Burton Groton Down Jacket

I'll stick to gear and hardshells with burton.

I received this jacket for Christmas last year, and have since had the time to use it quite often in Utah during the truly cold days.  I haven't used it extensively in the backcountry or for snowboarding, as I don't wear much except a shell, but in cold conditions, I've been able to see just how this performs.

The jacket has a great feel to it, it's very simple and comfortable, no frills, and looks great.  I love the hood, the fit, the square stitched panels, and it's incredibly warm.  I wore it yesterday in 0 degree temps and it was great.  My face and legs (jeans) froze, but my torso and arms were toasty.

However, there are some issues with this thing.  First, it smelled awful after the first few uses.  Out of the box, no odor.  After 3 uses or so, it smelled horrible.  I bought Nikwax Down Wash and washed it, dried it with dryer sheets, hung it outside to air out for days, and nothing got rid of it.  Leaving it in a closet all summer was somewhat effective, but I can still smell a faint down smell, normal for a jacket of lower quality 550 fill, but still, it shouldn't take a year to get the smell out of it to the point where it's wearable.

Second, the cuffs, which are elastic, are nice, and fit well, but have something scratchy in them that is annoying at times.  

Overall, the jacket serves its purpose.  It keeps me warm on bitter cold days, and looks good while doing so.  I probably wouldn't buy again, but would look for a higher-end Mountain Hardwear down parka, for the price that my parents paid (~100), it's not a bad deal.