Pity on those freezin' in upper 40*s. Is it December yet? Throw another log on the fire...

Kudos to Marlin for turning me on to the parka. Better than I thought in the wind and this morning I was able to give it a better test. It is freakin freezing here this morning with temps in the upper 40's . This thing is awesome!

I really can't believe how light it is. You literally don't know you have it on with no binding points at all. Weight wise it is probably on par with a t-shirt. It comes with a small stuff sack but if I were not confident of my packs waterproofing system I would consider storing it in a waterproof stuff sack much like many do with their down bags (especially if this parka was a primary source of warmth).

With recent revelations I have to change my thinking when it comes to how much I can carry. I have always had the attitude that because I could do XYZ 30 years ago I still can. A little fine-tuning might be in order and this U.L. parka is a step in that direction.

As for sizing this might help. I'm 5'10" and 205 (soon to be 175 ) and an x-large fits me about perfect. Check out Marlins review at the top of this thread for a sneak peek.  

MT

U might want to size the Montbell, I am running a large

Dont feel bad...here I will help yah a bit.....The jacket is constructed in China. Western Mountaineering makes some nice stuff too; the ol;d summerlite bag was the one that I used for this trip...Yah I know I am using down on a soft water trip

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US made...

Mad_Mat wrote on Nov 5^th, 2010 at 12:39pm:



No Larges!! Double Rats!

Hey Rats,  

if your really interested, you can find it at 20% off on the Montbell website -  curse on the the "clothing" on the menu bar, and you get a dropdown menu with "web specials"  in case this link does not work

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Montbell gear is top shelf quality.  I have one sleeping bag, and thier U.L. Thermawrap vest. Have had it for maybe four years now and its become a favorite - I bring the vest on most trips nowadays, as an extra layer if/when needed - and its packed in with my hunting stuff right now, as a matter of fact, in case it gets colder than expected for hunting this week.  The Thermawrap stuff is on par with their UL Down series - I lucked out in thier store and picked the vest up for $59 - like Marlin said, I wouldn't go bushwhacking with it as an outer layer, but its held up finne for my use so far.

Rats! It's already sold out!

Nice review. You got me 1/2 way on the parka. Now if I can just figure out where to come up with the other half  

So, heres the deal. Have run the stove on two trips and the jacket on one.

First of I will start with the jacket....Impressive and very efficient on many levels. Gossamer light at 9 oz. and packs into a bit bigger that a baseball size; the only way that I know I have on is the fact that I am toasty warm in it-no weight felt. The shell is indeed very light weight synthetic, light enough that I did not leave it unattended due to the real concern that it would fly off like a kite nor would I hardcore bushwack with it for fear of snags and holes-neither of which occurred on this last trip and I did cut and collect a decent amount of firewood on this trip. I find it marriage worthy. I am posting this link due to the first impressions and the fact that it is on sale via the site linked. I also let a friend wear it for a portion of a walk recently, she was sold too. It is in my gear to stay, until it is no more or more duck tape that jacket. Jacket in video.

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Next is the SnowPeak White Gas Stove on Gillis. Again it is cheezy and with virus so your forewarned. 10 leisurely one pot meals (not freeze dried) were cooked and many hot drinks heated on the stove(stress on the leisurely cooking methodology and a multitude of hot brews) using just shy of 2 "brimmed" 22 oz fuel bottles. From that perspective fuel consumption mirrors NOLS fuel consumption information for summer use of a MSR Whisperlite, and IMHO better than the MSR Dragonfly. But the verdict is still out for me, I shall see in the long haul on the other hand it was the only stove I brought on this trip but then I the cooking fire option as back up. If I blow it up like the old 123R climber I'll let yah know.

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