Puffy for South America (6000m)

My layering upper body:

Microgrid Baselayer
OR Whirlwind Hoody
Rab Xenon (60g Primaloft one)
Shell
(Puffy??)

Legs:
LW Baselayer
HW Baselayer
OR Cirque Softshells

What puffy would be ideal for South American use? I was thinking the MH Nilas or the RAB Neutrino endurance, or the Mountain Equipment K7. K7 being the warmest and heaviest.

What do you guys think? It will be used for ski mountaineering expeditions, so no dead vertical climbing.

my first time in south america (Peru, in the blanca) I brought a DAS and a mountain hardware subzero. I only ever used the DAS. Climbed alpamayo (just under 6000m). Second time I didn't bother with the down and just brought the DAS - we all got sick on this trip but we were around 5500m before we pulled the plug. Depending on where you're going it's not all that cold - there's a reason the glaciers are all disappearing down there. If you're going for one of the big, high, multiday peaks like huscaran then I'd go with some pretty warm stuff. But for peaks you can climb in a day or so then I might not bring the big guns. I am planning to go back next May and will be bringing a Montbell permafrost jacket and a lighter synthetic jacket. Really depends on where you're going and when...

hope that helps.

Thanks for the input. The permafrost has 9oz of 800 fill down, ill base my puffy off of that. What did you bring for a sleeping bag? I am also planning on May

Rab Positron Jacket

275 grams of 800 fill, hydrophobic down. Box-wall construction in the torso/hood and sewn-through in the arms. Big brother to the Neutrino series.

Not that I need one, but I really like the looks of the new Positron.

I brought a MEC merlin -10 C sleeping bag - a lightweight no-frills bag. worked fine - but i wasn't at high altitude for any significant length of time.

If you want light and warm down jacket- check out this one:
macpac.co.nz/equinox-alpine…

344g of 800 fill hydrophobic down, total weight of 730g

my first time doing big mountains (in peru in the blanca) i had
the OR maestro + arc teryx atom +R1 hoody and it was plenty warm
i spent 9 weeks down there, 12 summits attempted (9 bagged)
though i found my nepal evo's to be lacking here and there warmth wise, but manageable

AlpineIce wrote: Rab Positron Jacket 275 grams of 800 fill, hydrophobic down. Box-wall construction in the torso/hood and sewn-through in the arms. Big brother to the Neutrino series.

I just bought one for my wife, fill weight isnt what I expected. I was expecting a very large filled jacket, the jacket is pretty trim.

Ok, Ill be bringing a 15F bag, so this parka will also be part of the sleeping system.

Regarding synthetic, the DAS seems to be used with success in SA, I was thinking of going with a sherpa rumtek, which is a 170g Primaloft 1 throughout belay piece.

This would give me 60g+170g=230g of Primaloft one, with a microgrid baselayer and the whirlwind hoody as maximum insulating layers.

Does anyone have any recommendations for synthetic puffies at at least 170g pirmaloft one? I know the DAS uses lower quality primaloft in its construction.

Mountain Equipment's Citadel belay jacket has 200g Primaloft One in the torso. Might be an option for you?

citadel is a little heavy at 30oz. I think i want around 20oz for total weight. good suggestion though thats probably the warmest syn jacket out there.

If I may... I think you're worrying a but much. We still don't know where you're going, but often it's not that cold, the weather is fairly stable that time of year so hopefully you won't be sitting around too much.
I'd go with something DAS-ish (what I called a DAS in my first post wasn't actually a DAS, it was a Mammut Stratus parka). If you're just going up high and then coming right back down to the valley, I wouldn't worry too much about getting the perfect top layer. If you will be at significant altitude for a long time, then a down jacket thrown over top of your das would be good. Both times I was in peru, it rained at 5500m. If you want warm and lightweight, that Macpac jacket I linked to is pretty good (and 50% off right now...). It's basically a copy of that super expensive jacket Patagonia made a few years ago.

Ray Pinpillage wrote: I just bought one for my wife, fill weight isnt what I expected. I was expecting a very large filled jacket, the jacket is pretty trim.

I just looked at Rab's website and the women's Positron Jacket is stuffed with 230 grams of down. The men's Positron Jacket is made with 275 grams of down (size large). Pretty big difference. I wonder why Rab does this? Usually women tend to get colder faster, which would warrant more insulation ...

For the OP: Not sure what your cash flow's like, but the Arc'teryx Dually Belay Parka may fit your needs. 182 grams of their proprietary insulation, ThermaTek. I own this jacket and can attest to its warmth. It's on sale at Backcountry.com right now. 20% off one full-priced item, which makes it a "little" more "reasonable." It weighs around 25 ounces, so that may tip the scales a little too much for you.

Alpine: I will never buy another arc product again. But for a syn puff, I hear its a great option.

Graham: Youre right. I think im going to go with the Sherpa Rumtek. And I doubt well be spending a ton of time up high, thats why we have skis. Ha.

AlpineIce wrote: I just looked at Rab's website and the women's Positron Jacket is stuffed with 230 grams of down. The men's Positron Jacket is made with 275 grams of down (size large). Pretty big difference. I wonder why Rab does this? Usually women tend to get colder faster, which would warrant more insulation ...

The difference in weight is largely due to the smaller women's size. What I'm talking about is the overall loft of the jacket. I would think a jacket advertised as 6000m would have more loft. That being said, RAB makes a killer jacket and the cut really is better than most other brands. The reduced loft may actually end up being a benefit to my wife because she probably won't ever climb in temperatures low enough for the monster jacket I thought I was buying.

Ray Pinpillage wrote: The difference in weight is largely due to the smaller women's size. What I'm talking about is the overall loft of the jacket. I would think a jacket advertised as 6000m would have more loft. That being said, RAB makes a killer jacket and the cut really is better than most other brands. The reduced loft may actually end up being a benefit to my wife because she probably won't ever climb in temperatures low enough for the monster jacket I thought I was buying.

I was able to try on the men's Positron Jacket, size medium today. I too was expecting a little more loft for the advertised 6000m range. However, I feel this jacket is plenty warm for anything 6000m or below with the proper synthetic layering options.

The size for the medium was not as big as I expected for a belay-built jacket. I'm 5'10" & around 174 pounds and the medium is a bit tight with my action suit on. As surprised as I am to say this, anyone who may be considering the Positron Jacket, you may want to size up. I wasn't able to try on the men's large, so I'm not sure if it would have been a perfect fit over all my layers or if I would have swam in it. But your right Ray, I think Rab makes some of the best down-insulated jackets available.

I compared the Positron and the Neutrino Endurance earlier today at my local shop. Rab claims the Positron has 275g of down, Neutrino has 225g. I also was expecting the Positron to be significantly loftier and thicker. Instead, the Neutrino feels much thicker and "puffier" when worn. I believe it's because the Positron is fully baffled, whereas the Neutrino is sewn-through.

I believe Rab's claim that the Positron is warmer, it's ust hard to validate in a warm environment. As soon as you get outside in sub-freezing temps, I think one would notice much less "cold creep" coming through the Positron jacket.

Hey Jon, how's it going?

Anybody have thoughts on the Mountain Equipment Vega?