Compared to Western Mountaineering Vapor

By David Lee Ranked #1910 - Men's Down Jackets June 15, 2009

The best way for me to review this jacket is to comare it to the somewhat more expensive Western Mountaineering Vapor down jacket. Let me just start by saying that the Mountain Hardwear Sub-Zero (hooded) is a great all-rounder. It is a very puffy jacket, but I really like the style. However, for some reason it does not seem quite as warm as it's puffiness would suggest, especially when compared to my Western Mountaineering Vapor, which is both warmer and less puffy than the Sub-Zero due to significantly higher down rating. Usually I wear either a fleece sweater and/or base-layer under either jacket. The Sub-Zero has a good overall design except the velcro on the hood does not function when it gets iced up. This is not cool (or should I say warm) when the wind howling and blowing those sharp stinging ice crystals around. I added a couple of metal button snaps to the hood which work pretty well, but stock, this is the jacket's most significant design flaw. Also the velcro squares over the chest zipper seem to get in the way and slow you down more than anything else when you're trying to unzip to vent after overheating on a ski run. So that's one definite design flaw and another minor annoyance, but the first can easily be fixed without too much effort, and the second isn't at all a deal-breaker. As a matter of fact, this is actually my second Mountain Hardware Sub-Zero hooded jacket, and other than a bit of a color difference (black vs. metalic gray) is indistinguishable from my previous 10-year old one that some low-life opportunist snaked when I accidentally left it behind in a restarant. Compared to my somewhat more expensive Western Mountaineering Vapor, the Sub-Zero is perhaps a bit less warm, more puffy (due to a lower down quality rating), and heavier in overall weight, but it has a hood, which my Western Mountaineering Vapor does not. (I was not impressed with Western Mountaineering versions with hoods, as they were designed not to zip off but to tuck into a freakishly large colar.) Anyway, having a hood, particularly a puffy insulated zip-off one, is certainly nice and useful for a number of situations, such as walking around town in a blizzard. I have noticed that some brands have hoods that zip into the jacket, but they are either not insulated, or poorly insulated, or have other functionality compromises that make it not worth the hastle. This is not the case with the Sub-Zero hood - other than the (easily modifiable) flaw of use velcro instead of snaps, it is the best hood I have ever seen in a down jacket. Just keep track of it when it is off the jacket so you don't lose it. On the other hand, the Mountain Hardwear Conduit water-resistance system is not all it is cracked up to be. It is simply horrible in wet slushy snow conditions - you will get sopped and it will lose most if it's insulation. However, as long as it is cold enough for the snow not to melt significantly on the jacket, it is just fine, and it has kept me warm in heavy snowfall (with extra layers underneath of course). However, in rain or slushy snowfall it's a disaster. My Western Mountaineering Vapor has undeniably much better water-resistance. So what does the Mountain Hardwear Sub-Zero have over the Western Mountaineering Vapor? Well, aside from the aformentioned hood issues, I can think of three things. First, since the material of the Sub-Zero is thicker, it sheds down only minimally. (The WM Vapor sheds so badly that it regularly leaves your underlayers looking like you rolled in a chicken coup.) Second, also since the material is thicker (especially in the shoulders) it appears to be more durable and less suseptible to rips and tears, especially from ski and snowboard edges. Third, the Sub-Zero has more pockets. So my take is that for everyday use, durability, and most days on the ski slopes, the Mountain Hardwear Sub-Zero is best. However, if you are a backpacker looking for absolute light-weight and ultimate warmth without the bulk, or need a down jacket that still works okay in wet and melty conditions, and don't mind feathers on your underlayers, then the Western Mountaineering Vapor would be more appropriate.

View Details: Mountain Hardwear Sub Zero SL Hooded Down Jacket - Men's

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