Reader Reviews

Rating: 3 / 5

First thoughts on the new cocoon vest:

1)The pertex quantum used has a finer rip stop grid pattern than the original cocoon pull-over, which translates, very subtly, to a stiffer hand and less silky feel, but it's still a very nice feeling fabric.

2)The armpit and waist elastic are snug enough to minimize heat loss, but not so tight as to be at all uncomfortable. (This is for a size medium, going over a 34 waist). General fit on me is comfortably snug in the shoulders, and generous in the torso without being too big.

3)For some reason, contact warmth is great--put this on, and you immediately start to feel warmer.

4)Length on me is perfect. I'm 5'9", but have a longish torso. If I reach up or bend over, the bottom of the vest stays put, both front and back. Others have said they wished the new cocoon pull-over had a longer tail, but I think one could be 3" or 4" taller and still find the vest OK in this regard.

5)The windblock channel behind the very smooth zipper is twice as wide (about 5/8") as on the original cocoon pullover, which seems like a good thing.

6)The collar is nice and high, and, because of Quantum's wonderful hand, quite comfortable. But this leads me to the vest's one, not insignificant, shortcoming--

7)The opening of the neck is unnecessarily large. For some reason, measured folded together flat, and compared to a first generation Large cocoon pullover, the neck for a Medium cocoon vest is 1" longer than for the pull-over. (equivalent to a 2" larger circumference.) I'm a bit afraid this is going to leak a lot of heat, and render the top 4" of the generously deep half-zipper redundant.

So, all in all, this vest is definitely a 5 until one comes to the collar diameter. If one consistently wears it with a hood, this probably won't be a problem, but without a hood,
a real opportunity for a very snug garment has been lost, unless I'm missing something--hence the 3 star rating. With a hood, 6 stars.

James--that's exactly the combination I have, a large (original) pull-over and a (current) medium vest, and they work brilliantly together. Despite the fact that the (current) vest neck is larger than the (original)pull-over neck, I can zip both pieces all the way up without, I think, squashing the insulation noticeably. The extra vest neck material just seems to fold or accordion out of the way. If I wear the hood with the vest and the pull-over, I'm not able to zip the pull-over all the way up, just as I'm not using the pull-over alone, though the vest zips nicely over the hood. Together, these pieces seem warmer than some sleeping bags I own, though I haven't tried them yet on a cold night.

Edited by swimjay on 06/25/2007 15:36:42 MDT.

Rating: 4 / 5

I ordered the vest and hooded pullover in size large. While the pullover is sized large enough to layer over other garments, and is perfect for me, the vest seems huge, particularly since I was planning to use it under the pullover. I do not own any size medium garments, but will be exchanging the vest for one.

Rating: 5 / 5

I ordered the medium because that is what I wear in a Patagonia Micro-Puff, but the neck was too big for me, too. I have replaced it with a small, and the fit is perfect.

I prefer the zipper over the snaps on the Patagonia.

Also, I'm not a pencil neck, just ask BPL's customer support...

Edited by hikerfan4sure on 07/05/2007 20:05:12 MDT.

Rating: 3 / 5

Top materials and an absolute minimum of features make this a perfect vest - *on paper*.

However the shape & fit spoil it for me.

Firstly the vest is waay to baggy in the torso: even without trying it on you can see that the shape of the vest is almost square - laid out flat it's almost wider than it is long. I usually wear a medium (5'8", 160lbs) without issue: the medium in this was huge, amusingly so. The small is still too big, but I can't go any smaller because the small is also too short: it constantly rides up to my belly button. Some room under a parka might make sense for layering, but under a vest??

The bagginess aspect isn't just a fashion gripe: all that extra air moving in and out under the vest is pumping out out heat.

Similarly the collar is strangely too large as well, which means you can't get a good seal. Arms are ok.