Review Date: January 2012



A trim, but not tight, fit was the selling point of this bad boy, and 800-filldown kept our tester warm for fall belay sessions while quickly puffing back up after packing. Nylon reinforcements on the shoulders and elbows mean high-abrasion areas will last longer.

from Urban Climber Magazine

Review Date: 2011 FALL/WINTER



"It scrunches down to the size of my goggles and weighs less than my gorp, but man does this jacket get it done!" raves a tester who packed it on winter climbs in New Hampshire's Whites. Clouds of 850-fill down loft up when the jacket is a 15-denier Ballistic Airlight nylon: fiber are heated and stretched so the molecules align to provide wind and abrasion resistance equal to far heavier fabrics.
Nylon taffeta (40-denir) lines the shoulders, sleeves, and helmet-friendly hood for added durability. Our tester raved about the comfort range. "It's so breathable and light that I wore it into the mid 40s, but it's toasty below freezing." Sizing is spot on: layer over or under.

from Backpacker Magazine

Review date: December 2012

What is the best down jacket? We tested and reviewed 15 of the top-rated down jackets in focused side-by-side comparisons. Our testing took us all over; the Cascades of Washington, the Sierras of California, and the ice climbs of Montana to name a few. We didn't necessarily look at the warmest jacket for each manufacturer. Instead, we tested a versatile set of jackets, all under one pound.

from Outdoor Gear Lab

There is an endless selection of down jackets on the market these days which typically fall into the ultra-light or the alpine category. The new trend seems to be what I like to call a 'mid-puffy', something that has slightly more down loft than an ultra-light but not one that is so warm and heavy you rarely need it unless your in the midst of a deep freeze. This is where the Mont-bell Frost Smoke Down Parka comes into the story. It's a Down Parka that is a 'mid puffy' with some nice extras that make it more durable while not adding much overall weight.
The Mont-bell Frost Smoke Down Parka uses 800 fill down insulation which is a step up from the typical 600 down fill that most ultra-lights down jackets utilize. The exterior fabric is a mix of 15-denier nylon (which Mont-Bell calls 'Ballistic Airlight' more on this later) and 40-denier nylon on the cuff, shoulders and hood to increase wear and moisture repellency where it is needed most.

from Backcountry Skiing Canada