Down Jackets

I always base my choice on warmth for weight so my down sweater wins at 3 40 grams. The only caveat is that I have a hardshell that can fit nicely over the down jacket. The down sweater also packs a bit smaller.

PS. No Josh you don't need any more kit. The fact that you can even ask the question is incriminating. Your are just a gearphile like me!

Forgot to add: ito combinations I like a thermal base layer and a 2nd zip neck thermal one size larger that I use as a pullover on stops or for sleeping in proper cold. The hardshell finishes the job. Occasionally I slip in a very light fleece waistcoat (Tnf Salathe) but that's just an indulgence cause it's cuddly...

Wow that is ugly...
Hahahaha

Hey Josh
That First Ascent 300 jacket you have is most likely the Ice Serac. Made from Polartec 300 Classic. Superb item but bulky sadly. You should check out the new First Ascent Ice Serac. It is superb... made from Polartec 300 Wind-Pro. Next level stuff and nothing in this country comes close to its performance.
The other superb fleece you should look at is the First Ascent K2. Made from Polartec Powerstretch Pro it looks superb and works even better. Most useful item I have ever had.

But then you refer to the Capestorm Belay and the First Ascent Prima Jackets. Both are superb... I used my Prima a lot more as it is tiny and packs a real punch. Filled with the world's top synthetic insulator so you cannot go wrong. Will be off the market for a while so if you can find one in stores now grab it as it will most likely be discounted. The Belay jacket offers superb value for money but it is bulkier. Lekker warm though...

I realise this thread is about down jackets but as I know a thing or two about these things and own all of it I thought I would give my 10cents worth on Josh's comments about his items.

I've been checking out a few down jackets for some serious winter escarpment hiking in the berg.

Apart from the time we got properly snowed in on top of the Amphitheatre at the end of May 1996 (13 years old at the time - limited memories of the cold!), we've been exceptionally lucky with the weather on all of our previous winter hikes over the years and I've never really been cold with my limited gear. I'd like to try and be a bit more prepared from now on though.

I've noticed the trend towards these lightweight, down jackets that stuff into their own tiny pockets and weigh hardly anything, but realistically how much warmth can they provide? I know temp ratings can be so subjective, but wouldn't it be good if these jackets could carry some sort of rating like nearly all sleeping bags do?

I took a look at the K-Way Drake at Cape Union Mart a couple of days ago, and while it felt nice and cosy in the shop, I couldn't help thinking about camping near the top of Trojan wall in the snow (think Encounters with the Dragon cover pic situation) and wondering if this jacket would hold up under those conditions.

On the other end of the spectrum, I also tried on a North Face Argento Hooded jacket. Wow! I reckon you could trek across Antarctica in that thing, but it's rather bulky and heavy. I'm wondering if this is too much of an over-kill for the berg?

Thoughts anyone?

My opinion is relatively uneducated compared to a lot of others on this site, but if I was buying for the first time I think I would buy the CS High Down jacket. The price has dropped to about R1 200 now *I think*, and that's if you can find them

The Capestorm High Down is rated to -8 deg. Sportsman's Warehouse at Atterbury Value Centre has a few in stock. They have 1 of each size left. I've never felt cold in it. Box baffles are used in the construction of the jacket vs the first Ascent Glacier Extreme which has sewn through baffles.

Hi Dillon,

I have 3 down jackets and 1 synthetic fill jacket. They vary from a very thick TNF Nuptse to a very light and thin Patagonia Down Sweater while the least warm is the Synthetic fill TNF Repoint jacket. Any and all are warmer than the warmest fleece money can buy. I know because I have that too. I switched from fleece just under 10 years ago and haven't looked back. On many cold evenings I can even sit out and enjoy a hot drink looking at the stars. Previously I would have hidden in my sleeping bag as soon as the sun dropped.

It's pretty simple actually.. Fleece doesn't compare in warmth to even the lightest down jackets and almost all synthetic fill jackets so buy with confidence and my advice is to go for the lowest weight too. Imho you should not bother with jackets over the 400gm mark and you want to be closer to 200gm.

Hope this helps?

ASL wrote: Imho you should not bother with jackets over the 400gm mark and you want to be closer to 200gm.

Hope this helps?

ASL, would you find this weight sufficient for 'berg winters (coupled with proper thermal base layer, maybe a thin fleece like a CS Puffadder, and hard shell jacket)?

joshilewis wrote:

ASL wrote: Imho you should not bother with jackets over the 400gm mark and you want to be closer to 200gm.

Hope this helps?

ASL, would you find this weight sufficient for 'berg winters (coupled with proper thermal base layer, maybe a thin fleece like a CS Puffadder, and hard shell jacket)?

Ditto on the question.

So you reckon the TNF Argento Hoodie @ 1.3kg is a huge overkill?