View Full Version : LLbean - 850 down jacket ... discuss.
I'm currently looking into buying a down jacket for winter backpacking use .. LLbean has a rather nice one i've seen but interested in what others have to say first ...
http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=1&langId=-1&catalogId=1&categoryId=60857&parentCategory=504722&cat4=504714&productId=1015327&display_id=259305&feat=593-sub1&catalog_id=TA&from=&rtnComp=&np=Y&BV_TrackingTag_Review_Display_Sort=http%3A//reviews.llbean.com/1138/IG104440/reviews.htm%3Fformat%3Dembedded%26sortOrder%3Dfeat ured&attrValue_2=Garnet
Bags4266
11-20-2009, 16:01
http://www.landsend.com/pp/SnowPack700DownJacket~198978_59.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::BLA&CM_MERCH=IDX_00001__0000000050&origin=index
Check out this one, its only 700 fill but people here say they were able to buy it for $70. dollars shipped. There is also a thread about it here... http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=55148&highlight=lands+end
bigcranky
11-20-2009, 16:02
I love that it's available in Tall sizes. Otherwise seems like a nice jacket. They say it weighs "less than a pound," and it certainly looks like it has more loft than, say, a Montbell UL Down Inner (which is about 7 ounces.) I'd be interested in seeing one in person.
saimyoji
11-20-2009, 16:08
i have one from bean, although not that one. can't go wrong with the quality and comfort, rating is true....but a little on the heavy side for backpacking for some people. i take mine on winter trips, weighs around 2 lbs, but totally worth it.
and its not made in china. :)
I just got the lands end snowpack 700 down jacket for less that $60. They dropped the price to $75 for a few days and had a 25% off plus free shipping on top of that.
That deal is ended.
If I wanted this jacket, I would register at the Land's End site and request notification of sales. And then wait patiently<G>. that's what I did.
The LL bean jacket and one from Cabela's were two others I considered > The three seemed pretty comparable.
sbennett
11-20-2009, 18:00
Saw one at the Freeport store a few months ago. It struck as being very similar to the Patagonia Down Sweater (which I have). Seems that you don't pay for the Patagonia name though.
I bought a Montbell down jacket at Mountain Crossings on my thru hike this year. It was, by far, the best gear purchase I made. Saw more of them on the trail than any other jacket. You can't beat it for weight, warmth, and compactability!
Tipi Walter
11-20-2009, 18:24
Like any goose down product, it's all about fill weight, the weight and amount of the actual down in the jacket(or the bag). This is a number that's not so easy to get. I couldn't find it on the LLBean jacket. And also check out the many baffle seams to see if they are sewn thru. Looks like it.
A lot of people think they are getting a great goose down deal when they see something for $150 instead of $400, the Campmor 0 degree down bags are a case in point. But in fact in a way you're actually losing money in the long run when you find out your $150 jacket or your $199 dollar North Face Nupste jacket is either underfilled or isn't keeping you warm enough in the middle of a winter trip, and so later you spring for something that really works and are out for the cheaper "gear experiments." So it's actually cheaper in the long run to go ahead and get that WM or Feathered Friends thing right off and quit debating.
I just went thru a detailed down jacket review and I also know what I need warmthwise to be happy in camp situations out in the woods. Everybody's cold tolerance is different, older people might need more warmth(or a better ground pad), younger people can get away with a light jacket or a Ridgerest. But when it comes to goose down, well, there's a lot of shortcuts out there that look really good on paper.
Yeah, the lack of info clearly has me going towards the montbell U.L parka for the same price, 2.5o fill ... I own 2 montbell sleeping bags and LOVE them so ... why change what isn't broke ... just thought maybe someone out there owned a LLbean or heard more info about them .... always nice to hear ya chime in tipi ...
Okie Dokie
11-20-2009, 20:10
Looks warm, and Bean has never disappointed me...just don't ever let it get wet ! I would consider it for a weekend trip, but there are tons of lightweight layering options that would provide the same warmth with more versatility...
