending over the snow shovel. The fit is really snug. The large fits me well (5'10", 170) but as I said, it could be a bit longer. Arm length was fine and the neck fit snugly enough minus a drawcord that I didn't feel like any body heat was escaping that way. Around town, (I got several compliments on the appearance) the shell fabric is durable enough, but I wouldn't wear it w/o a shell anyplace it might encounter a stray branch or rub against some abrasive rock. It's somewhat water resistant, but really just enough to give you time to get a shell jacket over it. I wouldn't expose it to wet snow for very long if you want to stay warm. Light and compressible, it's a great layer to bring for instant warmth in cold weather camping/hiking/snowshoeing et al.

View Details: MontBell Alpine Light Down Jacket - Men's

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