Packed size of Macpac downjacket

[portlester]

Hi guys

Thinking of buying our first down jackets for my son and myself - to be used mostly as campwear on ovenight to 3 day hikes in Victoria. Currently having a look (via the web that is) at the Macpac Halojacket, Sundowner & Sundowner XP (I like the look & previous comments on the Sundowner XP, but not sure I can afford two of them at once).

The Macpac site does not state the packed size for these jackets, and I'm nowhere near a store so am unable to check myself. Since each has its own stuffsac (and the fact they are at the cheaper end of the price range for down jackets), I'm assuming they don't pack up overly small but hopefully smaller & lighter than our current fleece jackets. Would anyone have an idea of the size of these jackets when packed in their stuff sacs?

[wayno]

i've got the sundowner Xp mens size
don't know where my stuff sack for it is , so i've stuffed it into the chest pocket can go smaller if you put it in an airtight bag which is what i do with it when i'm walking with it... its 650 down i think which is what most jackets are. but you can get 850 down jackets that will stuff smaller for the volume of down and you'll be paying a lot more for it too...
remember this isnt a down "sweater" those have a lot less down in them, are less warm. and you can recognise them from having a far greater no of compartments you'll se the jackets are stitched through a lot more with the smallerr compartments...

[tastrax]

They are little bulky (the full jackets) - this is a shot of a Sundowner XP XXL

[Robatman]

I've got the sundowner non xp for snow and really happy with it. Not as hot as I expected but good to zero. 50% off sale on now as well.

[roysta]

Does what you're buying have to be Down?
Why don't you try a synthetic, like a MontBell Thermawrap Pro?
Beautiful jacket, 485g.

[dannnnn]

i have a sundowner mens L.. it packs down to a little bit larger than the size of a 1L nalgene bottle. i guess about a 1.5L in size. it is a good jacket, recently too it to switzerland with me and it was good for down to -15deg. had to wear a fair bit under it (thermals, scarf, fleece jacket) but i never got cold!!

[paddlpop]

Great jacket the XP. Obviously individuals vary as to temperature. I've worn mine in -25 in Canada with only a skivvy underneath and been perfectly warm...
May not want to sit around like that though but I wasn't being that active either. That's why I prefer winter.. still overheat but so much nicer than sweating like a pig in summer !!!

Got a macpac equinox too.....walking in -30 had to take it off..
I was wearing 3 layers and got too warm!

[wayno]

some canadians were visiting nz and said it was the coldest place they'd ever been, dampness in the air can draw the heat out of you faster than dry cold

[Moondog55]

Canadians and other Nortamericanos I have worked with at Mt Buller and Falls Creek all say the same thing, and these are folk who work and ski in temperatures of -30C all the time

[radson]

Im with roysta. I wouldn't be getting down for Australian conditions. Montbell and Patagonia make some great synthetic gear which will suit more variable conditions than most down jackets would with the exception perhaps of the new range of hydrophilic down products hitting the market in the US...sorry and soon in sea to summit sleeping bags.

[Hallu]

I have a Patagonia nanopuff, tried it this week end on really cold winds on the Bogong High Plains, worked like a charm. Incredibly light but warm. And I prefer layering (one merino shirt and one merino sweat shirt below the nanopuff), it's less puffy than a big down jacket. The Arc'Teryx Atom is also well recommended by reviewers, both can be found on sale around the 120 $ range at online US shops.

[Moondog55]

While a totally different process I have Nikwaxed all my down gear for decades, they still get wet but dry out in a tenth the time

[radson]

Im a bit of a gear head, I have Arteryx Atom, Patagonia DAS and mont bell synthetic jackets. I do love the Atom LT for climbing or hiking with a pack on

[tibboh]

I have the Equinox XP. I have found that if you dont use the stuff sack the jacket can be squeezed in around the edges of other solid objects in your pack filling smaller voids, adding extra padding around stove etc. You can really stuff it in to compress fairly well.

[wayno]

hydrophilic down is a gimmick , it still eventually wets out, just takes longer,

[radson]

Why is that a gimmick? I have never really understood down in marginal conditions anyways but for something like Alpine NZ, a down jacket that was more resistant to water would be awesome.