Chaco Taco
11-21-2009, 05:50
LL Bean Jacket is way too heavy. I agree with the Montbell. Its on my christmas wish list, hint hint
JoshStover
11-21-2009, 06:12
Montbell is the way to go. I have 2 bags and I just caught a glimpse of of montbell down jacket hidden in the closet! That thing better be one of my christmas presents! lol
Chaco Taco
11-21-2009, 07:49
Montbell is the way to go. I have 2 bags and I just caught a glimpse of of montbell down jacket hidden in the closet! That thing better be one of my christmas presents! lol
LUCKY. Yea they have one on sale at the outfitter in Black Mountain. I keep asking if we can go back so I can look at it. I think the hint has been placed. I have tried the Patagonia, too heavy, the Marmot, too big, love the Mountain Hardware but the Montbell jacket is just so dang nice, and so is the price
I have Montbell down inner jacket and down pants, light weight and pack about the size of a pint water bottle. Comfortable enough that have slept in them on a couple of cold nights.
Ok, i'm pretty much sold on the montbell ... since like i said i own the sleeping bags and love them .... now another reason the montbell i'm looking at sold me is the hood ... http://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=70&p_id=2301133
Went to llbeans today, seen the 850 ultralight down version they just released and i gotta say even tho they won't put specs or info anywhere i could see .... It was very lofty and built quite nice .... I'm gonna order the montbell and compare after i buy ... The selling point was the responses i got and the fact the montbell i want has a hood and i already own some of their gear .... People at LLbean were way too friendly ... lol, alot of overpriced stuff i've seen online better and alot cheaper ... but there were a few items i'm interested in i've only seen at llbean ... was a good trip ... found out what i needed.
srestrepo
11-22-2009, 17:00
any suggestions for a big man down jacket??? i looked at the eddie bauer 800 fill - they make this in 2x tall and i know that it will fit but after tipiwalter suggested i spend the extra money, now im at a loss for a manufacturer who will produce a jacket well worth the money that will actually fit...
dont worry no point in going ul if i'm not trying to lose weight. i'm working on it...
Stres,
Not sure if your big man issue is vertical or horizontal, lol, but I am only 6'tall, 170#, but with ape like long arms, that always are helped with tall sizes. I buy a lot of stuff from LL bean in my regular clothes because they almost always have tall sizes. I need that for the arm length. But they are really helpful on the phone, having the garmet sizes available for you before you purchase. So you can see if it will be a good match. Of course you need to know your own sizes to match it up, lol.
I wore an LL Bean down jacket that I bought at a special sale of damaged items 30 plus years ago. It had been knicked by a knife when someone opened a box apparently.
It managed to keep me warm on many dozens of winter trips in the Maine and New Hampshire mountains. In 1993 it served well during chilly spring nights and early mornings in Georgia and chilly days and nights of October in Maine.
I live 30 miles from the LL Bean main store in Freeport, ME, but I rarely go inside. Most of my gear over the years, however, has come from Bean's factory store located a block down the street. That is, I buy only stuff that others didn't seem to want.
I've never been disappointed with my LL Bean purchases. All told the LL Bean gear probably makes my pack a couple of pounds heavier. But it virtually never wears out.
Because I never properly mended the knife cut in my down jacket, I've avoided washing it for fear of losing the down. But I recently had to replace our washing machine with one of those new fangled gentle washing types. So I'm going to try at last to wash the down jacket.
What the hell. I say. It's only cost me about 75 cents a year over the several decades. You say they are now offering an extra light 850 fill down jacket? If my current jacket doesn't survive a washing, I think I'll get one of those. If it lasts just 30 years, I'll still be only 110. But by then I may want to give up winter backpacking anyway.
Weary
wintercampers
11-24-2009, 11:47
My wife bought one for me as a Christmas present. So I got to inspect it and try it on, but it is getting wrapped and hasn't been field tested.
I am 6'4" with 6'7" sleeve length. I can attest the tall size is truly tall - as is most all LL Bean gear. As stated elsewhere, the seams are sewn through. Nice light weight down jacket for the price.
For an alternative tall sized down jacket First Ascent (http://www.eddiebauer.com/FIRST-ASCENT/First-Ascent-Mens/First-Ascent-Mens-Insulation/index.cat#Down) has a sale on their Limited Edition EB900 Downlight Sweater ($149) and their Peak XV™ Down Jacket ($201) through the end of November.