| Topic: Why buy any other lightweight down jacket?, Beats every down jacket on the market? | < Next Oldest | Next Newest > |
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| Post Number: 1
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RollAway 
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Joined: Dec. 2011
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Posted on: Oct. 25 2012, 5:15 pm |
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I've been searching for a light down jacket that's not extremely expensive for awhile now. I've been paying special attention to 800-fill jackets like Patagonia's Down Sweater and MontBell's Frost Smoke because they have extremely good warmth-to-weight ratio and are very lightweight... but will also make the warmest layer I'll be wearing. I want to be able to wear my down layer on it's own, or layering it underneath a shell and over base-layers. The prices for the down jackets are very expensive... so I've been looking on Backcountry.com for older models. BUT---  L.L. Bean just came out with their 850-fill Ultralight Down Jacket... that is as light as it gets and apparently as warm as it gets. Plus, they have this new DownTek coat that makes the down almost waterproof. AND,  the material on the outside is super durable.. more durable than almost any other down jacket I've seen.
SO--- Why would I buy any other jacket? Doesn't this beat out like evrey other lightweight own jacket on the market?
OH YEA____It's $179 brand new! 
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| Post Number: 2
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Tigger
Woods Pouncer
Group: Members
Posts: 10525
Joined: Apr. 2005
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Posted on: Oct. 25 2012, 5:53 pm |
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Each jacket has it's own feature set. It looks like you've found the one for you. Great!
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If I'm going to be lost, in the woods is where I want to be...
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| Post Number: 3
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Franco
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Joined: Feb. 2005
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Posted on: Oct. 25 2012, 5:53 pm |
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What is the weight of that in M ?
How many oz of down ?
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| Post Number: 4
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obchristo
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Joined: Nov. 2002
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Posted on: Oct. 25 2012, 5:57 pm |
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Does it fit you?
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Knowledge is the one thing you can aways carry more of- and not increase pack weight!!!!
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| Post Number: 5
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| Post Number: 6
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LyttleBryan
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Posted on: Oct. 25 2012, 6:34 pm |
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I'm with Ray, this post smells of astroturfing.
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| Post Number: 7
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wildlifenate
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Posted on: Oct. 25 2012, 6:46 pm |
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someone is being paid for a little social marketing.
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The GPS Geek
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| Post Number: 8
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EastieTrekker
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Joined: Mar. 2012
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Posted on: Oct. 25 2012, 6:52 pm |
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Besides the fact that this may be no more than marketing (I'm not passing judgement either way), I did some quick Google-foo and the only weight I could find was somebody stating their size Large weighing in at 15.9oz. So I suppose that gives an idea of the weight. The guy reviewing it said the loft was somewhere between the Patagonia down sweater and the Patagonia down jacket.
Seems to have some good qualities to it (decent price, water-resistant down, stuff-able pocket). I don't currently own any down clothing, and since this thread already exists, how would you guys (and gals) say this seems to compare to existing product on the market?
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I request all the possible consumer protection organizations, and fight with their injustice.
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| Post Number: 9
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rayestrella
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Joined: Nov. 2004
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Posted on: Oct. 25 2012, 7:23 pm |
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Going by nothing but their own copy (and some of that is poorly written, maybe I can get a job...) I would say it is a decent down sweater. It is not a "winter parka" or "the warmest ever" by any means. There is not enough down for that, plus it is sewn through, not baffled.
Nothing even tells what the shell material is. It just says it is "20% denser" but what I think they mean is that it is higher denier to keep the down INSIDE, not "in place".
I do like the Down Tek fill.
Maybe they should send me one and I can do a real write up of it. ;-)
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I measure happiness with an altimeter
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| Post Number: 10
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tarpon6
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Joined: Feb. 2011
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Posted on: Oct. 25 2012, 7:25 pm |
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I picked up a Marmot Quasar a couple weeks ago on sale and it seems like a great jacket. I called Marmot they say it has 5 oz of 900 fill..
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| Post Number: 11
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Tipi Walter
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Joined: Jan. 2007
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Posted on: Oct. 25 2012, 7:29 pm |
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When companies hide the amount of down in a product I get wary. RollAway, I want to know exactly how many ounces of down are in your jackets. To me it's the only important #, along with down quality (850 fill etc). A good subzero down parka should have at least 15 ounces of down.
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| Post Number: 12
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treelinebackpacker
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Joined: Aug. 2011
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Posted on: Oct. 25 2012, 10:51 pm |
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L.L.Bean is one of those companies who have never let me down.
That being said, Backpacker magazine gave this very jacket their 2012 Editors Choice award, Stating that it withstood 3 days with afternoon rains and stayed dry.
Looks like a fine piece of gear to me. I have yet to try one, but most everything L.L.Bean makes is pretty solid. I own a lot of their stuff.
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| Post Number: 13
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eggs
That's sofa King assume
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Posted on: Oct. 26 2012, 5:26 am |
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Though this post seems to me like an ad posted by some marketing group I still like LL Bean for a few reasons
They have a unconditional return policy and they still make a specific tall size in things.
