patagonia grade V11 vs nilas vs fitzroy

I was reading that there were issues with the shell material, but that was based on posts and reviews and not from Patagonia.

Mike K wrote: EB has a 50% off sale again. Is a Patagonia Fitz Roy at $270 a better deal than the EB Peak XV at $250?

Where are you scoring a $270 Fitz Roy? I was almost ready to pull the trigger on the Peak XV, but it'd be a little overkill for most of my uses....so a more affordable Fitz Roy is REALLY enticing.

MisterSir wrote: I am still shocked patagonia made a bouldering specific puffy. 

So has Rab and i have one, it's cheap, durable and will last me the next 10-20 years despite being the same cost as a synthetic jacket which would last me at most 2 years. I've taken my Rab mountaineering and it's done pretty well apart from it getting soaked and me almost dying on mont blanc.

I love how Eddie Bauer claims their First Ascent line is "guide built for alpine climbing," but what guide would design a down belay-specific jacket without a two-way zipper?

I've never owned any of their First Ascent gear, but a friend of mine has, including number of down jackets, and within one full season, a majority of the down feathers punctured though and bled out until he ended up shit canning them with little to no loft left.  This was a few seasons ago, but Im always suspect of such a large company like Eddie Bauer who just use the name "Eddie Bauer" for quality/name recognition when the company doesn't really specify in making "alpine climbing" gear.  Maybe it's just me though.   

AlpineIce wrote: I love how Eddie Bauer claims their First Ascent line is "guide built for alpine climbing," but what guide would design a down belay-specific jacket without a two-way zipper?

I've never owned any of their First Ascent gear, but a friend of mine has, including number of down jackets, and within one full season, a majority of the down feathers punctured though and bled out until he ended up shit canning them with little to no loft left.  This was a few seasons ago, but Im always suspect of such a large company like Eddie Bauer who just use the name "Eddie Bauer" for quality/name recognition when the company doesn't really specify in making "alpine climbing" gear.  Maybe it's just me though.   

I’ve had the peak xv and used it two seasons.  Minimal leaking.  Jacket has been bombproof-but the lack of a two way zipper is ridiculous.  I’ve owned a lot of their other stuff and have usually been happy with the quality.  Not arc’teryx or west comb quality but considering the price and I can return it at any time I choose-I’ve been happy.  

Likewise, their down blankets, we’ve used camping for dozens of nights on warm summer days.   They have been abused and used heavily without much leakage. 

Mike W wrote: For what it’s worth, I contacted EB customer service for specs on their jackets. These are both for a size large.

Men's Peak XV Down Jacket
Weight - 2 lbs 9 oz
Fill Weight - 381.5 grams (13.5 oz)
 
Men's Downlight Alpine Jacket
Weight - 1 lb 9 oz
Fill Weight - 220.19 grams (7.8 oz)

It looks like the Downlight Alpine Jacket compares more closely to the Fitz Roy than the Peak XV, but both seem to have pretty good specs for the price at 50% off.

I also reached out to Patagonia customer service re: the HyperPuff Parka. I was told it was discontinued and being replaced by the already existing Fitz Roy.

I have the Downlight Alpine, and I'm very skeptical of the 7.8 oz fill figure.  My MH Phantom, which is supposed to have only 6.3 oz of fill, feels way loftier and warmer.  Granted, the MH is baffled.  But I think the Downlight Alpine feels more like a 5-6 oz jacket, and it is certainly stitched through rather than baffled.

I like the jacket, don't get me wrong.  The shell blocks wind well, the hood is well-designed, and it's pretty warm.  It's also cut well for layering without being too bulky.  But if you are weight conscious or going into a pretty cold environment, I would look elsewhere.  25 oz can get you a lot of parka nowadays, but it may be a bit pricier than the EB.

FWIW, the MH Phantom lofts higher than any 6 oz fill jacket I have ever seen.  I have the older version, which was better (850 treated down vs 800 non-treated on the new one).  So maybe it's not a fair comparison.

