Best Mountaineering Down Jackets

I am looking to invest in an all-around good women’s mountaineering down jacket. I’ll be doing some climbing in Rainier in a month, around the cascades and Kilimanjaro next year. What brands/models have you all liked?

Outdoor Research Super Alpine

Feather Friends

To be a little more specific than Allen's suggestion, I highly suggest the Feathered Friends hooded Helios Jacket.   That will get you through the Cascades and Kili.   It's a great all-around warm jacket.  Its expensive but will last a life time.

rab microlight alpine down jacket!!!

Hey, I've been to those places! 

If you want a parka, the Mountain Hardware Phantom is very nice.  If you want more of something you'd be climbing in, the Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer is very nice.

Montbell flies under the radar, a little research will reinforce my suggestion they're the best bang for your buck.  I've consistently felt I've got extraordinary value at attractive price from them

-Haireball

Curt Haire wrote:

Montbell flies under the radar, a little research will reinforce my suggestion they're the best bang for your buck.  I've consistently felt I've got extraordinary value at attractive price from them

-Haireball

Especially if your order from Montbell Japan! Remember to size up for non-US model 

Norrona trollveggen down850 jacket is a super high quality jacket.
It's made for winter and serious conditions.
It will be perfect as long as you re not in the arctic or above 6000 meters.
You can also look at what Rab or Montbell have to offer, they make super good products as well. 

A down jacket is used when sitting idle around camp or otherwise not climbing. You will quickly get too hot and sweat if wearing one when hiking, so which brand is insignificant. I use one picked up for next to nothing used 20 years ago and never had a need to replace it.

I really like Valandre products.

Review of their Troll jacket here:

http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web19f/ms-valandre-troll-jacket

Cumulus is a Polish company that makes very high quality down products.  Not much exposure here in the US, but their stuff is as good as (or better than) anything else I've used.

https://cumulus.equipment/us_en/clothing/women.html

I agree with Chris C. The current model Phantom Parka is very good. Box baffled construction, simple light/breathable shell, untreated down, big warm hand pockets, long to cover your butt, modest weight and warmth. Amazing how most manufacturers can't do this right. 

Kai Larson wrote:

I really like Valandre products.

Review of their Troll jacket here:

http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web19f/ms-valandre-troll-jacket

I love Valandre! The Lafayette has been my mountaineering sleeping bag for the last 15 years and I have never been cold or even lost a feather.
High quality products for sure. 

Head to a Nordstroms Rack and look for down fill jackets there. I’ve worn an off brand that cost me $75 for over four seasons, including on Rainier, and it’s still going strong.

Ice climber here so very familiar with cold temps n down parkas. For the value my MH nilas has proven this season to be the bees knees. Couldn’t recommend it enough honestly 

jdejace wrote:

I agree with Chris C. The current model Phantom Parka is very good. Box baffled construction, simple light/breathable shell, untreated down, big warm hand pockets, long to cover your butt, modest weight and warmth. Amazing how most manufacturers can't do this right. 

+2 On the current Phantom Parka. Often on sale for decent price ($280 is what I paid in the fall) Like they ^ said, for a true cold weather parka, this one gets most everything right:

-Long to cover your but, and an Elastic in the small of your back, to keep it tight in there. This is only sewn into the liner fabric, so it doesn’t compres the down(like many others). high collar in front, good hood.
-long sleeves, with Awesome cuffs: no velcro (which adds weight, fills with snow, wrecks light fabrics in your pack), and the elastic is set back, from the end, so that when it settles on your wrists, the sleeve still covers the base of your hand.

-drop in pockets for water bottles or gloves

-fully box wall baffled, unlike many others in this weight class, that have partial sewn through sections.

-no extra layers of fabric inside. So many down jackets  (in my house, RAb and OR) have an extra layer of fabric inside the jacket. This adds weight and stuffed size, without adding any (real) warmth

-20d  Diamond fuse Shell fabric : (one of) the best strength to weight shell fabrics. Not to heavy/bulky, not to fragile.

I’d say the womens parka fit is spot on, for a loose parka fit for a slimmer build person. meaning, if you are a moderately slim build, it will fit roomy enough to layer easily.

This falls squarely into the belay/rest/bivy jacket category for temps below ~20F.
The only times I could see someone wearing this while climbing/hiking would be either very early in the morning, when your metabolism  is still ‘gearing up’, there is no sun, and it is below ~0F. Or perhaps on summit days at very high altitude, where the lack of oxygen prevents you from moving fast enough to generate heat. Killi has the altitude, is it very cold there?

I'm fully digging the Himali Accelerator.

https://himalilife.com/himali-womens-accelerator-down-jacket-hooded.html