REI Magma 850 Down Jacket
I originally bought this jacket because I really liked the color & it was on sale - but I soon discovered that it's actually super awesome and functional!
Name: REI Co-op Magma 850 Down Jacket - Women's
Specs:
Weight: 9.3 oz (Large)
Pockets: 3 - 2 hand warmer, 1 inner chest pocket
Wrists: Elastic
Waist: Drawstring
Back Length: 27 in
Hood: No
Fabric: Pertex Ripstop Nylon
Insulation: DWR 850-fill goose down
MSRP: $189
Note: This jacket is no longer sold. The comparable jacket is the Magma 850 Hoodie.
What I Like:
Warmth: This jacket is super warm, and super puffy. I love it! I honestly don't wear it in the outdoors too much, opting for other puffys instead. But my house is freakishly cold (like, always at 62-65* F) and when you're not moving, you get cold fast. I always put this on when I want to warm up quickly, and it works! I frequently wear it in temps of about 50* F and it keeps me toasty. I recently wore this jacket in the high 20’s F with just a base layer underneath and it was very warm.
Weight: This is actually a pretty lightweight jacket - 9.3 oz for a large! It's actually lighter than the puffy I've been taking on my backpacking trips, which I only just realized when writing this review. So maybe a gear change is in order. But the warmth-to-weight ratio is important when it comes to down jackets & backpacking, and this jacket has a pretty amazing warmth-to-weight ratio!
Pockets: The hand pockets are humungous. They're at a slightly awkward height (super tall - my boobs are like, in the pockets) but that's because REI wanted to put them above your backpack's hip belt, so that makes sense. But they're incredibly roomy when you're not wearing a backpack. When you are using a hip belt, the space gets slightly cut-off, even though they're placed high, but still, you can get a lot of stuff in there.
Packability: One of the great things about down (especially when you get into the 800-fill power & higher) is that it packs down pretty small, into its own left-hand pocket. This jacket packs down to about the size of a 1 L Smartwater bottle, so it really doesn't take up much room in your pack.
Cost: For the warmth & weight, this is an AMAZING price for a down puffy. For some comparison, the Patagonia Down Sweater is $229, 800-fill, and 12 oz, the Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer (no hood) is $325, 800-fill, and 6.4 oz, and the Montbell Plasma 1000 is $329, 1000-fill, and 4.1 oz. Plus, you'll have access to REI's product guarantee and return policy, and REI frequently has sales on their items, especially on out of season colors.
What I Don't Like:
No Hood: This doesn't really matter for what I have been using the jacket for, but if I was going to really use this jacket backpacking, I would want it to have a hood, especially for it being 9.3 oz. But, lots of people don't care about hoods, so whatever suits you!
Overall, I think this is a super awesome down jacket that will definitely keep you warm when you're not moving. For the warmth, weight, packability, and cost, you really can't beat this jacket!