Just thought I would pass this along, mine came in today, and it appears to be the new style. Actually all of their insulated jackets and parkas are marked off.


Montbell UL Down Inner Parka

Edited by pcaulder on 09/22/2009 16:28:38 MDT.

Thanks for the heads up...so can you confirm it's the new style? Does it have cinch cords for the hood and waist hem?

BTW, the hood cinch is pretty darn hard to use.

Hey Dan,

It does have both the hood and waist cinch cords, and it has a velcro tab on the back of the hood. I would have never even known about the hood cinch because they were stuffed up in these little slots in the hood. I took some pictures too.


And the weight for a 2xl is 10.6 oz in the stuff sack. Does that sound about right? I don't want to steer anyone wrong if it is the old style. Frontcountry.com site has the same new specs as montbell.com

Edited by pcaulder on 09/22/2009 17:22:28 MDT.

That's definately the new style...nice find. I think I'm going to order one for my wife because the wmns one are on sale for $129.

The velcro adjuster on the back of the hood is nice, but the actual bungie cord adjusters are really tough to use. You need to work them out of the fabric tubes they are in and then work the cord tighter. It's nearly impossible with the parka on (I did it once but it took 5 min) and definately impossible with gloves. I'm not too upset about this though because the waist cinch works good and the hood fits well normally. So the only time I'd use the hood cinch is if it's going to be a really cold night and I'm sleeping in the parka.

Yea I was actually kind of surprised these were marked down. I figured they were marking down the 2008 model to make room for the new stuff, and then I opened it today and found out it was a new one. The hood cinch was pretty confusing at first. I felt the cord in there but it took me a minute to find the ends. They have a lot of good prices on a bunch of their clothing, Overall, I am pretty happy with it. This is the first piece of montbell clothing I have owned, and I can definitely tell it will serve it's purpose well.

Edited by pcaulder on 09/22/2009 17:48:40 MDT.

If only they made tall versions

I wonder why the blue model is the only one with the black sides. Strange

Any idea whether these are the new US sized versions, or the original Japanese sized ones?

If it's the new features, it should be the new sizes also. I just ordered a M, so we'll see.

They switched to US sizing a long time ago now. No reason for them to switch back to Japanese sizing on the new versions, that would just be confusing.

Does the women's version have pockets?

FWIW, I have the size medium in the latest version of this parka. I'm 5'11" and 160lbs and it fits me well. The sleeves are great and the torso has lots of room. The length of the jacket is borderline though, so I wouldn't get a medium if you are taller than me. A medium probably best fits someone who's about 5'9" but larger in the torso (ie. 175lbs).

I'm pretty sure the wmns version has pockets. The previous version had the two exterior hip pockets plus one more pocket on the inside. I'm not sure if the inside pocket is still there.

I'm 155 lbs, 5'7" and the medium fits very well. I wouldn't want to go any smaller, as the chest is almost too tight. It is a bit disproportionately roomy in the lower abdomen, but the cinch cord works well and more than makes up for it. The hood cinching system could be improved, as well as lighter cordage used, but it's much better than not having anything there.

Weight came in at 8.35 oz. @ size M in Rust (great color!)

(and .2 oz. for the stuff sack)

It says right on the tag:
Europe M / Japan L, so it is western sizing, but on the "athletic" side still - I'd order up a size if it is to be used as a belay parka.

The comment above mentions that the medium is probably sized better for someone that is 5'9" and 175 lbs.

Does anyone have any experience with the sizing of the women's parkas? I would like to have one that is longer in length and in the sleeves and be tighter in the chest. I am 5'11" and 140 with a couple rolls of quarters in my pocket. So if the women's versions were slimmer but not any shorter I would be happy. That is as long as I can find one in a color other than pink or purple.

Or does anyone know if any other manufactures make a jacket with a slimmer fit?

We recieved a small Dark mallard wmns Parka today. Compared to the old version, the new version is definately longer. Montbell said that new ones are about an inch longer. I don't have the old one to compare, but I would say it's a solid 2" longer which is great. The other one was really short on my wife but this one fits well.

The weight is pretty much the same, 192g for the old one and 191g for the new one. That's pretty impressive that they added down, made it longer and added the hem and waist cinch without adding weight. Montbell specs the new one at 7.7oz for a medium and my wife's small weighs 6.72oz.

In response to the above question about fit, I suspect the womens are a slimmer fit. The mens torso appears to be pretty much a straight cut whereas the womens is a bit more shaped like this: )(

The current colors for the wmns are gender neutral in my opinion. The rust in particular could easily be a mens color. However, the quilting on these seems a bit feminine and so does the )( cut in the torso.