MontBell Flatiron Parka

Perfect jacket for cool to cold weather activities! I completed a month and a half of kayaking and mountaineering in Chilean Patagonia from March through mid April and this jacket preformed beautifully.

I originally bought this jacket in December and I used it constantly living in Boston in the winter. The jacket always kept me warm and dry in light and moderate precipitation for limited amounts of time. Boston is cold and very windy in the winter and I was thrilled with the performance of this jacket before I even left for my trip.

Out on the trail I experienced conditions down to 15 or 20 degrees Fahrenheit. I was cool but comfortable with just a base layer underneath, but I tend to run warm - if you tend to be cooler then you'll need additional layers.

This jacket is also uber light and compressible - a fantastic combination when cramming two weeks worth of food, gear, and clothing into a pack. It held up great being shoved into and out of a pack dozens of times with no sign of wear and tear. The jacket also provides great pocket space without being overkill.

The only reason it didn't get a full 5 stars is because it is on the light side (insulation is 120 g/m2 - some synthetics are twice this). If you tend to be a cold person or you expect to be in extreme conditions then I would not recommend this, but for everything else this jacket is perfect.