Down and or Loft Temp Ratings ?

[Old Hiker]

So, the wife dragged me kicking and screaming into a hospice thrift store where I promptly found an LL Bean 1419 goose down vest. Looks brand new, puffs up really nice, no odors, no rips or rotting material. The only quibble I have is that it's a snap front with smallish gaps and no storm flap instead of a zipper. $8 - can't go wrong, especially as a donation to the hospice. It masses out at 330 grams.

Looked at the web site - no 1419's. Searched through Bing - nothing notable except as......... noted below:

http://www.dream-hammock.com/DownLoftTemp.html

CALLED LL Bean to ask a couple of questions and was told this particular vest was made through about 2002. It has 5 ounces of 550 down. When I use the down loft temperature rating above, it comes out to be between 10 and 25 * with a 2.5 average loft.

I am planning on carrying a vest as I like my arms unencumbered. The vest will be used in camp only, not hiking. I know how much sweat I produce when hiking in 35*, going up hill !!! It will be part of a layered system.

My worries and/or questions are:

1. I have a new Marmot Ajax vest that is 700 fill, 400 grams, yet inches thinner. I mean, it's THIN. The Ajax DOES have down defender, zipper, etc. Could the puffier and lighter, yet lower down rating actually be warmer since the loft is a lot more? It's hard to go any where in Florida to test COLD weather gear.

2. Even though it's pretty puffy right now, when I begin using it, could the down start losing its loft? I'm wondering if it's just been in someone's Florida closet for the last 5 or more years, unused.

3. Has anyone sifted through down garments like this to come up with something they were happy with? I understand HYOH, but any input would be appreciated.

[Frye]

How much down is in the Ajax? The actual weight of the jacket doesn't tell me much as the materials minus the down could be a vast majority of that weight. From the sound of it your LL bean vest would be better.

If it currently still puffs nicely I wouldn't worry about it, but maybe put it through the washer (Front loader) using some down wash.

I've heard of a lot of people scoring huge on down at local thrifts. My only concern with buying used is counterfeits but with that particular vest I wouldn't worry in the least because it predates the current problem

So, the wife dragged me kicking and screaming into a hospice

Oh and when I got to hospice I stopped reading for a minute... Serves me right for not finishing out the sentence.

[Old Hiker]

Oh and when I got to hospice I stopped reading for a minute... Serves me right for not finishing out the sentence.

Yeah, regardless of what SHE says, I'm not ready for that just yet. My mom and dad worked with one in Texas. I have the utmost respect for the well-run ones.

Thanks for the info - went to the Marmot web site to try and figure out how much down is in the Ajax and the newer vest has been changed to 600 fill with no down weight given, just the weight of the fabric and total weight of the garment.

Can't really do the math of the down without knowing the zippers, liners, etc. weight.