Down Jacket and Wind Jacket Combo

[88BlueGT]

Can anyone recommend a good combo for me? Here is a small checklist of what I'm looking for.

Wind Jacket:
-Hood preferred
-Pullover style preferred
-Pockets preferred but not necessary

Down Jacket:
-Hood not required
-Pullover style preferred
-Pockets preferred but not necessary

I want to go with the best "bang for buck" (as anyone). Looking for something UL + durable and keep pricing to a minimum. Any recommendations? Thanks guys/gals! :banana

[Kc Fiedler]

I'd start by looking at the MH ghost whisperer and Patagonia Houdini. There are a LOT of options out there for both pieces. And UL and durable tend to be on opposite ends of a very fluid dichotomy. There are quite a few cottage manufacturers out there making down jackets that you could also check in to.

[88BlueGT]

I'd start by looking at the MH ghost whisperer and Patagonia Houdini. There are a LOT of options out there for both pieces. And UL and durable tend to be on opposite ends of a very fluid dichotomy. There are quite a few cottage manufacturers out there making down jackets that you could also check in to.

I'll look into them now. I know there are tons out there but I like to buy on reputation; and this is definitely the place to come if you're looking for trail used product reviews. I'm looking to keep the down jacket to $150-200. Does that seem unreasonable?

[Drybones]

I'll look into them now. I know there are tons out there but I like to buy on reputation; and this is definitely the place to come if you're looking for trail used product reviews. I'm looking to keep the down jacket to $150-200. Does that seem unreasonable?

That price point is very reasonable, I bought a Marmot Zeus for $112, the wife got one for $65. I paid $21 for my favorite down lacket at Walmart a few weeks back, got two of them in fact, spent $23 putting a DWR treatment on them and a sleeping bag, the jacket went on further sale for $9.00 after I bought them, I like it better than the Marmot...I know....blasphemy!

[88BlueGT]

Anyone have experience with this wind jacket? It's last years spring model and on sale @ backcountry

Montane Featherlight
http://www.backcountrygear.com/mens-wind-jackets/montane-featherlite-smock-mens-s13.html#.Uyns2ahdV30

[Midge]

Have you considered synthetic? I have a MH thermostatic jacket that I love. Although it weighs 2 oz more, it was considerably cheaper and I like not having to worry about moisture (externally or internally). Some other thoughts that may be worth considering. A zip really allows a variety of temp control and paired with a good lightweight rain jacket (also with zips, especially the pit zips!) provides great wind protection without adding another garment weight.

[Weather-man]

My go-to set up for 3 season is a mix and match of the following....sort of have to list everything as they all work together as a system.

- Poly pro long sleeve shirt for hiking
- Mid weight Merino (Minus 33) top and bottoms for sleeping and camp (or cold weather snap but it would have to be cold)
- Patagonia Nano puff synthetic jacket (camp)
- Wind stopper fleece hat and sleeping socks (camp/sleeping)
- Marmot Driclime with hood (camp and hiking on windy/cold/wet days)
- Luke's Pertex rain suit, top and bottom (hiking in cold driving rain....light rain I just get wet and hike)

These items, worn intelligently, have kept me warm and toasty down to about 20* without any issues.

I've recently added the goose feet down hood for sleeping (using a Zpack bag without hood) and have dropped my old sleeping hat.

Also have switched out my Nano-puff synthetic for a Borah gear down vest. Still thinking about this as there's something to be said for at least one piece of synthetic insulation, especially in the southern AT where I usually sneak off to. Have to be smart with down clothes.

To your question specifically:

I use the Borah gear vest for insulation and the Driclime as a wind shirt/light jacket. There are lighter options than the driclime but I have found over the years that it's a very flexible and useful piece of gear. I could also use my Luke's rain jacket as a wind shirt. It's also a very nice piece of gear.

[Shonryu]

I own a lot of down light weight jackets and stand behind Montbell. Their jackets loft better then any of the other brand names like Patagonia, Mountain hardwear, and Marmot for their weight. Warmth to weight ratio seems to be better IMO and I like their cut. I would recommend a Montbell UL down jacket or an EX down if you want to go lighter. They have some killer deals on their sight under their clearance rack.

as for wind jacket I have a Montbell anarack and a tacyon jacket. The anarack weights 1.6oz and the tacyon 1.3oz. They also have these on clearance.both pack down smaller then a candy bar.

[Snowleopard]

I do NOT recommend the latest version of the Patagonia Houdini. It's a lot less breathable than older versions; a couple year old used one would be better. Mine was new last year and is not very breathable; my RAB event parka and Driducks rain suit are more comfortable.

I have a Camp Magic anorak that I like a lot better, but unless you catch it on sale it's expensive. Camp has a magic jacket with no hood on sale: http://www.camp-usa.com/products/apparel/magic-4runner-1671.asp

[Dogwood]

Pullover Wind Jacket/wind shirt over a pullover down jacket = narrow range of use because lacking of venting options. I don't have one pullover down or synthetic insulating jacket and only one pullover wind jacket/wind shirt(the old GoLite Wisp) that really pidgeon holes me as far as versatilty of use because I heat up in it easily with no garment feature to ventilate. Also, consider a synthetic jacket underneath of a DWR wind shirt/wind jacket if you plan on wetter but cold conditions. I don't use my windjackets/ wind shirts as often as I once did because they are all in the 4 oz range and I have fully WP rain jackets at 7 oz that also function as wind jackets/wind shirts. The wt savings, which is one of the main reasons why I used to opt for wind shirts isn't all that anymore. From a performance perspective yes there's a slight difference though. My windshirts I most often grab for windy misty short duration summit bids or fairer windier weather overnight hiking trips.

[dillard]

The combo I use is a GoLite Bitterroot(13oz) down jacket and Marmot Aegis(13oz) rain jacket.

You could shave weight with a Marmot Mica(7oz) or save $60 by using a Marmot PreCip(13oz).

I looked high and low before buying the Bitterroot and sided on that jacket because it had quantum pertex fabric and 150g of 850 downtek(water resistant) down which made it as light and warm as anything else I found. It held up great this winter in Colorado.

My Aegis goes everywhere with me... always in the bottom of my daybag or in my truck its been invaluable for the unexpected weather that kicks up in the front range of Colorado. The MemBrain Strata material in the Aegis/Mica supposedly breathes 2x better than PreCip material. The Aegis has some other nice features the PreCip lacks, so that was my reasoning behind paying more for a jacket that weighs the same and performs the same function as the PreCip jacket.

[Malto]

I use an older style Houdini with a Montbell ex-light down jacket. I use this setup exclusively even in "mild" winter conditions. Probably not the best to just hang around camp, but that is something I rarely do.