I'm researching down jackets - ugh! I'm not happy with the choices offered for women, I know they are cute, but not practical! I'm wondering if the Montbell Half Sleeve might be an alternative for me? It has the practical construction of a men's jacket, but sleeve length wouldn't be a problem. I'm looking at a medium, I'm 5'2" and have a 39" chest. Please chime in, positive or negative. Thx.

I love my half-sleeve!

It's light, warm, nice collar, snaps instead of zipper, warm pockets, and I can add wool arm warmers to handle cooler temps if needed.

I'm 6'1", 180, wear a size 42 jacket, and mine is a Large. It fits nicely - Can layer over it easier than I can under it. I don't know how to address the chest issue, so I'll leave that to someone else! :)

I tried on the womens and did not like all the extra quilting.
I have 2 mens Montbell jackets in size medium- an Alpine Light and a UL Down Inner. They fit just fine.
I am 5'6'" and 165-170, 41 in chest.
You might want to look at small.
I initially ordered mens large and it was way big-went down to mid thigh
Montbell was great at processing the returns.

Edited by JennyMcFarlane on 06/18/2011 20:57:57 MDT.

Thanks God Jennifer chimed in, ah Todd?!!

Jennifer, do you have a picture of you wearing the down inner? I want to see how long it is. Mid thigh on the large makes me think I should definitely try the small. Technically the smalls are only supposed to go to 37 inch chest, though. But the medium is supposed to top out at 40 and you made that work.

"Thanks God Jennifer chimed in, ah Todd?!! "

Whew! Dodged that one :)

Hi Terri,

I am 5'7", ~130, and have a 36 inch chest, and have a men's small alpine light parka. It's pretty roomy on the upper body.(I could get rid of ~3 inches of fabric circumference in the chest area of the jacket and still be fine for layering.) So depending on how much layering you like to do, you might want to size up. Length wise though, a small will already be pretty long on you.

Edited by choyoyo on 06/19/2011 10:15:18 MDT.

It hits low on my hips- I only wear it like that when I am really cold because it's a sort of a snug fit. I usually just pull it up a few inches so it does not ride at the widest point on my hips.

I went through the same thing you did- looking at their specs- taking my measurements and making my best guess.
I ordered the mens large first- too big.
Womens Xlarge- too big.

If you are ordering direct from Montbell (which I did)- and think you might be between the two sizes- they told me to order both and keep the one that fit the best and return the other. I'm sure you could do the same thing with places like Campsaver and Backcountry too.

One other plus of the Down Inner is the under side of the wrists is a stretchy material so that it stays on your wrist and doesn't have puffy stuff that gets in the way during food prep or when you are eating.

I think Juliana is right, I'm on the S/M border and should probably go up. I really appreciate the picture Jennifer, it's helpful I understand it's length. I am shorter, but I think I can folder under or squish it up. I'm also going with the half sleeve, so I won't have the arm length. The men's is just a better product, so I want to go with the men's!

I agree
Probably important for you to know I am very short waisted- really, I have no waist- only hips and my legs are the same length as my 6 foot 2 husband- 32 inch inseam.
So you might find the medium fits you the same way it fits me.