When I was at the winter Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City this past January, I was lucky enough to stumble upon the Montane booth. Admittedly, I was completely unfamiliar with Montane, but I spent some time chatting with the PR rep, and I learned enough to become intrigued. Why? Honestly, the price point of a lot of their gear is significantly lower than that of competing companies but they still have equal quality of gear. Not a bad combo, right?!
I kept in touch with the PR peeps and was very excited when they offered to send me a jacket of my choice. I took a look at their inventory, and finally settled on the Featherlite Down Jacket. Not only do I wear down jackets a lot in the winter, but I was also hoping to find one that would make a great summer jacket for high alpine adventures. After choosing the Featherlite, I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best!
Fortunately, Montane has a PR office located around the corner from me so I received the down jacket just before our backcountry trip to McNamara Hut. Three days playing in the snow in the middle of nowhere seemed like the perfect time to break in the coat, but I’ve waited until now to offer up my final opinion because I wanted to romp around through spring and a bit of summer, too. My final thoughts?
1. The packable size of the Feather Down Jacket is awesome.\
As you can see from the photo above, the Featherlite comes with an included stuff sack that helps pack the jacket down to a tiny size. While this isn’t a defining criteria for me, it sure is helpful when packing for multi-day trips. Since it takes up minimal space in my pack, I find myself throwing the jacket in for every trip just in case. At just 12.9 ounces, I’ve even been chucking it into my daypack for summit days on 14ers—after all, it keeps me toasty on the mountain and weighs practically nothing!
2. A Hood Makes Me Smile.
When I saw that the Featherlite had a hood, I was sold! None of my other down jackets have a hood, and we all know that the majority of our body heat shoots out via our noggins. I had plenty of opportunities to test out the hood this winter and during our recent backpacking trip to Capitol, and I am a huge fan. Not only does it keep me extra warm, but it also has a brim that helps deflect any moisture from my face. Honestly, I’m not sure I’ll ever go back to a hoodless down jacket!
3. Fitted and Flattering.
Montane is a UK-based company so it didn’t surprise me that the Featherlite was more form-fitting and snug. After all, most European companies tend to use that fitted style with all of their gear. Admittedly, it took me a few days to get used to having such a tight down jacket since I am used to the bulkier counterparts in the States. However, once I realized I wasn’t going to put 16 layers underneath the coat (nor did I need to), I came to love the flattering fit. For climbers, this jacket is awesome because you can easily fit your harness right over the base of the coat. Additionally, I learned that the Featherlite fits perfectly underneath a shell in wet conditions. We got rained on a few times on our Buffalo Peaks Wilderness trip, but I knew a simple shell wouldn’t keep me warm and dry. I put my Featherlite underneath a soft shell, and I was toasty and bone dry. Perfect combination!
4. Bottom Line.
In terms of a lightweight and packable down jacket, I think the Featherlite is a great investment. Like I mentioned above, it’s become a staple in my backpack during any outdoor adventure, and it seems to keep me comfortable through a wide range of temperatures. Would this be the perfect coat for a –20 winter trip to Yellowstone? Probably not because it simply wouldn’t be warm enough on its own. However, I think it is the perfect coat for year-round activity, and it made for a pleasant first foray in the Montane world.
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Do you own a down jacket? Which one?