Montbell Plasma 1000 Down Jacket

In 2007 I was invited to play viola with the Muir Quartet for a week in Bozeman, Montana and met Montbell for the first time at ProLite Gear, a store fitting the niche market of high-altitude climbers where every ounce counts and every degree of warmth can mean life or death.  The owner, Craig, was in the store and I shared what I did for a living and that I didn’t ever want to be cold again J Craig steered me to the predecessor of this jacket, the MontBell Inner Down and that jacket has never left my suitcase and is a staple from September through April.  The jacket is amazing – 4.8 ounces and packs down into a little bag that is included that is no bigger than a summer sausage and squishy so you can really jam it into your suitcase to take up less space. I can put it on over a dress shirt, t-shirt, sweater and it will then squeeze down when I put my suit coat over it.  When we go to New York City and it’s above 30 degrees, I’ll walk around with a shirt, sweater, this jacket, my sport coat (gloves, hat, scarf) and I’m good.  It’s that amazing.  I could go on and on. Montbell is still not widely available, however, they opened a store in Portland or you can order direct from them, ProLite or others.  Although there are other high end puffy jackets, this one has never been met in my opinion.  No hand pockets

 If you want something a little more affordable, slightly less warm and with pockets – check out their Superior Down Jacket