Name Brand zero, Cheapo Brand one, Confusing?

[Kookork]

Last year after searching the web for a UL down jacket on a budget I ended up buying a Rab Microlight down jacket for half the price 119 USD:
http://www.backcountry.com/rab-microlight-down-jacket-mens

Meanwhile my brother bought me a cheapo down jacket he found on sale for 30 dollar:
https://www.amazon.com/Hawke-Co-Packable-Puffer-Jacket/dp/B00CMNY1F8?th=1

So I went for a Bruce trail thru hike with my Rab jacket starting early May and it was performing not to my expectations.

For my upcoming PCT (early May start) I began to test (and compare)my cheapo down performance. I was impressed.

What The cheapo does the best is keeping me warm while the Rab fails to do the same in the exact same condition. One can argue that Rab will perform better in bad condition because it is made of Pertex Microlight and hydrophobic goose down in it while the cheapo is 90 percent Duckdown and is not hydrophobic.

Here is the reality. The main purpose of a down jacket is keeping us warm and in this department Rab fails considerably. Meanwhile I have been using a cheapo Uniqlo like down jacket for three Canadian winter ( bought from Joe fresh) so I know this cheapo will last a PCT thru hike before it loses it integrity.

Interestingly enough the cheapo is ¼ the price and 3.5 Oz lighter(14.3 Oz to 10.8 for cheapo brand) and packs half the volume of Rab.
So I bought a DWR spray and made the cheapo water proof . The weight now is 11.3 Oz which is still 3 Oz lighter.
Is it wise to take my cheapo to PCT because it is performing better or should I take the Rab because it’s potential longevity and the fact that it is Rab?

Shouldn’t a 119 dollar Rab outperform a 30 dollar cheapo brand ? Am I missing something here?

I have an Outdoor Research helium II rain jacket so it would address the DWR weakness of my cheapo down.
What would you do? Rab or Cheapo for PCT?

[4eyedbuzzard]

Warm is better than cold. Cold sucks. You hiking or modeling Rab fashion on a runway? ;

[Water Rat]

If the Cheapo jacket met all my needs, I would absolutely take it with me. No need to haul an under-performing jacket simply because of the name on the tag. Yes, I would be upset if I paid a lot of money for a jacket that did not perform as expected.

You might want to consider sending your brother shopping for anything else you need for your hike! Sounds like he has a pretty good eye! :)

[Kookork]

Warm is better than cold. Cold sucks. You hiking or modeling Rab fashion on a runway? ;

You have a good point . I like the red color of Rab better to be honest compare to charcoal of cheapo brand but I like my comfort more.

[Kookork]

If the Cheapo jacket met all my needs, I would absolutely take it with me. No need to haul an under-performing jacket simply because of the name on the tag. Yes, I would be upset if I paid a lot of money for a jacket that did not perform as expected.

You might want to consider sending your brother shopping for anything else you need for your hike! Sounds like he has a pretty good eye! :)

I was thinking about sending Rab an email to let them know what I think about their product. Meanwhile my brother is a master on finding great deals no question about it.

[fastfoxengineering]

Whatever works... works

People hike the distance without all the expensive name brand equipment all the time.

The cheapo jacket should perform just fine on a thru hike. If it falls apart, have someone send you the Rab.

Typically, peoples negativity towards inexpensive down jackets is whether or not the jacket was made ethically. After all the materials do come from animals.

If that's something that bothers you, I would look into it more.



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[Busky2]

Love off brand stuff my down puffy is from JCPenney 25.00 on sale, very warm in single digits. Now 4 years old and still in great shape. I added a elastic strip to the bottom to keep it tight to prevent any wind blowing up my back. So heck ya take it.

[gollwoods]

El cheapo vs. El steepo.... an old dilema

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[rocketsocks]

You have to remember the rab breaths, which removes heat from your body, while the cheap I may keep you warm, it may not breath as well...it's a trade off.

[egilbe]

What are the weights of the two jackets? It may be an apples to oranges comparison.

[scrabbler]

Just to add some comparison here, I have a Patagonia Down Sweater that I have owned for several years. Wanted the same thing with a hood, but refused the $300 retail to do that in the same jacket. Got a $20 clone off of Aliexpress, took 6 weeks to get here, and I swear it's warmer than my Patagonia (plus it has a hood). That said, the zipper is backwards, and it doesnt have the convenient interior pocket stuff sack integrated, but at 15x less cost, I think I can take it. I shove it in the bottom of my pack, and stand around the campfire carelessly now. The weight with hood is 1oz more than my Patagonia without.

[Kookork]

What are the weights of the two jackets? It may be an apples to oranges comparison.

Rab: 14.3 Oz Cheapo :11.3 Oz

[Kookork]

Just to add some comparison here, I have a Patagonia Down Sweater that I have owned for several years. Wanted the same thing with a hood, but refused the $300 retail to do that in the same jacket. Got a $20 clone off of Aliexpress, took 6 weeks to get here, and I swear it's warmer than my Patagonia (plus it has a hood). That said, the zipper is backwards, and it doesnt have the convenient interior pocket stuff sack integrated, but at 15x less cost, I think I can take it. I shove it in the bottom of my pack, and stand around the campfire carelessly now. The weight with hood is 1oz more than my Patagonia without.

Rab has a Napoleon pocket and hand pockets but cheapo has hand pockets and two huge inside pocket that I found them very useful in previous models so the pocket contest goes to cheapo. No construction design fault in any of them but Rab seems better and more durable.