I have a mountain hardware down jacket without a hood. It has kept me pretty warm but there are definitely times where I would like my head/neck to be warmer. For Socal Mountains, occasionally the Sierra and Mt. Shasta/Hood, should I consider getting a down jacket with a hood? Does the hood make a big enough difference to justify getting a second down jacket?

manfromnantucket wrote:instead of buying another down jacket, buy a das parka. you shouldn't have anymore problems being cold....

+1

That thing is a portable oven. It's great.

If you wanna save some green, buy a down cap. I know MH makes one (Compressor Dome maybe?). Anyway, if you're handy with a needle, it would be a fairly simple DIY to attach the back of the hat to the collar of the jacket. If you aren't that confident, a tailor should be able to do it for you.

I've used down jackets with and without hoods and there is a big difference.

WML wrote:

manfromnantucket wrote:instead of buying another down jacket, buy a das parka. you shouldn't have anymore problems being cold....

+1

That thing is a portable oven. It's great.

How is that on weight though, since its synthetic instead of down?

29 oz. is the weight, definitely worthwhile for a winter overnighter or for a cold-weather belay parka.

If you did want another down jacket, consider getting a Feather Friends. You can get the lightweight Helios with a hood or a midweight Volant with a removable hood. I have the Volant and it is an excellent jacket.

You could try feather friends or western mountaineering and see if they'd sell you a hood. then sew it to your jacket.

WML wrote:29 oz. is the weight, definitely worthwhile for a winter overnighter or for a cold-weather belay parka.

It's also nice to have a synthetic jacket if you're someplace wet and cold (think long hanging belay on a Cascade alpine ice route in freezing rain). And the hood does help a lot. Note DAS parka on climber in foreground, toasty warm at camp in 10F at 14,200'.

I love down. Granted, I don't tend to frequent very wet climates (and if I did then I'd probably love synthetic), but I just break into a smile when I pull my MH down off the closet rack and pack it into the pack for a trip.

I'd stick with MH if you can. The MH down I have is the absolute zero, a big jacket without a hood that is excellent (maybe the one you have). I've worn it in light rain with out a shell and had no problems, worn it bushwacking through thick willow groves to fly fish, and it sill just keeps going. It has a heavier duty patch of material along the arms and back which make it a lot more durable.

Unfortunately I recently discovered a hole from an ember from car camping before a winter trip and now have to buy a new jacket. I don't have the $$ for a MH sub-zero but REI makes a hooded down for $170 (the hood is removeable) that I think I'll be buying before my next winter trip.

check mountaingear.com they're seeling MH Sub Zero 650 goose down jackets for $118.98 no hood though

Just bought an alpkit down jacket with hood from alpkitfor € 85.

WouterB wrote:Just bought an alpkit down jacket with hood from alpkitfor € 85.

That looks pretty sweet, and fairly cheap?? Why so cheap?

drpw wrote:REI makes a hooded down for $170 (the hood is removeable) that I think I'll be buying before my next winter trip.

I've actually had my eye on the REI jacket. It's supposed to be very compressible and very warm. The drawbacks (from reading reviews) seem to be that the zipper can be finicky and the shell might not stand up to abuse. Does anyone have any experience with this jacket?

jschrock wrote:

drpw wrote:Unfortunately I recently discovered a hole from an ember from car camping before a winter trip and now have to buy a new jacket. I don't have the $$ for a MH sub-zero but REI makes a hooded down for $170 (the hood is removable) that I think I'll be buying before my next winter trip.

Jeez, how big is the hole? Paste a little SeamGrip on the hole and your jacket should be fine...assuming it isn't huge. Save your money.

The hole is micrscopic, but after a few trips with friends who have down hoods I've been looking at downs with hoods and I'm using the hole as an excuse to get one.

dskoon wrote:

WouterB wrote:Just bought an alpkit down jacket with hood from alpkitfor € 85.

That looks pretty sweet, and fairly cheap?? Why so cheap?

They use their customers and forum to determine what they need (hence no costs for research). They go to China, test the materials and buy a limited supply. They sell all this via the internet, again, cheap. Usually you have to wait a while before you get your stuff, as they have huge waiting lists. But everything gets sold, so no extra costs their either.

I get the jacket on friday and I'll do a full product report a.s.a.p. but all I've read this far was very positive.