The Down Parka

In my opinion, there are few items of clothing that will do as much for you as a down jacket. I know that women aren't as fond of the genre 'cause they have no desire to look "puffy" but its utility cannot be questioned. For men, women will want to hug you when you're wearing one because they look so appealing. A good down jacket is warm, breathes well and easily doubles as a pillow in the car.

In the last five years we have seen a proliferation of high end outdoor gear. It used to be that you were either wearing Patagonia, or buying something made by Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC). Now we have The North Face, Arc'Teryx (subsequently bought out by Salomon), Marmot, Cloudveil and others. Among them, Cloudveil is my personal favourite for a combination of reasons including performance, comfort, style and value.

As my good friends know too well, I have absolutely no need for a new jacket, but if I were in the market for a down or synthetic parka, I would probably bite on the Down Patrol Jacket at $299 US. I have a two year old version of Cloudveil's Enclosure Parka, which is a similar jacket with an artificial fill, and I can't wear it enough.

Cloudveil does a great job of designing their jackets with purpose in mind. As an example, the arms have extra give so that when I lift my arms, the waist of the jacket doesn't rise up.

I really like their down jacket, but the honest truth is that I like almost everything that Cloudveil makes (except their beanies). If you don't have a down jacket, I would seriously consider buying one and I would look at Cloudveil and The North Face as my first two options. Update: If you're in Canada, the Down Patrol jacket is available at MEC for $305 CDN. Your best bet in the US is to buy it through Cloudveil's site directly. I have used them before without incident.

I cannot really comment on Cloudveil's women's clothing but I do know that my sister just purchased a The North Face down jacket that she has yet to take off. She purchased the thing six days ago. Frankly, she's starting to smell rather putrid but she claims she is more comfortable than she has been in a long time. Down jackets are that good.