Fashionable down jackets

[nicelynice]

Dude from Silver Linings Playbook in a typical down jacket

Let's face it - most down jackets are ugly beyond belief, on a fashion level somewhere between garbage bags and duct tape. Still, winter is cold and wool coats are heavy. I know that I get sick of lugging a 4lb brick of a coat around town on my back all day no matter how decent it looks. Quality down is made from the insulating feathers of geese, and last time I checked, geese spend most of their time outdoors, sometimes in cold places, mostly without complaints.

Fashion model collapsing under the weight of his own jacket

Down is warm, lightweight, and retains its loft longer than most synthetics. However, not all down is created equal - down is rated by fill power, with higher fill powers insulating better than than lower fill powers of the same weight. A fill power of 600+ is generally considered pretty good, with 800+ for extra lightweight, warm jackets. Goose down generally has higher fill power than duck down.

I found this picture on the internet

I am in no way a down expert, but from my experience, a lot of "fashion" brands will use low quality, low fill down. Uni-Qlo down is pretty decent, and brands that specialize in down, such as Moncler and Duvetica, have had the highest quality from my personal experience. The best bang for your buck if you're just trying to stay warm, however, is still probably technical outerwear from a sporting goods store.

Use this thread to discuss down jackets!!

 

[nicelynice]

Down jackets

Attachment

Tatras

Crescent Down works


Junya Watanabe / Duvetica

Duvetica

Robert Geller for Tatras

Duvetica

Moncler

Patagonia

 

[Carli]

Link for the first one with name of Attachment?

 

[nicelynice]

http://www.essence-web.jp/products/...SWEBJPSESSID=576de1c93213cd64154f0207afbc2c5c

 

[e0d9n0b5]

i got two, both from the same consignment store. moncler for $40, paul smith(all over watch print, very cool looking) for $30. will post pics later.

 

[RFX45]

I like Ricks leather MA1 filled goose down from a few seasons ago.

There's also a nylon version.

 

[Nuff said]

For ultralight technical down jackets Western Mountaineering and Montbell are great brands.

Montbell is a large Japanese outdoor clothing company. They recently released the lightest down jacket on the market. Worn over a longsleeve base layer it will keep you warm down to 0 deg Celcius depending on your metabolism.

Montbell Plasma 1000 Down Jacket: 45grams of 1000 down fill (Total weight 136grams):

Western Mountaineering is a niche American outdoor company specialising in down equipment. Their sleeping bags are legendary and their outerwear is not far behind.

Western Mountaineering QuickFlash Jacket: 70grams of 850 down fill (Total weight 225grams):

For urban use Japanese brands like The Viridi-Anne produce great down jackets.

The Viridi-Anne Two Piece Convertible Down Jacket:

This two-piece garment consists of a woolen inner jacket with down sleeves and an unwadded body. A woolen shelled down vest can be layered over the top of the inner jacket or both pieces can be worn as separates.

 

[tonio028]

Valstar (see affiliate No Man Walks Alone) seems to offer a pretty good looking down coat with real fur trim hood but its not cheap.

I have the RG x Tatras Bacchus 3/4 length down parka on its way to me so can report back on it when I get it if interested.

 

[ghostface]

i picked up an nau rheostat jacket a few years ago and it's been great.

benefits: the baffling is on the inside of the jacket, leaving the outside simple and sleek. this also allowed them to make the outer waterproof (since there isn't stitching all over the place). as you probably know, the big drawback to down is that it becomes useless when wet. so for me, a waterproof layer is essential. finally, the outer is matte-- i can't stand shiny technical jackets.

i just looked and the newer version of the rheostat is atrocious, unfortunately. if you're looking at buying a used version of the earlier model, size down (the sleeves, in particular, are very long).