Clay Ellis

MOUNTAIN HARDWEAR SUB
ZERO CONDUIT SL PARKA
$295; 800-953-8375
www.mountainhardwear.com
Prior to one of our evaluations, two of our testers got into a spat over who would wear the Sub Zero. (The bigger guy won.) Why the argument? The 39-ounce Sub Zero boasts such a snug cut that it doesn't restrict movement when you're hauling boats to the river or struggling into your climbing harness at 2 a.m. And it's exceptionally warm. Mountain Hardwear uses horizontal baffles to keep its 650-fill down from clumping, which can create cold spots. Although you'll still want a waterproof outer shell, the ripstop nylon will temporarily fend off snow, rain, sleet—pretty much anything you encounter, except for cold companions convinced that they should be wearing the jacket instead of you.

Clay Ellis

SIERRA DESIGNS DOWN FLEX
$189; 800-635-0461
www.sierradesigns.com
It took 34 years for Sierra Designs to stumble upon its "flex" feature, which places rings of stretchy Lycra in its sleeping bag seams for easier tossing and turning. One year later, they added the same to their down jacket. The result: a 600-fill down jacket with superior mobility, making it an excellent choice for climbing and perfect beneath a waterproof shell for frostbite-warning alpine skiing. Instead of laminates, the Flex is built with Pertex, a nylon woven so tightly that it's water-resistant. We eventually got the coat wet, but it took work. At 24 ounces, the Flex is also light enough for backpacking.

Clay Ellis

FEATHERED FRIENDS VOLANT
$295; 206-292-6292
www.featheredfriends.com
Seattle-based Feathered Friends doesn't sponsor many Himalayan expeditions, but its jackets often end up on them anyway, albeit with some big-name company's logo hastily hand-stitched to the chest. Made with superior-quality 750-fill down (the titanium of feathers—light and pricey), the Volant weighs only 19 ounces but still produces amazing loft. It may be expensive, but you don't buy this coat for the bleachers at Foxboro. Besides, it will easily last a decade: The construction is "tuck-stitched," a technique that places stitching inside a fold so that it's protected from abrasion. Feathered Friends doesn't make any claims about the water-impervious properties of the Volant's laminated outer fabric (wear a shell over it), though it is highly wind-resistant. One of our testers slipped the Volant into his sleeping bag on Rainier to nearly double his bag's loft—now we can't get it back.  

Kent Black wrote about rafting Bolivia's Tuichi River in Outside's 2001 Travel Guide.