mens down?

Question

For the winter, it gets real cold. So i was wondering, i have a pretty good jacket to wear for sping and fall, but not that great for winter. So i need a coat, and I need to decide between a down jacket and a down vest. Im still gonna wear the smaller jacket, but ethier the coat or the vest will go over it. Now i have owned both when i was younger, and i hated the coat and i loved the vest. but the problem is a coat offers more protection and warmth than the vest. but im very active, and a vest alows your arms to be free. And i cant get a jacket with zip-off sleeves, because i would have no where to put them. please help, plus a vest is easyer to put on and take off

Answer 1

If you are gonna wear a smaller jacket underneath, the down vest would feel more comfortable and less restricting than wearing a down jacket on top of another jacket. But as you have said you will get more overall warmth from a down jacket than a down vest. Its up to you really but from what you have written it seems you would be happier with the vest, and if it was really cold you could just bulk up with other layers underneath your smaller jacket.

Answer 2

Skip the down. It may be trendy but it's WAY outdated.

I use a Primaloft vest and a Thermore jacket. Both keep you warm when wet...down doesn't. I can wear both under almost any shell I have and they are no way near as bulky as a down piece would be.

Both are really forgiving if you stuff them into a pack and forget it's there for a week. Pull it out of the bag and it's good to go. Down will start to clump up and the fill will shift after it's been compressed.

Both need little upkeep. Down needs a lot of care to remain functional. Down will hold dirt and oils much more than the synthetics and unless it's kept clean will lose its warmth.

Neither of the synthetics will make you look like the Michelin Man.

I wore my Thermore jacket as a top layer, with EMS Techwick and Bergelene as base layers many days in 10 degree weather and was fine. Both also have pretty good windstopping abilities. Thermore is a bit better at blocking wind than Primaloft, but it also is a bit less breathable.

The temptation to buy down always crossed my mind whenever I would get a new down piece in my store. I'd try it on, it was so nice, and then I would come to my senses and realize that it is 80% less effective than the synthetics I aleady owned.

If you are still not convinced that down is a bad option ask yourself this: Why do geese fly SOUTH every winter if they have a body covered in down?

Answer 3

i know volcom, and i think some foursquare make jackets with down vest liners. so if its kindof brisk out, zip the liner out of your jacket and just rock the down vest. if its pretty cold then seal the liner back in and use the full jacket.

http://www.dogfunk.com/dogfunk/FSQ0112/c11/s20/Foursquare-Brady-Snowboard-Jacket-Mens.html

http://www.dogfunk.com/dogfunk/VLC0632/c11/s20/Volcom-Safari-Snowboard-Jacket-Mens.html

http://www.dogfunk.com/dogfunk/BIL0050/c11/s20/Billabong-Hunted-Jacket-Mens.html

(id go with the volcom one)