Hey everyone! I know it is technically Spring now but we still have about three feet of snow here in northern Minnesota, so I just wanted to take a few minutes to share with you a piece of gear I purchased recently that I am absolutely in love with. I tore my old faithful Patagonia puffy coat that I have had for over ten years and decided I needed to replace it. I scoured the internet high and low trying to find the perfect puffy jacket.
I wanted to get a high quality down jacket without breaking the bank. I wanted down because I am going elk hunting this fall and I need something that will pack up nicely into my backpack, down insulation is perfect for that. I wanted to find something that wasn’t overly expensive. If you have ever looked for down jackets before you will understand how hard that can be. I needed to find something that came in my size, which can also be difficult due to the fact that I am slightly larger than the average human. I wanted something that came in a neutral color, many of these jackets come in bright reds, blues, and yellows, which wouldn’t work out very well in the mountains of Idaho hunting for elk.
It took a few days but I finally found the perfect jacket, the Outdoor Research Transcendent Hoodie. It has a 100% polyester rip stop exterior and is filled with 650 fill power responsibly source down. A size Large weighs in at only 14.5 ounces. I haven’t weighed my XXL but I can tell you it feels so light you could forget you even have it on. This jacket is super versatile, the first day I got it the wind chill was about 25 below zero, for testing purposes I wore it with only a t-shirt on underneath. I was perfectly comfortable for the few hours I was out and about. I wasn’t outside the entire time though as I was in and out of my truck for much of the day. I also wore the jacket yesterdy when it was nearly 40 degrees and sunny. I was equally as comfortable in the mild spring weather as I was the bitter cold.
This jacket is regularly priced at $225, which I would consider a fair price, but you can get it by clicking ‘> here.
If you are looking for a great jacket to wear in a wide range of temperatures, I highly recommend the Outdoor Research Transcendent Hoodie.
-Steve