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Eggs
Home of the egg
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| Post Number: 14
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wcolucci
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Joined: Feb. 2005
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Posted on: Oct. 26 2012, 10:29 am |
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Though this post seems to me like an ad posted by some marketing group I still like LL Bean for a few reasons
They have a unconditional return policy and they still make a specific tall size in things.
Better yet, It will be under $100 in mid January!!!!!
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| Post Number: 15
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EastieTrekker
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Posted on: Oct. 26 2012, 12:03 pm |
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Thanks guys. Good info.
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I request all the possible consumer protection organizations, and fight with their injustice.
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| Post Number: 16
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RollAway
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Joined: Dec. 2011
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Posted on: Oct. 26 2012, 1:18 pm |
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OK. 1st off.. Im not trying to market anything.
I have never owned a down jacket, and I am simply looking for opinions and advice. Maybe I should have worded my post a little differently.
I have been researching down jackets A LOT. Like every lightweight one out there for reasonable prices. AND--this L.L. Bean U.L Down jacket seems to be possibly the best deal.
COMPARING all specs:
Price--$179
Weight--15.9 oz.
DownTek treated down (practically waterproof & real test results to prove so)
Denser outer material that holds the down and stops wind and rain.
850-fill Down
Other than that [B] I am currently calling all kinds of Product services to find out all the Specs. because they are apparently not available.
SO.. I will soon find out how many ounces of down are in the jacket. And the exact material the jacket is made out of and its durability rating.
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| Post Number: 17
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Tigger
Woods Pouncer
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Posts: 10525
Joined: Apr. 2005
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Posted on: Oct. 26 2012, 1:29 pm |
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Nothing beats looking at them in person. It's hard to argue with touching the loft and determining "real world" specs.
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If I'm going to be lost, in the woods is where I want to be...
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| Post Number: 18
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High_Sierra_Fan
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Posted on: Oct. 26 2012, 2:42 pm |
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Plus realworld things like, "can I really operate that zipper with my gloves on?" and "does it have a convenient pocket for my whatever?"
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| Post Number: 19
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Serpicorabbit
If I pee on it, it's mine!
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Posted on: Oct. 26 2012, 4:09 pm |
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I have the old non-treated 850 Beaner and I really like it. It's not the warmest thing ever, but it serves me well for the mild SoCal winter. The fit is generous, which I require, and the construction has held up just fine with plenty of easy use. There are three external pockets, one internal into which the jacket gets stuffed, what appears to be a pen pocket, and a large internal mesh pocket. My only real gripe is the cuffs, which would benefit from a tighter elastic. But the price is right, the return policy is reassuring, shipping was free, and I even received a $10 gift card when I bought mine. Overall, I'm pretty happy with it.
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| Post Number: 20
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leadbelly2550
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Posted on: Oct. 28 2012, 7:11 am |
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not familiar with downtek in person - the company claims that some kind of nanotechnology makes the down less water-absorbent. i agree with the comment above that it would be really helpful to see this LL Bean jacket in person. generally, the quality of their clothing is quite good, construction-wise. it's probably comparable to patagonia and eddie bauer, though somewhat heavier - which is strange, considering that it is supposed to be using higher-quality down fill.
keep in mind that all jacket weights vary by size; an XL weighs somewhat more than a medium. this bean jacket uses 850 fill and on average weighs 15.9 ounces. patagonia's down sweater uses 800 fill and weighs 12.1 ounces. neither brand publishes how much down fill they actually use, though i have read that patagonia uses 3 ounces of fill. Eddie Bauer's first ascent down sweater also uses 800 fill and weighs about 13 ounces. they also don't list the amount of down fill. worth finding deals on all of these, because they all occasionally show up on sale or clearance. oh, and the marmot zeus jacket also uses 800 fill, weighs about 15 ounces, and has 3.5 ounces of fill. and the montbell alpine light down jacket, a step up from these, has 4 ounces of fill and weighs about 15 ounces. Marmot and patagonia tend to size average to generous; montbell tends to run narrow in the torso in my experience; the eddie bauer down sweater, which i have also tried on, also runs 'athletic' or a little more narrow.
comparison using the 'gold standards,' which in my opinion are western mountaineering, valandre, and feathered friends for down garments and bags. all use 850 fill. the feathered friends hyperion jacket has 5.2 ounces of fill and weighs 9.4 ounces. the western mountaineering flight jacket has 4.5 ounces of fill and weighs 10.5 ounces. the valandre split s has around 5 ounces of fill and weighs about 13 1/2 ounces. the US brands will set you back over $250, valandre over $400, unless you find a sale, which is much more rare with these brands.
i have the patagonia down sweater. it's perfectly fine, i wear it often. after years without a down vest, i found a feathered friends down vest at a big discount; it's waiting for me at home when i return from a lengthy work trip next week.
i'm sure the bean jacket is fine. comparable to the competitors at this price point. try it on, or if it doesn't fit right, bean is very good about returns. is it the best independent of price? i doubt it. if you want the best, save your money and go for western mountaineering or feathered friends.
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