Parkas

I was just wondering how any of you thought the Patagonia Infurno Jacket, stacked up against any of the Down, or Polarguard 3D insulated Parkas (Mountain Hardwear, TNF, ect), for Canadian winters, and skiing. Thanks.

Hi, on a related note, I'm looking at the CLoudveil Enclosure parka (the one with the hood, not the sweater) for similar purposes: as a belay jacket / sitting around jacket for when it is seriously F'ing cold.

Does anyone here have any experience with it? It's made with Primaloft and looks top-notch. It also weighs only 23 oz, which is 5 oz (i think) less than the Wild Things belay jacket.

I too have been looking for a belay jacket. I would like it to double as a summit jacket for winter ascents in the Northeast and summer trips to Hood, Raineer etc. How does the DAS parka by patagonia stack up to the other parkas here? I have used a Parabat by Marmot for my NE summits but want something more multi-tasking :) thanks...?

>... for Canadian winters, and skiing.

That really covers some extremes! I guess I would first ask "which Canadian winters? Skiing where?" (oops, that was 2 questions). Presumably you mean a "take a break" parka for the skiing, since one normally strips way down during the skiing. When I have skied into Garibaldi, I have been down to my long-john tops, even when it was snowing, while moving (then put the belay parka on during rest stops). Or are you looking for a parka for sitting around a backcountry camp?

Skiing and winters in the BC Coast ranges is very different from Interior Ranges (only have experience in the Bugs), different from the resort areas in the Banff/Lake Louise area, different from Laurentians, different from backcountry skiing and camping in Gaspesie. Coast Ranges and Gaspesie call for synthetics, since they are too wet for down. Rockies are way cold, so they call for something much warmer than the Das Parka.

I would suggest you talk to the folks at Integral Designs. Being a Canadian company, they are very familiar with what is suitable in each situation, plus they make excellent gear. I have been very happy with my Dolomiti jacket. This is a Primaloft-filled belay jacket, serving much the same function as the Das Parka, or Marmot's Belay Jacket. Since ID does a lot of custom work, you can choose among no hood, removeable hood, or sewn on hood. The Dolomiti is lighter and stuffs smaller than the Marmot Belay Jacket or the Das Parka, while being just as warm.

The Infurno is a very different beast, being a fleece jacket with a wind/water resistant shell. I suppose an advantage to the Infurno is that it is a bunch more stylish for sitting around the lodge or riding the lifts. If you really want Patagucci, consider the Puffball series to wear while skiing (ok, yeah, I have some Pata stuff, like my pile jacket from 1970 that I still wear sometimes, or my R2 jacket, or Capilene longies). You might also consider their Storm Jacket or Liquid Sky in combination with an R3 - same operationally, but you can leave off the R3 in warmer weather.

But if you are just standing around in the Rockies or sometimes in the Laurentians, you will need something much warmer than the Infurno or one of the belay jackets. For that use, whether sitting on the deck at Chateau Lake Louise or outside the tent on the way to Robson, it is dry enough (and colde enough - those go together, which is why you get great powder), then you may have to go for something with a really cold rating in down.

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Hi, on a related note, I'm looking at the CLoudveil Enclosure parka (the one with the hood, not the sweater) for similar purposes: as a belay jacket / sitting around jacket for when it is seriously F'ing cold.

Does anyone here have any experience with it? It's made with Primaloft and looks top-notch. It also weighs only 23 oz, which is 5 oz (i think) less than the Wild Things belay jacket.

I ordered one and returned it. I had previously owned a Marmot belay Parka and sold it. Now I wish I never sold the Belay Parka. In comparison, The Belay Parka was offset quilt lined and much thicker. It had a larger hood with three way ajustments and a wind ruff around the face opening. It also had a very insulated draft flap over and under the main zipper. The Cloudveil Enclosure Mountain Parka's hood has no draw cords to adjust the face opening. It just uses an elastic band for tension and a rear volume adjust for sizing. It may be fine if your wearing a helmet but for just wearing a hat, I couldn't close the face opening up (not having drawcords) and the top of the hood stood about 3" above my head. If I pulled back on the volume adjustment cord it pulled the hood back to far on my face to provide protection. A very poor design in my opinion. The draft flap behind the zipper is nothing but a thin strip of nylon. (not insulated) Also as far as I could tell it is just si!
ngle quilt thickness. Not very thick at all. I'm sure for all these reasons is why it is so light. As I said, I was very disappointed in it for these reasons and returned it. Hope this helps.

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