Looking into some Mountain Hardwear Fleece

[Tudor]

I have 3 fleece that I am looking into, in the hopes of purchasing one. I want honest opinions and facts on these 3:

1. Mountain Hardwear Windstopper Tech Jacket
2. Mountain Hardwear Monkey Man Jacket
3. Mountain Hardwear Alchemy Jacket

I know the MSRP's for these jackets, and one way or another, I can get them much cheaper than listed for retail. :D So, which would the community prefer to get?

[Tabasco]

Tudor:

I own 2 of the MH Ozone Windstopper jackets and one pair of the pants. IMHO< they are the best windstopper fleece garments out there. I didn't care for the Monkey Man jacket, for a couple of reasons. One the "look" was a bit too Planet of the Apes for me, two, the wind still cut right through them. The windstopper Tech was a bit too technical a garment for my tastes too. A few too many zippers, pockets patches etc.

I bought my second Ozone jacket yesterday at 50% off too. Only cost me $ 60 bucks. I would strongly recommend that you inspect the Ozone jacket before you make your purchase.

[The Solemates]

I wouldnt buy any of those. They are too expensive. You dont need something like that for general hiking.

[Phreak]

1. Mountain Hardwear Windstopper Tech Jacket
2. Mountain Hardwear Monkey Man Jacket
3. Mountain Hardwear Alchemy Jacket


I would recommend the Windstopper Tech Jacket. It's my favorite backpacking jacket. I haven't had any bad experiences with it so far. I've been out in conditions in the single digits and heavy snow and it kept me warm when layered with a midweight or expedition weight shirt.

[Mountain Man]

I have the Windstopper Tech jacket. It's very warm. I've had it a couple of years and recently one of the pit zips tore up. It's still my favorite but I probably won't take it on my Thru Hike because of the weight 27 ozs.

[Phreak]

I probably won't take it on my Thru Hike because of the weight 27 ozs.

Hmmm.. my Windstopper Tech weighs 21 ounces.

[Mountain Man]

I was kind of suprised when I put it on the scale, but that was what it said. Maybe it was because it was dirty at the time or a little damp I don't know. I thought it was supposed to be lighter than that. I was planning to take it on my Thru but after weighing it I started looking at alternatives. It's an X large maybe thats why it's so heavy. It's still hard to beat for warmth in my opinion compared to my other jackets.

[weggers]

Size will affect weight, so that could account for some of the discrepancy. The Windstopper Tech also seems to have undergone a few changes since Columbia bought Mountain Hardware in March 2003, so there will be weight differences between the new and old. The fabric is a bit different both inside and out, some of the patches have changed, etc. Not all of the changes are good, either. Have a critical eye when you go to buy your jacket... When companies start offering pink windstopper fleece for women, I start thinking of the change North Face underwent...