Best Women's Alpine Down Jacket for below freezing temps?
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What is the best women's alpine down jacket with 800+ fill? I don't mind looking like a marshmallow, but I don't want there to be a ton of baggy space between the jacket and layers that would cause me to loose heat. I typically wear a small in everything and layer with a thin wool base layer and a wool sweater then my jacket. Looking to use it for New England winter climbing temps and trips abroad with temps between -15-35 F, primarily will use for bouldering, camping or cragging. Preferred budget is $400, unless there is jacket that is surely worth a more costly investment. Here are jackets i've considered and would love to hear everyone's opinions. Many of the more expensive jackets seem to have a similar amount of down filling so i'm curious why they're more expensive and if id be just as warm in something cheaper Rab Positron Pro Womens Jacket--800 RDS goose down + boxwall in torso + slim ladies fit to trap heat, but concerned about the sleeves not being warm enough, OK price point $400 Women's Mountain Hardware Phantom-- 800 RDS goose down + boxwall baffles, this sees like a great price point $299-400 and good loft, wish there were colors to choose from. Patagonia's Grade VII Down Parka--800 goose down + fully baffled @ $650, seems great but there isn't a women's S or XS that will be slim fit to retain warmth Women's Eos Feather & Friends Parka-- 900 goose down + $389, has amazing fill but there are several complaints that the jacket isn't long enough to prevent wind from blowing up your back Montane Women's Resolute Down Jacket--800 goose down + $390. don't know enough about this brand. Arcterxy Alpha Parka--- 850 goose down + synthetic mapping= seems incredible investment where you shouldnt every need to worry about warm, not to mention a great color, but it'll break the bank at $999 and they no longer have S or XS in stock Women’s Summit L6 Cloud Down Parka--800 prodown fill + offset baffles, may not be durable, $650 |
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The north face is quite nice, though the face fabric is pretty light. I do know some women who use it regularly and are happy with it, particularly since it is women specific. The Grade IIV will be a generic, boxy cut and I don’t know that it’s worth the price increase over north face. I have a mens Positron and Cloud parka, I like the cloud. It’s WAY more lofty and warmer. The Rab fits a bit smaller and will likely last longer however. The Arcteryx is very expensive and has much less down than a parka of that $ should have. The Phantom is much colder than the others. It has around 7oz of down vs 10+ for the Rab, Patagonia, or TNF |
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Mammut Eigerjoch Pro. If you’re willing to spend $600+ (you listed a couple in that price range), this has been the warmest down jacket I’ve ever owned. It feels substantially less delicate than the North Face option. Plus mammut didn’t skimp on fill weight. I use mine for ice climbing belays and general outdoor use when temps are below 10F-ish. |
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Very helpful feedback! Thank you! |
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I really like my Marmot Mt. Tyndall puffy. Can't speak to anything specifically about the women's version, though, sorry. Mine is super toasty for cold belays ice climbing! It does seem to be out of stock in a few sizes... maybe another site has it? If you're going to be in temps down towards 0 with limited layers under your big puffy, I'd probably lean towards a box baffle construction of some sort, rather than something sewn through like the Eos. Less heat lost at the seams that way. Also a two way zipper is very nice if you'll be belaying with it on, so you can zip it up from the bottom to get to your harness under the jacket. |
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I would have a look at the norrona trollveggen down850 jacket. |
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Mountain Equipment K7? |
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I appears that most of you use will be hanging around and not actually alpine climbing. Given that, I agree with the assessment that the EOS will not be warm enough to hang out in most of the temp range you have stated. The next warmest jacket in the FF line (Helios) is cut even shorter than the EOS so I doubt you would want that either. Check out the Volant it is warm and sturdy but I don’t think it comes in a women’s size. Between the three in actual use I find the Helios gets skipped over and I am never below zero. Not sure what your timeline is but I would check out some of the Nunatak options. Different models have different fabrics available so you can customize your shell fabric.) In addition, you can customize virtually all of the dimensions – in ways not shown in the drop-down menus. (eg shorten sleeves) I currently have 5 “off the rack” down jackets and they are all nice but having a jacket made they way I like it has made a noticeable improvement in my use satisfaction. For example: whenever I use an off the rack jacket it becomes apparent that the pockets are not optimally positioned. In my Nunatak there is less stress on the fabric and my arms are in a far more natural position. I never would have thought this was very important until I felt it. My preferences run more utilitarian, and the ending result is not fashionable, so I grab the EOS for running around town and the Nunatak for the mountains. Unfortunately they are closed until August but a jacket ordered then should be done by winter. The one downside I have found from getting a jacket custom made is that there is less adjustability in hood design. |