Sub-Zero SL Parka

I recently (Feb 2004) took the parka on a week-long trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park along a section of the AT. I was on a somewhat "exposed" section of the AT, on Thunderhead Mountain, with consistent winds of 35-40 mph, gusts to maybe 50mph and temps in the mid 20'sF and did not even notice the cold. I did not feel the wind through the Conduit laminate shell, except as it came from under the waist because i did not use the draw cords - my bad, not the parka's.

As noted above, the parka is a bit heavy. However, the weight is well-spent. It is reinforced with Taslan on the butt and on the sleeves from the shoulder to the wrist and the hood is......., well, the hood is sublime. It is large enough for a helmet, yet adjusted easily to accomodate just my noggin and is SUPER warm. It doesn't impede my vision at all or make me feel claustrophobic. I also really like the fleece-lined hand warmer pockets - a very nice touch. The photos don't do it justice - this parka is very puffy.

I also like the chest-pockets - they are positioned very well.

It's a great item and earned its place in my pack - and an excellent bargain at less than $300USD.

This is a very warm down parka. It fits easily over a medium insulation layer. On a cold day ice climbing at Lee Vining, everybody wanted to borrow my jacket while I was climbing. It made keeping warm while belaying easy while temps were in the teens (or below).

Dissadvantages are it's weight. The hood fits easily over a climbing helmet. I found the MH SL Sub-Zero Jacket to be a great way to knock off a pound if you don't feel like you will need a hood.

The lined hard warmer pockets are excellent. The SL fabric does a good job of keeping light moisture (melting snow flakes, etc) off of the down.

Nothing more to say that hasn't already been said. I love this jacket.

One thing that people haven't mentioned below is how breathable this parka is for down. I've been breaking it in on some winter ascents of late and I never got too hot.



The conduit layer isn't "water-proof" as MHW says it is on its site, but it's quite water-resistant for light drizzle and snow. All in all, the parka does what it's supposed to do, and is a great bargain for winter mountaineering.

I got one of these for my girlfriend. Not entirely sure how much I like it, it seems somewhat underfilled compared to my Marmot Mountain Down. Quality is decent otherwise and it packs down nicely.

Nice jacket, bulky, but packs nice. My older North Face Summit Series is still warmer at half the volume, but that was North Face actually made good products.
The Mountain Hardwear jacket is nice at the price though.