Down Jacket
Fixed it for you.
Would these be good enough for a few days in the snow? Reluctant to spend too much given i'm there for a week.
These are not meant for skiing if that's what you mean. You need waterproof gear.
Light dusting you'll be ok but you'll need proper gear…check out marketplace or Gumtree if you are looking for cheap ski gear.
If you want to have a horrible time being constantly wet and cold, sure.
Hire snow gear. You'll pay $600 for a jacket alone.
Unless you go every year religiously and spend the entire winter there, people don't buy snow gear.
This might be the way to go - not particularly keen on lugging around all the snow gear. Thanks!
If you're lucky a few Aldi's may have remnants from the Snow Gear sale from 2 months ago
Quality is nowhere near as good as the ones they used to sell pre-covid days…
Rent it off a store or FB/ Gumtree!
kathmandu have less desirable colours often like 80% off, saw a few $400 jacket for $50 at the outlet last week.
Be much more suitable.
try anaconda, they have some decent stuff at various price points.
for gloves, don't get too tight, nor with too much filling as you will sweat a heap, and maybe carry a thinner spare pair. they get wet now matter how damn good or exxy they are
its all about layers.
browse on ski.com.au and see what people recommend
Nah not skiing, but just walking through snowy areas etc.
Thes types of jacket (the cheaper ones (MacPac Uber, halo, Kathmandu Heli etc) are okay around town, in the garden or park. But the sewn-through baffle design means they will let any wind through.
They are only water reppelent too - very light splashes - which is a minimum requirement for a down garment since it's useless when wet (and takes a long time to dry and re-fluff).
21 May 2022
Albo's Australia
Don't let facts get in the way of a good old cloud yell
THANKS, ALBO /s
Overpriced all the way then. Target and Kmart have these prices all the time. Why don’t we post those on a daily basis.
800 fill power is really good for $49.99. You'd normally see that fill power of down on high end outdoor gear.
There's a couple of other factors they haven't listed though - fill weight and down:feather ratio.
This seems to be a strange beast: the jacket outer is "water repellant", so anything more than a light, brief sprinkle and the down will clump and the insulation will be useless. But the hood has taped seams and is of a "fabric waterproof to 1600mm" (which isn't much). Why the taped seams on a jacket that isn't waterproof
I could type away picking all the shortcomings of this jacket, but ultimately it is a fairly cheap price for what it is.
Agreed, the waterproof hood is pointless as down loses its insulating properties when wet. But for the price it's still a good value jacket.
There is no way this jacket is even close to 800. I have an 800 Macpac and you cook in it even in 10 degree weather outside. The photos on Aldi website it's barely 600. Similar loft to a Kathmandu jacket.
800 also can't be stowed in a pocket like this claims and it's EXTREMELY puffy… These were $600 jackets. You won't be getting a $600 jacket for $49 I'm afraid.
It's either polyester filling with down or false advertising or misprint
I was just wondering about the advertised loft power claims. The labels and tags don't mention the loft power, just the ratio of down to feathers (an impressive 90:10). The catalogue doesn't mention loft power either.
I picked up a large jacket today. Large weighs 600g which is about the weight of a chunky MacPac Halo. So it's a lot heavier and chunkier than I expected an 800 downjacket to be at this price, as they must have used a lot of fill. Makes the 800 Loft claim even more dubious at the price.
By the way, I think you have the packability theory back-to-front.
High loft power down is more packable because less is required (typically). The loft power is the efficiency of the down. But a lower quality down can be warmer if you pack in more fill - this negatively affects bulk, weight and packability though (theMacPac Halo is an example - 600 fill power but absolutely tons of down makes it warmer than the 750 jackets). The loft power doesn't necessarily indicate a jacket's warmth.
So, with this jacket, there is no external branding whatsoever. The hood is just a shell, no insulation, and the collar isn't particularly high, there isn't any additional soft lining for the chin and collar. The internal liniing and outer fabric are both polyester, which is smoother and softer than nylon, but less durable. There isn't a drawsring on the waist nor is it elasticated, so you can't tighten against the cold. Ther two external hand pockets zip up, but the internal pouch doesn't. On the large, the sleeve cuffs are a bit baggy on me, but I don't have big wrists but the sleeve length is about right (maybe an inch on the long side for me). I'm a 100cm chest so Medium ought to have been my size, but that was very snug with a thin, lightweight jumper underneath.
I also tried on the merino t-shirts, and long sleeve tops - very thin, quite shapeless and even the small is baggy on m (100cm chest and a bit overweight).
My 700fill (QR traceability says 717) comes in at 1017g! It has a hood.
A Kathmandu 600 fill with no hood comes in at 616g.
Fill doesn't determine how much they put in the jacket. But with no QR and no real advertised fill weight who knows how much is in it
Been wearing mine for 6 years. Wish they had different colours
Well it's to show that we are penny pincer.
Same colours as the MacPac Halo - except for not having the light tan option.
how about quality
Saw this and the Macpac deals over the week, and went with this jacket instead.
For $50, it's quite a steal. Like the no-brand look, and ripstop material vs the macpac, which had reviews saying it tears easily.
90:10 down to feather ratio. Warmth beats my worn out Patagonia jacket. Overall, can't complain at this price!
One day of use so far, and this jacket is toasty AF!
LOVE IT.
Did you get a snug fit?
I found the medium was a bit short in the arms and I wanted the option of layering over a hoody or light pullover, so I went for a large. But the neck and collar are a bit too loose and I can feel the cold. The collar doesn't come up very high either, even in the large I can't tuck in my chin?
I stood out on my balcony for a bit at 3am the other night (phone said 9C, thermometer on table read 12C) with just a t-shirt beneath it to test it. Unfortunately there was no wind at all, so it wasn't really a real world scenario. After about half an hour, I was beginning to feel the chill and called it quits about 10 mins later.
I also tried on the MacPac Uber and Halo at the weekend - instore. Wasn't overly impressed with those, but the fit seemed better. The fabric on the Uber is horrible, I had massive static everytime I tried one one (medium, large and hooded varieties). The hoods on those lightweight jackets (Uber and Heli) are quite annoying if you don't want them up, but they are insulated, unlike the hood on the Aldi jacket.
I'm a skinny fella, so i actually went with Small black. I can still layer on a t shirt + a thick jumper under as well. Fits perfect for me, even on the sleeves.
Collar was actually higher than my Patagonia which i like alot. I've worn this with a T shirt below 10C and feel warm. The ripstop material was a tipping point to go with this vs macpac.
Been a good 4 days wearing this, still think it's a great purchase relative to $ spent.
@BuyLowLetsGo: Also, the really great thing is, you can return it 60 days from purchase, no questions asked as per Aldi policy, even if it's been used!
@BuyLowLetsGo: Haha, my partner has randomly decided we are going to spend this Christmas in northern Europe, so I would need a 6 month return policy.
I'm not sure down is the right option for that scenario though. Will need something more rain resistant, I think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB383WkXcqE&t=22s