Feathered Friends Volant Jacket

I have had this coat for a month now. My only "complaint" is that it may be too warm. Just to test the jacket, I walked outside in 10 degree F with a slight breeze for 45 min. I only wore a T-shirt under the jacket and only my legs and face got cool. The hood acted as both a hat and a scarf.

Today, it's 2 degrees F with a slight breeze. I went for a walk with the jacket, a hat, long underwear, and a light sweater. I was a little too warm. I'm a bit overweight, so maybe a thinner person would have been cooler.

I also wore the coat for 5 hours in an ice storm while skiing downhill at night (The wind was about 15 mph. The ice would coat my goggles and coat during the chair lift ride.) Later the ice turned to rain. My upper half was quite comfortable. Early in the evening, I was a bit too hot because I had worn a light sweater, so I loosened the elastic band at the bottom of the coat to get some cool air under the coat while skiing. That worked great.

I also looked at the Mountain Hardwear Sub Zero Jacket and the Marmot Jackets. That looked great, but I decided on the Feathered Friends because it extended a little further below the waist.

So, in summary, the coat is great for cold weather and even better for very cold weather, but too warm for milder weather.

Also, the people at Feathered Friends were quite friendly on the phone. :)

Hans

This jacket is extremely warm. Very high quality.

Feathered Friends makes some of the finest down gear in the world. The Volant Jacket is no exception. Stuffed to the gills with down, it will keep you warm even when the temperature drops below zero! 

This jacket is truly one of my prized possessions. The construction of this jacket is unsurpassed. I have worn this for four winters now, thru everything Mother Nature could throw at it...and it's as as sturdy as the day it arrived. Dealing with Feathered Friends, however, is a trip into La-La Land. I swear all their phone reps are on Vallium. But if you're willing to overlook that, you'll get the lightest, driest, strongest, hippest down jacket on the planet.