Hello all,
The time has come to invest in my first, proper parka/belay jacket! The usage (short-term): Kilimanjaro, Alps in the summer. Long-term (read: 1-2 year time): hopefully Alps in winter and some other more interesting places (generally <7k meters, maybe inc. Aconcagua?).

Having done my homework, it seems like Patagonia DAS Parka is widely recommended.

Thus, a quick question - would it be appropriate for the various places I am planning to visit it in the coming future? Are there any other, overall better parkas, or is Patagonia DAS still *the* parka to have? I was thinking about buying something lighter but ultimately I think it will be better to have some reserve than cry the night before reaching the summit...

Thank you for help!

Best regards,
Theriel

I spend my time in the Canadian Rockies, so not very high, but in the winter, it gets damned cold. I'm 6' and 155lbs, and I'm constantly cold. I am a huge fan of down insulation save for one piece I own, and that is my DAS Parka. A caveat on my comments is that I have the previous generation which I understand has more insulation, so I can't speak to the warmth of the latest model.

It's been my go-to parka for some years now, and it's put up with lots of abuse. For insane temperatures, I slide a Down Sweater under it, and I'm good to go standing around at -40C.

I have a Wild Things Belay Jacket - similar in warmth to the DAS. It is too warm for summer climbing outside of Alaska for me, but would be the bomb diggity in the winter in the Alps.