Mountain Hardwear Hunker Down Jacket

Summary

Nice warm jacket to hunker down in!

I've had this jacket for a couple months now. Bought it to walk the dog on cold mornings and for winter backpacking trips. It's too warm for dog walking! This thing is like an oven. On the first backpacking trip it got to the mid 30s in the early morning. I had it wrapped over the foot area of my hammock and it kept my feet nice and warm. It really is meant for when you are just sitting around because when you are hiking it will just make you sweat.

The fit is good; I bought an XL so I could layer under it. The sleeves are long for me in that size, but the cuffs are adjustable with velcro tabs.

There is beefier material across the sholders and along the back of the sleeves, which adds some abrasion resistance in those areas (from carrying a pack or leaning on stuff).

A chest pocket on the front to stash a camera or digital music player; to hand warmer pockets lined with soft fleece, adn two deep, inside mesh pockets to hold anything you want to put there!

I've worn it in wind and it seems to keep it at bay.

Overall I am quite happy with it. Check online—you can sometimes find great deals on it.

UPDATE: I wore this on a February backpacking trip where temps dipped to the low 30s. In camp, there was a slight breeze blowing in the evening and the jacket kept me really warm. I feel like this was a very sound investment and because I take good care of all my gear, I plan to have it a long time.

Summary

This jacket is great. A whole notch warmer than the North Face Aconcagua 550 fill I also own. And I mean about 15-20 degrees warmer.

The baffles are wide and after wearing for a day the down has puffed out quite nicely. I got quite sweaty standing in line in the insurance office and grocery store for a few minutes each. I felt a bit self conscious about the puffiness of the jacket but i can live with that. The upper material is heavier weave while the lower feels silky smooth. The red color i bought is bright and really pops.

I also like the chest pocket for using my iPod. Using my pants pocket always pulls on my cables

I have owned quite a few brands of down jackets in the last several years. This is right up there with the warmer of them. Though probably not warm enough by itself in all situations, I use two or three down jackets layered in even colder situations at night with extreme windchill. 

The jacket looks and feels great. I'm afraid to get it dirty or hurt. I spend a huge amount of my winters in the desert of nevada and need a jacket like this for those 0 degree nights digging crystals. While not as warm as an REI high dollar jacket or some others, for the money it was a great value.