Dean from United States, CA Public Profile

This jacket is pretty stylish and pretty well made. However, this is about the thinnest down jacket I have ever seen. Since a jackets warmth comes from the trapped air inside, the more trapped air, or loft, it has, the better. Because of the narrow and very tightly compacted baffles on this jacket, it has almost no loft. Just from looking at it, I didn't think it could provide much in the way of warmth. Compared this jacket to a Western Mountaineering Flash Jacket which actually has much less down in it (by weight), but has about 4 times as much loft. This jacket is not nearly as warm as the Flash Jacket.

Regardless of what you read in other reviews, down is not a natural insulator as many synthetic materials are. Down only provides warmth by trapping air (loft). There is no warmth in a down jacket without loft (trapped air). If you really want a thin jacket, and also want warmth, then stay away from down jackets, and get a synthetic jacket.

I can afford most any down jacket on the market. I have been looking for a better quality, better down, more down, jacket for some time. I had never heard of Montane until I found this jacket at CampSaver. Frankly, I believe it is a much better design, and a much better execution (build) than anything else on the market, at any price. If you are looking for an excellent quality and warm down jacket, then I would recommend this jacket.