Down jacket advice sought...

[jcreamer]

I want to buy a down jacket for the winter. I have looked at several models and I like the Marmot Zeus as well as the LLBean UL 850. Both run about $175ish. I have a Marmot Precip to use as a shell for water repellancy. My use will be for short (2-3 night) backpacking trips. I do get cold rather easily so please keep that in mind. Any recommendations or ideas. Thanks in advance.

[Chaco Taco]

marmot is always a great choice

[Spokes]

Concur with Chaco Taco on the Marmot stuff. I have a Montbell down jacket but NEVER hike in it - way too hot. I'll use a lightweight fleece for that.

[Ktaadn]

I got the Marmot Zeus at the end of last year and I love it. I did a ton of research before buying and I haven't been dissapointed with my choice. I used it on a 6 day backpacking trip this winter. It packs down small and it warmed me up as soon as I put it on.

[ekeverette]

i'm looking for the same thing... a good coat. may want to check out mountain hardwear phanton, 15 oz's on sale at zb sports. just like you i run cold, so i'm looking something warm at camp. i also saw marmont ama dablam 800 fill, 16.2 oz's... i need a hood, these i've mentioned have hoods. if my head is cold, that's it.... cold all over.

[Chaco Taco]

Concur with Chaco Taco on the Marmot stuff. I have a Montbell down jacket but NEVER hike in it - way too hot. I'll use a lightweight fleece for that.

I love my montbell. Perfect up here

[Bags4266]

Also look at LL beans its an 850 fill and my xl size is 16oz in weight. Very nice quality

[Rain Man]

I want to buy a down jacket for the winter.

If you could get by this winter, then you could get a really good deal on the sales next spring (unless money is no object). Several big retailers put their down jackets on deep markdowns once the season has passed. I got a Cabela's pretty darn cheap that way and have read of others getting Lands End the same way.

RainMan

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[Toolshed]

Ditto on Rainman. Smart Money says "This is not the time of the year to be buying winter gear" Get by with what you can and then take advantage of huge spring markdowns.. LL Bean typcially has them at around 40-50% off at times. I have gotten Lands end down $200 Jackets/vests for $19.99. Same thing with Cabellas and EMS. Bought my son an EMS down jacket for $9.99 and got myself a ~$!79 Campmor Down Jacket (with hood) years ago for $39.99. Good Luck with whatever you decide.

[jcreamer]

Thanks Rain Man. Good advice that I had not considered. The LLBean jacket is on a pretty good sale right now. But the Marmot (which I am leaning towards) is not ($175). Though I have a bad case of the "wants", I can be patient for that kind of money.
JC

[ChinMusic]

I want to buy a down jacket for the winter. I have looked at several models and I like the Marmot Zeus as well as the LLBean UL 850. Both run about $175ish. I have a Marmot Precip to use as a shell for water repellancy. My use will be for short (2-3 night) backpacking trips. I do get cold rather easily so please keep that in mind. Any recommendations or ideas. Thanks in advance.

You got some good choices there. You did mention "winter". What temps will you be expecting?

I tend to be very comfortable when hiking. I would NEVER wear down except on breaks or camp. Once in camp the lighter down jackets still leave me wanting for more warmth if much below freezing. Because of that I went with something with a few more ounces of fill. I went with the Nunatak Skaha Plus. Some look at it as overkill but I don't want to be cold in camp.

This item is more than the $175 you stated but sometimes a good deal can be found in their clearance bin: http://www.nunatakusa.com/site07/mai...ge_nunatak.htm

[Wags]

if you are a bigger guy then this jacket cannot and will not be beaten for the sale price:

http://www.prolitegear.com/montbell-...-closeout.html

[ChinMusic]

if you are a bigger guy then this jacket cannot and will not be beaten for the sale price:

http://www.prolitegear.com/montbell-...-closeout.html

Hell of a price, but oh my, that thing is HEAVY. 25 ounces and less than 7 oz of fill...........next. It would def be warm tho.

Weight (size med): 25.2 oz. Fill Weight: 6.7 oz.

[mirabela]

Cabelas makes a pretty decent 750 down jacket, nice and light. Last I knew they were blowing out last year's at about $65. Worth a look.

Having said that, I notice you're in the southeast ... here in New England I've pretty much gone off down entirely. For damp environments, Primaloft is where it's at, IMO. I won't hijack your thread with recommendations, but the market has exploded with nice, light synthetic puffies at very palatable prices in the last couple of years.

[Wags]

Hell of a price, but oh my, that thing is HEAVY. 25 ounces and less than 7 oz of fill...........next. It would def be warm tho.

Weight (size med): 25.2 oz. Fill Weight: 6.7 oz.

The jacket you are recommending is an almost $400 top of the line mountaineering parka. really sort of overkill for OP's "2, 3 day jaunts" in Georgia. I'd guess OP would probably be overly warm with a 4 oz fill jacket along the lines of montbell's alpine parka. In fact, a lot of montbell's stuff is on sale right now. A great time to buy one - winters in GA would be perfect for the UL down parka...

http://www.prolitegear.com/site/xdpy...6%20Vests.html

[ChinMusic]

The jacket you are recommending is an almost $400 top of the line mountaineering parka. really sort of overkill for OP's "2, 3 day jaunts" in Georgia.

OP never mentioned where he was gonna backpack or what temps he was expecting. OP did mention "winter" and "I do get cold rather easily so please keep that in mind".

I agree the ones he listed are excellent models. I would just find them wanting for sub-freezing temps. Been there, done that.

[Chaco Taco]

Montbell does a really good sale after Thanksgiving. I got mine for $140. Check all of the discount sites like Altrec, STP, Campmor etc. You can find it for the price you are looking for, just have to look

[Bags4266]

The op said he wants a down jacket. Most companies boost the lightest jacket etc but these are (to me) down shirts or sweaters. The less down the less warmth. Just make sure the fill rates are the same. I am not knocking the down sweaters , you just buy your equipment to suit your needs.

[STICK]

My vote is for the Montbell UL Down Inner Jacket or the Parka. Both great down coats for backpacking in the southeast. However, I don't wear mine while hiking, but rather for at camp. For hiking I wear my Patagonia R1. During our (Southeast) coldest temps, my Patagonia Cap 2 long sleeve base layer with the R1 on top plus one of the Montbell UL Down Inners are all I need. If I ever do need more, my hard shell over the top will work.

[ChinMusic]

jcreamer - You are new here. STICK is one of the best posters when it comes to gear and always posts solid info.

He's a major gear whore........biggrin.gif