NuDown Men's Mount Whitney Vest

DOES IT WORK? Yes.IS IT WORTH IT? YesIS IT EVERYTHING IT'S CRACKED UP TO BE? NoARE THE SIZES OFF? Yes.I love this vest! The variable insulation really works. However, I don't feel that it would cover the wide temperature ranges as stated on the included tags I also don't feel that it is appropriate for all situations.I have walked in 40 F degree weather with it as a mid-layer and it was wonderful. But, if I had to sit at, say, a ball game in 30 degree weather, I think I would be cold. Having said that, a little aerobic activity goes a long way in heating up your body inside the vest. The flip side of this double-edge sword scenario is that it does not breathe as well as a typical mid-layer. I discovered this when cycling in 50 degree weather and found myself getting rather damp from perspiration. Bottom line, I think the vest is ideal for zero to moderate levels of exercise (e.g., sitting, walking, and some hiking) in 30-60 degree temps.Let me talk about sizing. I normally wear a large. The smallest size they had left was a medium. I bought the black color because it was only $70 which was a steal! I would say that it is about a half size too big when inflated. Inflation makes the vest feel about a half size smaller7. However, it turns out it is perfect for me. Here's why. Because of the lower breathability mentioned in the previous paragraph, I prefer a little breathing room. I sometimes take that room up by fitting a fleece jacket under the vest. This is a good compromise because the fleece breathes when the vest is deflated and helps to take up space when inflated. I had a similar vest from Airvantage years ago which was too big and so it did not insulate well. You want something that hugs you to optimize the insulation capability. Because Nudown stretches, the "hug" factor is increased nicely and also gives you room to move around without feeling confined. The drawstrings also do well to seal in heat too. As for deflation, I sort of wish the bulb would also work backwards because pressing the pressure-release button does not completely deflate the air chambers. You have to take it off and roll the vest up while holding the button to deflate it completely. Using the button gets only about 75% of the air out if you press your back against a chair.This is one of my favorite pieces because of its versatility. It will be a permanent fixture in my suitcase for any cold weather trips.

Love it! Good for general cold weather, but even kept me warm in the snow, on sub freezing camping trip; as it got colder and the wind picked up, just gave it a few more pumps and I'm all insulated and happy. As it warms or activity increases, it's easy to release some air. When the rest of the group is shedding and adding layers, I just keep on the vest and adjust air as needed. No worries about it ever getting wet or clumpy. And when done with it, it is easy to release air and pack up small. Plus it's made with good ethics in mind. Ditch the down today!

Skiing- great product and great communication and service from this merchant

Sizing is way off. Ordered a Medium and it fit like a large, maybe even an XL. Returned.

I absolutely love my NuDown vest and how versatile it is! It's very lightweight and adding/removing air makes an amazing amount of difference in how warm it is. Not pumped up, the vest is light enough to wear even when I'm active. But in the snow or at night, I can pump it up and stay warm. I'm generally cold, so it's really amazing how warm I can stay with something that weighs so little. Thanks!

Upon first glance, the quality of the material is excellent. the craftsmanship is comparable to other top brands in extreme weather gear. This the reason for the 4 star rating. However, "the fit" holds only a One Star because the sizing is way off; the product states Medium is 38"-40", but the Medium actually measures a whopping 48" which is the sizing for their XL a Major Labeling mishap? Not sure how that worked out during the manufacturing process so I called the company. They are working on the sizing issue, and suggested ordering the Mens Small or possibly trying the Women's Medium as the cut is the same but sizing is inaccurate. I opted for the Mens Small and turned out great; actual measurement of the Mens small is 42". Because the technology evolves inflation the vest does shrink the inner measurement for a snugger fit, I assume they tried to figure in the maximum inflation inner measurement. that seeming to be the case has made the vest oversized for the labeled size which means its too loose of a fit and greatly reduced insulation. A properly fitted vest IMHO fits just loose enough for a nice base layer i.e. T-Shirt or up to a 260gm Moreno wool or poly weave. I have a measured 42" chest and 33" waist, for this particular production run the Small fit very well and once inflated it fit exceptionally well without feeling constricted (do in part to the stretchy under arm gusset that moves and breathes very well. My first warmth test came today 5:30am breezy 48° F in Angeles Cest mountains, I put the vest on when I arrived and pumped it up; at first not impressed until about 15-20min later. It became very warm, so warm I had to deflate the vest a bit. It seems it's best to put the vest on a pump it up prior to exposing to the elements to get the heat going and deflate if necessary. in all, it is a very fine product, if your cold it won't warm you as quickly as a traditional quality down however once it does start to heat up it's right on par with a quality down with the exception that you can Regulate the thermal response with the NuDown. Also once you are able to figure out which size actually fits you, you can enjoy the benefits.

Like the adaptable warmth that vest provides. In fortunately the inflation pump valve stopped working correctly and pumping this up is more laborious now. The close out price for this item was a good deal but I definitely would not pay the retail price of around $300.

Warm and light. A more accessible opening for the pump would be great.The jacket in size M is a bit long, when sitting it makes the jacket go up.