The MontBell Alpine Light wins our Best Buy Award because you get the most for the price you pay. It is the least expensive of the light alpine down jackets and has other nice features like particularly large hand pockets with a soft fleece lining, and a wind resistant outer fabric that is a bit more durable that the fabric used in the Nitrous and Down Sweater. It stuffs into a separate stuff sack rather than a pocket on the jacket, which is not as convenient as our Editor's Choice winner, North Face Catalyst Jacket - Women's.
All that said, it was really hard to make big distinctions between the competitors and for many people it will come down to style, looks, and what is on sale. Half of the down jackets in this review are very similar in features and quality, those being: the Patagonia Down Sweater, the Mountain HardWear Nitrous jacket, The North Face Catalyst jacket and the MontBell Alpine Light Down Parka - Women's. If you are looking for a lightweight down layer to bring with you into the mountains, one of these jackets will do the job. All four are of similar warmth and have high quality 800 fill goose down, all come with a hooded or non-hooded option, and all stuff and pack easily. Each of these jackets weighs between 10 and 13 ounces, the Nitrous being the lightest and the Catalyst being the heaviest. Prices range from $185 for the hooded Alpine Light Parka to $250 for the hooded Down Sweater and Catalyst jackets.
Check out our complete Women's Down Jacket Review to see how this compared to others.
Hands-on Gear Review |
Street Price:
$195 | Compare prices at 2 resellers
Pros: Lightweight, inexpensive, high quality down, large pockets Cons: Boxy and big fit, No hang loop in collar Best Uses: Alpine climbing, belaying, backpacking
Overview
OutdoorGearLab Editors' Hands-on Review
Likes
The MontBell Alpine Light is a lightweight (12.7 oz.) jacket with high quality down (800 fill) and is on the inexpensive side for such an indispensable piece of gear. The primary fabric is a Ballistic Ripstop Nylon which is fairly wind-resistant and durable. This fabric is slightly heavier than the materials used on the Mountain HardWear Nitrous Jacket and the Patagonia Down Sweater, but is more durable. It also has some interesting features like a small velcro adjustment on the hood rather than a cinch cord, very large zippered hand pockets with a cozy fleece lining, and a separate stuff sack rather than a stuff into the pocket feature. Dislikes The Alpine Light jacket has many plusses to it, but fit is not one of them. Compared with all the other size small jackets, this one fits quite big. This not a huge problem, especially since you will usually be wearing other layers under a lightweight down jacket, but it does let a little more air in with the baggier fit. It is probably the least form fitting of all the jackets, and would be the jacket least likely to be worn around town for everyday use. Another very minor complaint is that there is no loop in the inside collar to hang this jacket on a peg. It was most likely left off to save some weight, but even the extremely light Nitrous jacket has this feature. This may not even matter to most people, but it did make storing the jacket noticeably a bit more of a challenge. Best Application This jacket is great to jam into a climbing pack, carry with you on approaches of any length, and pull out when you find yourself belaying in cold and windy conditions. It would also make a decent puffy to bring along on a backpacking trip because it stuffs down but is very warm for its size. Value For $185 this jacket is a great deal. For that price you get a warm and very functional 800 fill down jacket that stuffs easily into a stuff sack for less than the price of some popular synthetic insulated jackets. It is much less expensive than some of its close competitors in this review, which is why we are giving it the Best Buy Award. MontBell claims this jacket has a high warmth to dollar ratio, and we agree. Other Versions MontBell Alpine Light Down Parka – Men's MontBell Alpine Light Jacket – Women's MontBell Alpine Light Jacket - Men's — McKenzie Long
OutdoorGearLab Member Reviews of MontBell Alpine Light Down Parka - Women'sMost recent review: July 3, 2011
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 MontBell Alpine Light Down Parka - Women's Credit: MontBell
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