I have a Patagonia nanopuff. It keeps me warm into the 40s. I'm now looking for something warmer than that for lower temps.

Here's what I'm considering:
1.) Marmot Zeus
2.) Montbell UL Down Jacket, or
3.) GoLite Bitterroot.

Not sure about the temps people wear these in. I like that I can wear my nanopuff under my (ugly-ass yellow) O2 Rainwear jacket for a little insulation in the rain. The Zeus and Bitterroot may not work for this. I'm also aware that the Bitterroot has a hood.

What's the community low-down on these three? Thanks in advance for your consideration.

The MB UL Down Jacket has about the same warmth as the Nano Puff depending on your met. It is a slimmer cut and works well UNDER the Nano as a booster insulation layer. This combo could take you down to 0c easily with a base and light fleece midlayer. The Bitteroot is much much warmer and could keep you warm down to about -10c or so with just a base and lightweight fleece underneath, again depending on your met.

Is there a reason you are not considering the RAB Infinity? I adore mine and it is possible to get it at a discount if you wait it out (I got mine for $143 on Campsaver on a lucky day). And Pertex Quantum fabric is the bomb diggity!

This article helped me to decide:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/down_jacket_shootout_rab_golite.html

It's mostly cost. I see the other three on the gear trade with some frequency in the $80-$100 range. I've even seen some Patagonia ultralight down jackets for not much more. The Rab infinity is usually a lot more. (I don't ever remember seeing a deal like you got.)

I live in the southeast US, so I rarely see the type of (soul-sucking) winter cold I did growing up next to Lake Erie. Still, the single digits I've seen in north Georgia are a little more than my nanopuff can accommodate. Any jacket I go with will be a "sometimes" jacket, so I'm fine with a used one as not to break the bank. The trouble is, I'm not sure which to go with.

Craig, I'm in NE Bama and hike a lot on the Cumberland Plateau, so probably face pretty much the same conditions as you temp-wise. For me, the Nanopuff is shoulder season gear. When it gets "soul-sucking" cold as it can occasionally in the SE, I turn to a real down jacket (in my case a WM Vapor). The Montbell isn't going to be enough for you when it's real cold unless you use multiple other layers. The Bitteroot however is something you can throw on over whatever you hike in when you stop moving, and you'll be warm. As cheap as those can be had, that would be my choice in your shoes.

This past week I hiked in wintry mix getting down into the 20's....while on the move, my Icebreaker 200 top and Capilene 4 Hoody were plenty adequate, but as soon as we stopped it got COLD- it was gusting 30+, and with my Vapor (which has Windstopper) I was toasty.

Wait for a Patagucci down jacket with the DWR treated down. Their treatment looks like the best since it is deposited at the molecular level.

Or look at other companies for similarly treated DWR down. For the future that is going to be the better answer for a down garment, including bags.

My Eddie Bauer First Ascent Down Sweater in pictured in my avatar. Got it for $89. on sale 3 years ago. You may find a good deal on that if you also wait a bit. Will Reitveld gave it a good review in his comparo of light down jackets.

I wouldn't hold my breath on the DWR down stuff. Think about how down insulates and then think about what adding a coating to it does as far as weighing it down and not allowing for the same loft. Unless they made this industry-changing coating weightless.

*I'm honestly not sure why mankind is constantly thinking it can best nature.

Chris, wouldn't that depend on how the down is processed after removal? Is the down processed at all to remove any natural oils (making it more waterproof while on the bird)?

I'm pretty certain they steam clean the %^&* out of it to get full loft capability. I'm not an ornithologist, but I don't think it has too much oil on it while on the birds either. The down is kind of an undercoat and the feathers on top provide most of the water resistance. Of course I could be completely wrong on that. :-)


That said, why steam clean and strip off any natural oils to get max loft only to recoat with a man-made coating?

Edited by simplespirit on 12/30/2012 12:19:37 MST.

I have a Nanopuff and the Montbell UL Inner. I think the Montbell is slightly warmer than the Nanopuff and it has pockets and is lighter but, overall, I use it for similar temps.

I just got a Marmot Zeus for my father and it's a much more substantial jacket and should be significantly warmer (and heavier.) Comparable to the First Ascent Downlight. The Zeus seems cut roomier than the Downlight.

First of all, thank you to all posters for the valuable information.

From what I'm reading, a UL down jacket... be it the Montbell UL Down Jacket, Patagonia Down Sweater of Patagonia UL Down Jacket... may offer me a little weight reduction, but will put me in the same warmth range as a nanopuff (give or take).

The Bitterroot and Zeus are a bit more substantial, however. So...

Ignoring the hood difference, throw out some pros and cons... and let me add a third jacket (which I believe is of the same ilk)... the Montbell Highland Down Jacket.

GoLite Bitterroot
Marmot Zeus
Montbell Highland

FIGHT!

Seriously, though. I greatly appreciate the feedback!!!!

Bitterroot - 5 oz 850 fill, 13 oz finished
Zeus - 3.5 oz 800 fill, 14.4 oz finished
Highland - 3 oz 650 fill, 12.2 oz finished

The Zeus is a ~ 30F jacket. The Highland won't be as warm as the Zeus, but will be more resistant to humidity based loft collapse.

The Bitterroot is by far the warmest of the bunch and would be my choice out of those 3 for sub-freezing conditions.

Hi Craig - You may have seen this review already, but just in case I offer it to further confuse things :)

http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Down-Jacket-Reviews

Greg

Edited by spindrifter on 12/31/2012 09:56:20 MST.

I would throw in the Montbell Alpine Light jacket

"You may have seen this review already..."

Thanks and Arrrrrrrgh. :)

For what you want, Golite Bitteroot hands down. It is a really nice except for the finiky two way zipper but a great value.

The Mont Bell UL jacket is great too (as is the Alpine Light) but the UL is only good to freezing or so to me.