Feathered Friends down jacket questions...

[BCR]

Does anyone have experience with either the Hooded Helios or Frontpoint jacket from Feathered Friends?

I'm looking at getting a heavier weight down jacket for this winter. I have a Patagonia down sweater to layer under a shell or wear alone when it is not too cold out. I am looking for a warmer, hooded, wear-alone jacket for really cold days - something more substantial than the down sweater, but not expedition weight. Any idea which of these fits the purpose or if the Hooded Helios is too close in weight to the down sweater?

[whyturn]

http://www.backcountryoutlet.com/out...135&mv_pc=r126

Skiied in this all last season, well most days anyway. Super comfy, dry, and warm. Works great in colder places like Jackson or Montana. Used in Utah in -2F, worked great

[harpo-the-skier]

I have a Helios with the optional Volant snap on hood in an XXL. It weighs a pound and a half is plenty warm enough for most trips in the lower 48. I am a Large in most clothing companies (Patagonia) but I needed the XXL in FF to fit over other layers. I had a patagonia Down Hooded Sweater (pullover with only a partial zip) that weighed about a bit more than a pound that I got rid off because it was too close in weight to the Helios, and much less warm.

[GeezerSteve]

I've got a FF Volant (baffled) with superlight 0.9 oz ripstop nylon. In terms of temp rating and weight, the Volant is in between the Helios (sewn thru, i.e., not baffled) and the Fronpoint (baffled). My buddy has a Helios with a permanent hood. If I had the opportunity to do it again, I'd get the hooded Helios with eVent cuz the Volant is too much jacket for the stuff I do and it'd be nice to have the eVent for wet snow. (I'm in WA where it doesn't get as cold as the Rockies). The Frontpoint would be way overkill for me. I have a Frogg Togg jacket that I wear over the Volant for wet snow conditions.

I'll second Harpo's comments re FF fitting. I typically wear XL. My Volant is an XXL and there's no room to wear more than a base layer and a R1 or R2 fleece under the Volant. OTOH, the fit is very efficient, allowing freedom of movement with no dead air space, way better than a baggy down jacket. Nonetheless, I might sell it to someone who typically wears L-XL.

[BCR]

Ah - I didn't see that the Volant came with a hood option. Seems like that's the one for me. I hate parkas and the shorter length would be great - if it's cold enough to warrant a parka, I'm wearing insulated pants anyway. Thanks!

[harpo-the-skier]

Check with FF. I think you can add the Volant hood to any FF down jacket as an option.