[wayno]

i read an article that stated the water eventually gets into the water resistant down over time,

[blacksheep]

well...you may have read an article, but I've been using one of our Nova jackets filled with DuPont water resistant 750fp down for a while now. I think it's pretty good at delivering on properly managed expectations. Even after immersing a jacket fully in water the loft returned to maybe 75% of full function virtually immediately. Perhaps your read on hydrophobic down (not hydrophilic down wayno, water loving down would indeed be a silly gimmick )is very differently to mine- I sure don't see it as a rain coat, but I do see it as a potential life saver in an incident..imagine in a remote wilderness location and somehow your key (down)insualtion gear got wet- previously you assummed it was essentially useless while wet, with a long dry time- this can make survival, or at least sleep very unlikely. This technology allows a much better recovery from the worst case scenarios. Perhaps water will affect over time, but that's hardly the point...it's the greatly reducing the effect of water in unintentional contact where I view the positioning.
I'm pretty impressed so far...but I did find myself getting my jacket wet and going out in it in Japan wet in January "just to see" (it froze).

[wayno]

its still a few months away from being relesed but theres another synthetic technology coming out from polartec, called alpha, more breathable. dries faster.
http://www.polartec.com/warmth/polartec ... nials.aspx

[wayno]

different brands are taking different directions on whether to use chemically treated water resistant down
outdoor research and westcomb dont want to use it.

http://www.thegearcaster.com/the_gearca ... acket.html

http://www.thegearcaster.com/the_gearca ... ction.html

[portlester]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

I now know what size I'm looking at when the down jackets are packed, which is good. However I also now need to consider some of the synthetic alternatives that have been mentioned. It's never an easy decision I must admit (I've been out of this scene for such a long time) that I just assumed that down jackets were the bees knees wrt to warmth & packability.

Thanks again. I'm off for a bit more research by the look of things.

[Moondog55]

Down jackets ARE the bees knees in the correct circumstances, but when temperatures are in the 5 to -5 C range I find a lightweight synthetic is more reliable for active wear insulation. If I could have both I would use the down jacket for around the camp/sleeping in and have the other for stopping in exposed country. Google belay jackets, I would be happy to bivvy in the combination of a good light down parka and a DAS parka over the top, so long as the down garment did not get compressed

[radson]

yeah a Patagonia DAS is a great compromise for warmth in an environment that might get wet. I tried to get a hold of the Patagonia Encapsil but was too late for the first batch.

[andrewa]

Moondog, that's my approach. I now use a RAB something or other synthetic 300g parka with hood and pockets for use during the day, and then chuck a second jacket over the top over the top for more warmth ( either a Montbell extreme light dwn jkt, or a Bozeman Mtn Works Cocoon Jkt). Whilst the combination may be heavier than a jkt of similar warmth, the split system is more functional for my use.

A

[Robatman]

I didn't realise people wore insulated jackets while moving.. I just wear a polypropylene thermal under my shell for anytime I am walking(snow shoeing). Even in slightly below zero i find the movement keeps me warm enough- its just those 5 minute breaks where you start to feel the cold. (Wish I could say the same for my toes- the movement doesn't help there until after about an hour!)
For sitting around that's when the down jacket comes out for me- hence the comment I made good to zero. I get a cold back if I am sitting around reading outside for an hour or so with just the sundowner on.

Just got my sundowner last year so will be few years before I replace and get to try some of the synthetic ones.

[Moondog55]

Sometimes I need a jacket on until I warm up on cold mornings, and definitely when I stop.
The insulated jacket for moving was me thinking about the newer super-lights, Patagonia Nanopuff specifically or for much colder temperatures.
I sweat too much as it is and my usual clothing is just a wind-shell ( or goretex jacket ) and long johns too

[slparker]

Anyone used a montane prism jacket? It's synthetic, very light...

[wayno]

down absorbs sweat too much to be walking around in... often its too hot.

[wayno]

theres an article here, requires a fee
it goes into pros and cons of various insulation types in wind

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin ... UjlaBcnqQ0

basically the stronger the wind the worse down performs compared to fleece and synthetic jackets but its an indepth article