Cheapo 800 loft goose down jacket

[aaronhann85]

Hi everyone

I just received an email from Rays Outdoors alerting me to the following jacket:

http://www.raysoutdoors.com.au/online-s ... mendations

$90 seems like an excellent price for a goose down jacket but I'm concerned about the quality. I've always steered clear of Rays home brands, Outdoor Expedition and Wild Country. Does anyone have any feedback on the build quality so I can decide if it's worth checking out in person?

Cheers

[axcarmil]

I can't speak specifically about the jacket you linked to, however, we recently bought a 3 layer Outdoor Expedition jacket specifically for day walks in rougher scrub (http://www.raysoutdoors.com.au/online-store/products/Outdoor-Expedition-Crest-3-Layer-Rain-Jacket-Womens-Bay-10.aspx?pid=37044201&menuFrom=1022111#Recommendations. We weren't sure how the jackets would stand up, but as they were on sale (around $100) we thought we'd give them ago (I also liked the colour ). We were dubious, but we have now used them a few times including some scrub-bashing and we have been surprisingly happy with them. They been durable, the finish quality is OK (not exceptional - but nothing different to some jackets that more than 4 times the price we paid). For the price, it may be worth checking out. I recommend you check all the jackets in the required size carefully and select the best finished one. There were definitely inconsistencies in the quality of the finish across jackets.

[Strider]

$90 seems like an excellent price for a goose down jacket but I'm concerned about the quality.

Looks quite heavy too.

[Moondog55]

The jacket in question is OK but not anything like the quality of the Uniqlo one on sale at the moment and the Uniqlo is cheaper with no postage cost if you buy this week-end
Also QC is patchy as already noted
I was in the Melbourne Macpac store last week too; their ultralite down jacket and parka is exactly the same as the Uniqlo

[Strider]

I was in the Melbourne Macpac store last week too; their ultralite down jacket and parka is exactly the same as the Uniqlo

This is very interesting. I notice they list the fill as 650, whereas Uniqlo list theirs as 630+ but on the European scale (said to be 700+ on US scale).

[Drummo62]

I picked one up this arvo. Sizing appears largish as I am usually an M and fitted into a S. The small weighs 554g so not light. I'm not expecting great quality but it doesn't look too cheap and nasty. Fill volume seems to vary from baffle to baffle in the jacket a bit but it lofts nicely. It uses Allied Down if that helps anyone.

[aaronhann85]

Fill volume seems to vary from baffle to baffle in the jacket a bit but it lofts nicely.

I went and checked it out and also noticed the inconsistent fill of the baffles. The sleeves were really lofty but the lower back almost had none.

I was a big fan of the elasticised inner sleeve while still keeping an outer sleeve with insulation.

I saw the Marmot Zeus at Rays while I was there, seems pretty good for $150.

As much as I'd like to settle for the Uniqlo Ultralight Down Parka at only $80, the completely straight cut bothers me. Maybe I should just suck it up, given the ridiculous price

[aaronhann85]

And Moondog, nice review on the Uniqlo site

[keithy]

I saw the Marmot Zeus at Rays while I was there, seems pretty good for $150.

I am a fan of the Marmot Zeus (I got mine last year) but I noticed the newer version has 700 fill power down, while my 2014 version with the smaller baffles had 800 fill power goose down. But at $150, that's a nice price for it as well.

[michael_p]

I have no idea about the quality of these but they are cheap.

Shoppingsquare.com.au has down jackets starting at under $40: http://www.shoppingsquare.com.au/category.php?o=d&s=1&mode=promotion&pid=13524.