Noah Borthen wrote:

Where are you scoring a $270 Fitz Roy? I was almost ready to pull the trigger on the Peak XV, but it'd be a little overkill for most of my uses....so a more affordable Fitz Roy is REALLY enticing.

Don't confuse the Fitz Roy jacket with the much warmer Fitz Roy PARKA. Totally different beasts.

The Montbell Permafrost is warmer than a Fitzroy and has a waterproof gore windstopper shell. No taped seams. Mine is 24oz.

They also now have a permaforst light which is sewn through. Montbell japan will save you a lot of money if you shop there vs their US site (they have have many US fits)

I previously had a Fitz Roy Parka and it was great - highly recommended. 

I use this it’s very warm for a cheap jacket.  Sewn through but lots of lofty down.
https://www.marmot.com/guides-down-hoody-73060.html

I imagine someone will look through this thread this season. As an update, the final (?) word on the Grade VII's fill weight from Patagonia Customer Service, given the confusion earlier. This is for a size Medium, and it is cut as a belay jacket (ie big, you can easily fit a Patagonia or Arc midlayer + shell of the same size under it without compressing anything)

I checked the Fall 2017 version (the year we had the orange color) and this version has 331 g of down, the Fall 2018 version was listed as 299 grams and the Fall 2019 version was listed as 331 g. There weren't any revisions listed for the Fall 2018 version, so I checked with someone in my Product Team on this just in case there was an error on my end. They confirmed it was a typo and the Fall 2018 version does indeed have 331 g of down - not 299 g. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention, so that we can correct our page with the correct down weight.

I still don't really get how they added ~4oz of down and more coverage compared to the Fitz, with similar shell materials while only adding ~2oz of total weight. But I don't make jackets for a living.

Also if you need something comparable for less $$ and can't wait for Patagonia's customary Spring 50% off clearance, the new Montane Alpine 850 looks good.

jdejace wrote: Also if you need something comparable for less $$ and can't wait for Patagonia's customary Spring 50% off clearance, the new Montane Alpine 850 looks good.

Got an Alpine 850 on order from the U.K. and it should be arriving this week!  I have an email thread going with Montane customer service and they confirmed no U.S. retailers for the new Alpine 850 this year.  I purchased mine for less than $300 USD from a British retailer.  If you're interested, I'll email you photos once she arrives. This early winter is awesome! 

Wow, that's a steal. Thanks Brexit! I actually ordered some Nomics from the UK a couple of seasons back when the Pound took a shit, sometimes the exchange rate works out.

You weren't 100% psyched on your Deep Heat, what made you jump on this? Did Montane change up anything big? Hood is bigger? 

I like(d) everything about the Deep Heat except for the hood depth.  After my conversations with Montane, they said the cut on the Alpine 850 in slightly "roomier" than the Deep Heat, I'm hoping that equates to the hood, too.  Per their website, the new Alpine 850 is 735 grams, with over 350 of those grams being 850-fill down.  That being said, on paper, the Alpine 850 is lighter and warmer than the Deep Heat, which is a very warm & bomber belay jacket due to that Quantum Pro exterior.  Couldn't pass up that sale price, either!

Regarding the Alpine 850:

https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/mens-clothing-c1/mens-down-insulation-c52/down-jackets-c204/alpine-850-down-jacket-p12348

ULOG often actually weighs gear, and they list the following under Specifications:

It's a deal of parka, but it will probably weigh a bit more than the spec'd 735g.

Yeah, the Grade VII costs a lot more for ~5oz (presuming those weights are accurate).

Hopefully AlpineIce will weigh it for us.

My Large Grade VII is right at 25oz on my scale, so the Medium spec 23.8oz is probably close to the truth. 

For sure.  Once it arrives, I'll weigh it and post photos for anyone that's interested.  If you guys would rather have the photos by email, let me know & I can send them to you.

Montane Alpine 850 Down Jacket unboxing and initial review with photos.