Stretch Puffy: Mount Hardwear DS Hooded Review

Stretch it! A new construction method adds stretch and makes this 2017/18 Mountain Hardwear jacket different anything on the marketplace.

Mountain Hardwear StretchDown DS Hooded Jacket review
With scant stitching throughout, the StretchDown DS Hooded is more than dynamic than most jackets built for common cold

The color scheme on my Mount Hardwear puffy turned heads. Its pod-design structure brought questions from people used to more of a Michelin Man look in the category of uber-insulated winter coats.

New this winter, the StretchDown DS Hooded Jacket is something different. It has no logo, and many times, in the city and on the trail, people asked, "What is that jacket?" Its knit polyester body is stuffed with 800-fill down, though non in a traditional baffled blueprint.

Mountain Hardwear has an unabridged line of outerwear with stretch-based downwardly structure. This jacket actually uses the technique for warmth and (as a bonus) it adds an aesthetic flare; the DS Hooded Jacket ($340) looks like nothing I have seen before.

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Review: Mount Hardwear StretchDown DS Hooded Jacket

Beyond looks, information technology is warm and fits well. The hood hugs tight, and it turns with the head despite no adjustments. Mountain Hardwear is a top outerwear maker, and the company knows how to build a jacket that has technical attributes but is as well comfy for everyday utilize.

I've been living in this jacket all calendar month. The insulation, which is a Nikwax Hydrophobic Downwardly categorized nether Responsible Downward Standard (RDS) protocol, tin provide warmth in weather down to 15 degrees Fahrenheit if you're continuing effectually. And you can push that temp much lower if you're on the move with only a single layer or two underneath.

Information technology'south a beefier build than the brand'southward pop Ghost Whisperer (which is a GearJunkie staff favorite). The feel is unlike, with the StretchDown DS more substantial and made to be a primary outer slice. It will serve every bit a layer only in the most extreme circumstances where current of air howls, spindrift flies, and you lot need to batten down the hatches and pull on a large shell.

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Just most wearers will never consider the StretchDown DS annihilation less than a final buffer confronting cold. Information technology's highly water-resistant with a DWR treatment, and wind bounces off the face. That said, there are no closures at the wrist cuffs and no collar adjustment. And, equally noted, the hood frames the face but does not cinch tight, letting some air inside if yous're not wearing a chapeau and a neck gaiter underneath.

Structure: Stretch-Weld Downwards Jacket

On the DS Hooded, the company touts the stretch-welded aqueduct construction traps more warmth than standard stitching. I would concord, depending on their definition of "standard."

There are certainly downward jackets as warm as the DS Hooded, though the welded design does prove efficient for climbing and all-around winter apply.

Mountain Hardwear StretchDown DS Hooded Jacket review
'Welded' cloth creates a geometric pattern to concord insulating downwardly

Information technology's an original structure, with pods of down patterned in a strange geometry. Stitch-less, flat-fabric welds dice it up, giving definition and symmetry while likewise belongings the goose feathers in place.

There are fewer stitches throughout the jacket than near anything comparable. This gives a make clean look and, I assume, an efficiency in manufacturing not present in a traditional sewn-baffled blueprint.

StretchDown Jacket: Details

Its namesake stretch is noticeable, though non a chief reason to buy. Because there is then little stitching, the outer textile stretches as you motility; pull it taut, and you feel the give.

In action, the dynamic nature is nowadays, though it's only a small upgrade from normal, "not-stretchy" coats. In other words, information technology'southward a squeamish characteristic, but one I never really knew I needed until it was at that place.

Mountain Hardwear StretchDown DS Hooded Jacket review
Size small (women's) StretchDown DS Hooded

Overall features are few on this Mount Hardwear model. No pit zips are included, but there'south a bungee at the hem to cinch the jacket on your waist. Pockets come up generously, including three zipped and ii big, open internal stow pouches where I toss gloves and a hat when I estrus up.

I wore a size medium, and it weighs virtually xix ounces. That'due south average-to-light for a jacket with this warmth. Information technology doesn't pack as small every bit some of my downward puffies. Just whorl the DS Hooded upwards and you go a stowed slice that's smaller than a football and easily stashable in a pack.

A note on fit: Sizing runs perhaps a bit off on this jacket; I am 6-foot-one (185 pounds) and found the size medium to be well-nigh a perfect fit. Its wrist cuffs were positioned right, and the hem saturday correct at my waist.

I would not want this jacket any larger. I recommend buying down jackets that hug shut to the body. Dead space inside gives more air to estrus, and the jacket is less effective. The medium DS Hooded fit me simply right in this area, mapping close to my torso without feeling tight.

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Overall, I like this jacket and recommend it to anyone looking for a practice-all insulated puffy. It volition serve a climber or a skier, though the design lacks technical facets for either of those sports. Instead, expect to the DS Hooded to keep you warm this winter across activities, and to look good along the mode.

–The Mount Hardwear StretchDown DS Hooded Jacket comes in men'south and women's. Both cost $340 MSRP.

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