[RumiDude]

I am looking at getting a new light weight down Hoody and have been eyeing the OR Transcendent Down Hoody. Any experience with this you care to share? I am not wedded to this, just looking at options I can afford and meet my criteria. #1 This would not be a belay jacket, just a relatively light weight Hoody. #2 Does a good job insulating. #3. Durable enough I don't have to baby it. #4. Affordable, something I really haven't defined well for myself. If it excels, I am willing to pay more. #5. Versitile, it should be all-around generalist rather than a one-note piece of clothing. #6. Relatively wind resistant. Yes my list is kinda pie in the sky but what ever I get should solidly cover two or three on it. I am not necessarily sold completely on down. I have an old Marmot primaloft mountain sweater which I love but is getting long in the tooth. Anyway I am just trying to get some feedback before I pull the trigger on the Transcendent. Rumi

[InFlight]

The Transcendent appears to be 650 fill with a simple nylon shell. Nicely discounted price. I generally prefer a jacket with a higher fill (800)+ simply because it packs down smaller in my pack for an equivalent warmth. For wind resistance, something with a Pertex or similar fabric would be better. In our damp and wet northwest, some brand of hydrophobic down would be a bonus. There are a few brands such as DriDown that maintain considerable warmth when damp. The Synthetic PrimaLoft is another very cost effective option. Much better wet weather performance, but doesn't pack down as much. The price of these hooded down jackets is all over the place. You might want to wait until March or April, as many retailers start discounting a lot of the "winter" stuff by then. I personally own and like the LL Bean Ultralight puffy.

[KevinDo]

I actually just ordered this jacket lol. It will arrive next week just in time for me to take it on a high sierra winter trip. Will report back then!

[RumiDude]

[markweth]

Just signed up on this forum so I'm a bit late with a reply, but figured I'd chime in anyways . . . I purchased an OR Transcendent Hoody in 2010 and have used it a lot over the years. Overall, I found it to be solid piece of gear and it definitely meets #s 2,3,5, and 6 of your criteria. Numbers 1 and 4 tend to mean different things to different people. My model is probably not exactly the same as the one available now (one cosmetic difference is the logo on mine was a simple screen print sort of thing which peeled off after a few tears; the new version has a stitched logo) but I'd think most of my observations are still applicable. 1. As far as lightweight goes, I do wish it was a bit lighter. With the 650-fill down and the not-super-ultralight-shell (when compared to the Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer or something) the jacket weighs a pound or a bit more, depending on the size. The version I bought in 2010 is a bit heavier than the model selling now, so I guess they figured out how to save a few ounces here and there. But in the grand scheme of things, a pound or so for a solid jacket isn't that much weight. 2. This jacket is very warm in my experience, provided you're wearing a baselayer and generally doing everything else "right" . . . if you put it on over a sweaty cotton t-shirt, with an empty stomach, slightly dehydrated, and then sat on damp ground for an hour when it's 30 degrees out you might not be too warm. But yeah . . . I've worn it on tons of backpacking trip in humid cold in the southern Appalachians and dry cold at altitude here in Montana and Idaho and I've never felt that it wasn't up to the job. If you put a nice shell over it, you will stay very warm. 3. It took me about five years of moderately cautious wearing before I got some holes in it. I did not "baby" it when packing it or wearing it, but I didn't wear it and walk through a briar patch either (like a friend of mine did, and it did get a few holes). I was wearing it one night when I tripped and fell down a small hillside, and it did get a few holes that were easily patched. But generally speaking, it is a fairly durable down jacket. 4. I got mine on sale in 2010 and paid around 160 for it. I thought it was a great deal at that price and I've definitely gotten my money's worth. If you can pick it up on sale, definitely do it. It looks like it retails for $225 now, which to be honest I think is a bit steep for 650-fill down in a sorta-lightweight jacket. 5. It definitely is an all-around piece and goes with my on around 2/3rds of my backpacking trips. Spring, most early and later summer trips, and fall, and some winter trips. It can definitely handle the shoulder seasons better than lighter jackets. I take a Patagonia Ultralight down jacket on mid-summer trips where it won't be getting below freezing and I take a Brooks Range Mojave down jacket for winter trips where I'm expecting zero or below and the high temperature won't be above freezing. The OR jacket is a great all-around jacket and can easily be the only jacket you need if you don't do a lot of winter trips. 6. I've found it to be adequately wind resistant, but I usually pair it with a shell if it is particularly breezy. Not to contradict myself, but all that said I am not sure if I would buy it again. I was a college student on a budget and that jacket was the best I could afford (on sale) and seemed to be lightweight enough and a solid jacket. I don't regret my purchase, but if I were buying a new down jacket for three-season use I would probably go with the Feathered Friends Eos jacket, 900-fill down so much more packable, looks to be about as warm, 10 oz, but retail cost is around $280 and I rarely see FF stuff on sale. I really liked the fit of the OR jacket, found the pockets to be very comfortable, and the large interior pockets are great for stashing gloves, warming up socks, etc. Here is a review of down jackets from Outdoor Gear Lab that includes the OR Transcendent: http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Down-Jacket-Reviews/Outdoor-Research-Transcendent-Hoody Hope this helps, it's definitely a good jacket!

[Randito]

This jacket has worked very well for me the last three years. http://westcomb.com/product/cayoosh-hoody/ Full retail is a bit spendy I picked the one I have from an Internet outlet ( Moose jaw, Campsaver, Sierra Trading Post, I don't recall) for about half off.

[RumiDude]

Thanks everyone for your imput. Rumi