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View Full Version : deal with it or replace: my winter down jacket



hambone5126
11-16-2011, 23:00
with winter rapidly approaching, im starting to think about my cold weather gear. i want to keep warm no matter what, and last year i was a little underwhelmed by my basecamp jacket. last year i picked up a mammut bronson jacket. it has a 650 fill rating, but i am unsure of the fill weight. on a long weekend february trip where the temps dipped down to 18-20* at night, i was still had a few chills before i hit the sack.

are there tips and tricks that i should use before thinking about replacement? i know there are warmer jackets out there, but if i can spare having to shell out a few hundred more dollars by using a few tricks, i think id rather do that.

thanks,
hambone

Bat321
11-16-2011, 23:30
Do you wear a shell over your down jacket? That will help if you don't already do that.

Papa D
11-17-2011, 00:00
Mamut is good equipment and with 650 fill, you're not going to do much better -- my down is 600 fill Western Mountaineering with Windstopper Fabric -- I love it, but not sure you need to trade unless you just want to -- maybe add some down pants or booties or another sweater or something.

hambone5126
11-17-2011, 00:24
Do you wear a shell over your down jacket? That will help if you don't already do that.

i didnt. i lent it to my ill prepared friend once we got to camp and stopped moving. i had a high quality wicking baselayer, a mammut polartec fleece, and down jacket on top. that shell would probably help a lot.

Bat321
11-17-2011, 01:16
Did you wear a down hat like the black rock? That also helps.

JAK
11-17-2011, 03:03
Warm pants also. I am not a fan of down for clothing, except for artic or alpine conditions where you can expect dry and subzero F most of the time. By the time you put on all the layers you have for freezing rain conditions, you should already have enough for dry subzero conditions, at least down to -15F or so, unless your exposed to wind also. In camp, presumably you are out of the wind and rain even with a bivy or tarp. For whatever extreme you are prepared for, that is usually when you wear everything you've got and layer more evenly, so a down jacket that doesn't cover you butt all that well doesn't make much sense to me, unless you use your sleeping bag also, which is a valid option in camp. The other reason I don't like down clothing so much, in our eastern woodlands, is because I like to be able to use fire as an option, even though I use very small fires or hobo type stoves mostly. Wool and fire go well together for wet winter conditions. I like the idea of using down parkas and elephant foot type sleeping bags in more alpine like conditions. I suppose the AT has alot of exposed higher elevations, more than I am used to, but I would think that trees, and rain, is never far away on the AT, and for both I favour a mix of wool and fleece and separate nylon wind and rain shells.

Anyhow, if a down jacket works for you, and you just need it to work a bit better, I would second the idea of making it work better by adding insulation to the parts of your body not covered by the jacket, rather than to the jacket itself, so you are more evenly covered. Especially parts that are in contact with the ground. Some body parts lose more heat than others, especially as you get colder. Neck area stays warmest, and extremities can get coldest, but when still comfortable the skin temperatures don't vary by much more than 10F. At 0F the relative difference is less than at 30F, so you need to cover more evenly for 0F than for 30F.

Bat321
11-17-2011, 11:36
I live in the Pacific NW and use tons of down. Don't let people scare you with the "it doesn't work if it is wet" line. The shell fabrics on down jackets and bags have improved a ton. Plus if you use your head you don't get your down wet.

Rain Man
11-17-2011, 11:53
I live in the Pacific NW and use tons of down. Don't let people scare you with the "it doesn't work if it is wet" line. The shell fabrics on down jackets and bags have improved a ton. Plus if you use your head you don't get your down wet.

Agreed. I've backpacked in the wet Southeast for years now. Have NEVER ONCE had a problem with wet down.


are there tips and tricks that i should use before thinking about replacement? i know there are warmer jackets out there, but if i can spare having to shell out a few hundred more dollars by using a few tricks, i think id rather do that.

Why would anyone need to spend a few hundred bucks for a down jacket, especially at only 600-fill? Wait until winter is over, when down jackets are on deep discount. Pick one up from someone OTHER THAN a fancy-smansy name. I got a very fine 750-fill "tall" down jacket last year for about $60 from Cabela's. I think it even has pockets the premium name brands don't have.

Anyway, if wasting money is a concern, it needn't be, any more than "wet" has to be.

Rain:sunMan

.

sbhikes
11-17-2011, 14:47
I have one of those Ray Jardine bomber hats I made from a kit. Looks ridiculous but it really adds a lot of warmth. I combine it with a balaclava or a buff to keep my ears, neck and cheeks warm. Really extends the warmth of my jacket and my sleeping bag. Down pants are divine, too.

Guy
11-17-2011, 18:25
Here's a tip: go to bed with a full stomach. Cold weather requires more calories to be burnt to stay warm, so if you're hungry you're probably going to get cold.

hambone5126
11-19-2011, 23:33
Warm pants also... Anyhow, if a down jacket works for you, and you just need it to work a bit better, I would second the idea of making it work better by adding insulation to the parts of your body not covered by the jacket, rather than to the jacket itself, so you are more evenly covered.

i had a regualr pair of hiking pants on, i bet i lost a ton of heat through my legs. thats one place ive already improved upon is getting a baller pair of softshell pants. theyre not insulated but the thicker material is warmer than normal pants. the material is wind/waterproof too.



I live in the Pacific NW and use tons of down. Don't let people scare you with the "it doesn't work if it is wet" line. The shell fabrics on down jackets and bags have improved a ton. Plus if you use your head you don't get your down wet.

oh i love down. im not to worried about what type of materials to use in what situations, ive got a pretty decent handle on that. as far as getting wet is concerned, this is for winter where any precipitation is gonna be white and fluffy.
my go-to wet weather insulation is a real light jacket that uses primaloft 1. wet? not a problem.

nothermark
11-19-2011, 23:47
If you don't have long underwear on that is one of your problems. A second with down is if you are compressing it by leaning against a cold surface.

"i had a regualr pair of hiking pants on, i bet i lost a ton of heat through my legs. thats one place ive already improved upon is getting a baller pair of softshell pants. theyre not insulated but the thicker material is warmer than normal pants. the material is wind/waterproof too."

hambone5126
11-20-2011, 19:53
i had long underwear. if its below 40* when im going outside to do something, i make sure i have it on just to keep sweat off me