RAB neutrino/neutrino plus others for Oz winter

[andrewa]

Having a look at Rab stuff, wanting a relatively light but very cozy jkt for sitting around at night on Bogong. Has anyone got some thought about these particular ones?

I have Bozeman Mtn Wrks coccon parka, and Montbell ex light down jkt, and together they are warm enough, but would like another option, so as to share with family.

A

[KANANGRABOYD]

AndyA,
Seems like you based on the fact you have those high end products you should know what the next step up is.
The Neutrino is nice isn't it.
Well so is the Bitteroot jacket - but hell if you find one then you are a magician!!!
The new Patagonia is waaaaaay to expensive
TNF/Marmot/MHW etc all make some nice stuff
Then there's the cottage guys...
I've been looking at some in-betweeners too - what about the MONTBELL MIRAGE JACKET??
Also you could go with say a MONT jacket ( but even thought they are really well made they are wayy expensive)
Of course you could go with Feathered Friends or Western Mountaineering too.
Also some of those Eddie Bauer First Ascent items are pretty good too.
Tell us what you want?
- Baffled/Non baffled
- Length
- Fill weight ( grams of down fill)
- Fill type ( goose or Duck )
- max Weight
- bombproof or not
- Max expenditure
- usage ( in number of days per year )
Give us and idea of these things to get better answers.
Cheers,
KB

[wayno]

theres heaps of good brands to choose from,
also Outdoor research is reasonably priced and good quality.
i'm looking at picking up a montbell alpine light jacket but only because i'm going where i can try one on first, good gear but careful with the sizing, they can size small , i've been told the ones sold in the us are sized differently from the ones sold in asia... not sure how it works with sizing down under

[biggbird]

I have a neutrino, and love it. Plenty warm enough for me down here in Tassie. However, I've never owned another, or really looked into the technical aspects too much, so probably not the best one to give advice! Gets a positive vote from me though.

[Moondog55]

Well you probably know my thoughts, a Patagonia DAS to go over whatever lightweight down parka you already have, not the lightest option tho a very safe one and bulky compared to anything using 850 loft down

[Onestepmore]

i'm looking at picking up a montbell alpine light jacket but only because i'm going where i can try one on first, good gear but careful with the sizing, they can size small , i've been told the ones sold in the us are sized differently from the ones sold in asia... not sure how it works with sizing down under

Mont Bell sizing
I bought my 16 year old daughter a Montbell alpine light parka and got her the large - she's norrmally a size 12 Aust women's. That jacket is kind of a boxy cut, not fitted or shaped, for instance like my Rab one (though possibly the men's are different)
Some of the Mont Bell stuff will specifically say that it's in the Japanese sizes (which are smaller) The US sizes are larger.
For instance I needed to get the Japanese XL size for the thermawrap skirt, and I'm an Aust size 14 (which I think is a US size 12?).
I needed the women's large in the down pants, men's medium for their dynamo wind pants - so called unisex.
I have the lighter Xlite down jacket instead of carrying a fleece. http://www.campsaver.com/ex-light-down-jacket-women-s. It packs up to the size less than a can of coke in it's stuff sac but could be compressed down to about half of that. I will wear this over a long sleeved merino thermal to sleep in at night at times too (I'm a wuss in the cold)
It's a US large, Japanese XL size.
I usually buy US size medium

So I would say size up.
Take care, as the Mont Bell fabrics are quite delicate - very soft silky feel.

[wayno]

yeah is it the ex lite jacket is 7 denier fabric..... thats as thin as it gets....

[stry]

After a couple of cool mornings in NZ, I bought a W/M Meltdown. It has been excellent so far when sitting around in temps about zero (C).

Once you get into the better quality fabrics and higher lofting down (800plus) you pretty much enter into a straightout more warmth equals more weight scenario.

I am a fan of W/M but you may get more warmth for your buck with RAB. RAB also have a wider range than W/M.

[DarrenM]

Hi Andrew,

A little info here but not loads..... http://forums.ski.com.au/forums/ubbthre ... ost1995402