Get (affordable) down
By Cam Burns |
| Mountain Hardwear Sub Zero Down Jacket |
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| Patagonia Down Jacket |
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| The Columbia Thermocline |
What to watch fer
The "fill" number is the number of cubic inches that an ounce of down occupies. In recent years there’s been a huge push towards 700- and 800-fill jackets, the "crème de la crème," as one writer recently put it, of winter wear. But for most of us in populous North America, 500-600-fill jackets are all we’ll ever need, and easily meet the challenge of keeping the average mountainfolk warm. Rather, what you need to examine in this game are the comparative features: hoods, pockets, cuffs, cordlocks, and overall fit and feel — and, obviously, the relationship between sticker price and shekels in your pocket.
The jackets in this brief comparative review had three things in common: They check in at under $200, they are quality products (sorry, junk don’t make it into MG’s pages; that stuff goes in the dumpster with the last art director) and they have unique features.
Mountain Hardwear’s Sub Zero Down Jacket (price: $160; weight: 27 ounces) and the Sierra Designs Quartz Jacket (price: $125; weight: 26 ounces) are fairly similar in weight, feel, and fit. Both include Napoleon stash pockets, and inside pockets (the Quartz Jacket has a less conventional interior pocket down low on the right side that you’ll either love or hate; I love it), but there are a couple of more noticeable differences.
The Sub Zero Down Jacket also has Velcro adjustable wrists, fleece-lined pockets and a bit more puffier feel because of its 650 fill — as well as Taslan reinforcements over the shoulder and down the arms. The 500-fill Quartz Jacket comes with a funky kind of cordlock that you’ll want to check out before you purchase one.
Like all Mountain Hardwear gear, the Sub Zero Down Jacket has an incredible "reach," although the Quartz Jacket has a longer "back," something some of us long torso-ed types — or those of us prone to cold-butt in winter — will appreciate. Both have Napoleon pockets and stuff sack. Our testers did several experimental high reaches (into dumpsters, birding Hummer drivers —that sort of thing), and can attest that no serious midriff gaposis (a.k.a. "Plumber Drift") occurs with either jacket. Reach high, my friends — buy one of each.
La Fuma’s Cozy Down Jacket at $85 (weight: 26 ounces) is one of the most affordable down jackets around.
Unfortunately, this winter it’s available in women’s sizes only. It has a detachable down hood — not a roll-up piece of nylon fabric as so many inexpensive down jackets have — with a large stowaway pocket (for said hood). Interestingly, this jacket’s exterior baffles — so noticeable in other down garments — seem to flatten out, giving the Cosy Down a svelte, non-Michelin Man look. All the features you expect are there, and it looks great whether hosting a trailer park cocktail party or cruising the roads of St. Moritz looking for cans.
Patagonia’s Down Sweater is a fabulous thing, and 10.5 ounces lighter than almost any kind of thermal layer we’ve ever seen. It’s designed to be a part of a layering system, and for that it works wonders, mostly because the sweater (which uses 700-fill down) has about double the number of baffles you’d normally expect in down outerwear (thus achieving a more even distribution of insulation). Being a sweater, of course, there are no pockets for your hands — not a drawback if you come prepared. Price: $159; weight: 10.5 ounces.
Patagonia also makes affordable "regular" down jackets. The women’s Down Jacket checks in at $199, the most expensive in this review. Man, talk about stylish. This is the kind of garment that makes the women stand out from the potato-sack-like rest of the winter crowd (va-va-va-voom), with its "improved, more shapely and contoured quilting," as the literature says. Also, check out the unique Centaur Cuffs on this baby, shaped to curve around the back of the hand to keep them warm when you’re dosing up on winter fun — you could say it’s a really nice hand-job from the folks in Ventura. Weight: 16 ounces. Patagonia also makes a Kid’s Down Jacket, at $120. With 550-fill down, it boasts hard-wearing, water-resistant shell and lining, and what Patagonia calls a "zipper garage" (a place where the zipper is tucked away from small chins, thereby preventing chin chafe). An investment, you bet, but buy large and it’ll be an investment to get you through several seasons. Weight: 17 ounces. See www.patagonia.com.
The Columbia Thermocline is a solid sweater-style (no hood) jacket, but don’t let the sweater title fool you. It is a down jacket with the same thermal appeal of any big-boned (and expensive) parka; indeed, its fill is, on paper, a mere 450, but we found it as snug as any of the 500–600 fill jackets we tried. Like the Mountain Hardwear Sub Zero Down Jacket, the pockets are lined (a nice touch non-street people might not care about), the collar is lined, and cuffs are elastic, not Velcro tightened. The best thing about this jacket though — and I predict a trend because they are so dern handy — is the huge Napoleon pocket — as deep as the entire front of the garment and big enough for a frozen goose, a fifth of Jack, or a small, frozen child. (Note: size them up front; like Patagonia stuff they tend to run big.) Price: $130; weight: 31 ounces. For more info, see www.columbia.com.
Cam Burns is an author, climber, skier, and self-described gear junkie. Not that Mountain Gazette is incestuous or anything, but Burns’ latest book, “Postcards from the Trailer Park,” which was recently released by Lyons Press, is reviewed in this very issue. Burns can be reached at onathanhemlock@hotmail.com.
