{"id":17005,"date":"2013-10-12T11:56:41","date_gmt":"2013-10-12T17:56:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/?p=17005"},"modified":"2016-05-27T17:18:22","modified_gmt":"2016-05-27T23:18:22","slug":"gear-review-layering-system-manaslu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2013\/10\/12\/gear-review-layering-system-manaslu\/","title":{"rendered":"Gear Review: Layering System on Manaslu"},"content":{"rendered":"

As I planned my September 2013 climb of the world’s 8th highest mountain, Manaslu<\/a> (26, 759 feet 8156 meters), I looked at my gear carefully. It had worked well on Everest and the 7 Summits plus countless other climbs but I wanted to reduce weight and frankly some of it was worn out with rips and thin spots. So I focused on upgrading my upper body layers.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, I went to the Patagonia website for some ideas and ended up replacing my warmth and wind layers. I am extremely pleased with the results. I have always been a big fan of Patagonia and have a lot of their kit which I usually on . With these new s, I am a devote’ for life.<\/p>\n

Ultralight Down Jacket with Hood<\/h3>\n

\"PatagoniaI had used the Patagonia Micropuff Hooded jacket for years. It was my go-to warmth layer and was almost always in my pack from Vinson to Everest. It was the only top layer I wore on many of the 7 Summits. But I had ripped it and it did not pack very small but still met my needs. However, it was time to replace it. I liked the primaloft fill since it didn’t degrade when wet but I loved the idea of a new generation of lightweight down jackets as demonstrated by Mountain Hardwear’s Ghost Whisperer and Patagonia’s Ultralight Down Jacket with Hood.<\/p>\n

I bought the Ghost Whisperer but returned it after mistakenly ordering the hyperblue color – it was shinny and a bit too “blue” for me. Plus I was nervous about how fragile it appeared in spite of talking to people who had used it with success for a year. Given all this, I then ordered the Patagonia Ultralight. I have not looked backed.<\/p>\n

The jacket is unbelievably light coming in at 9 ounces. It packs to the size of an overgrown grapefruit and is warm, warm, warm. At times, I forgot I was wearing it on Manaslu. The fabric is tough and rejected my clumsy moves against sharp rock, ice and pro. And I love the hood. Regular readers will note my affection for hoods and all my jackets have one. This one adds at least 10 degrees to the warmth value for me. I took my heavy and bulky but trusted Feather Friends Volant 800 fill down jacket and never took it out of the stuff sack.<\/p>\n

Bottom line: a great jacket that is so light you might not notice.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Specs<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/td>\n
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Pros<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/td>\n
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Cons<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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  • 9.3 oz<\/li>\n
  • Shell and lining: 0.8-oz 10-denier 100% nylon ripstop with a Deluge\u00ae DWR (durable water repellent) finish.<\/li>\n
  • Insulation: 800-fill-power premium European goose down<\/li>\n
  • Full hood<\/li>\n
  • $350 from Patagonia<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Warm<\/li>\n
  • Sheds moderate snow or light rain<\/li>\n
  • Collapsible<\/li>\n
  • Excellent hood<\/li>\n
  • Layers well<\/li>\n
  • slim fit<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

    \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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