The Montane Black Ice Jacket is one of the most versatile boxwall down jackets ever created. It’s both light in weight and extremely functional. It features boxwall panels that have been designed to follow the contours of the body, reducing the number of cold spots and creating even panels of high quality goose down. To really help protect the down from the weather and rucksack strap compression it has an extra layer of PRIMALOFT protection over the shoulders, hood top and forearms. The Black Ice is perfect for cold winter days and nights either on the move or resting. Should you get caught out in rain, the outer fabric also has a highly weather resistant inner coating ensuring that the down plumes will stay dry and continue lofting.
When Montane designers drew up the Men's Black Ice Down Jacket, they left no stone unturned when selecting features for cold-weather performance. The 800+ fill goose down is kept dry and lofty by the water-resistant Freeflow Ultralite shell while a layer of Primaloft insulation on the shoulders, hood, and forearms further protects the down from harsh weather. Internal neck and half-waist baffles prevent your precious body heat from escaping when freezing winds pick up and the internal water bottle pocket keeps beverages in a liquid state so you can stay hydrated.
Activities: | Alpine Mountaineering / Mountain Walking / Winter Camping |
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Clothing Fit: | Regular Fit |
Fabric: | Free Flow Ultra-lite |
Fill Weight: | 8.3 oz / 235 g |
Filling: | 250 g (L) of 93/7 goose down at 800+ fill, Primaloft Eco |
Fit : | Active Mountain |
Hood: | Yes |
Insulation: | 800 Fill Goose Down |
Insulation Type: | Down |
Liner: | Ultra-soft PEAQ Down |
Lining: | Ultra soft PEAQ® Down |
Material: | FREEFLOW Ultra-lite |
Pockets: | Internal Fine Mesh Security Pocket, Internal Water Bottle Warmer Pocket, Two Deep Hand-Warmer Pockets |
Weight: | 1.5 lbs (Size Large) |
This jacket is right up there with the best when it comes to weight to insulation ratio. It's probably up there in dollar to value ratio as well. It contains a fully baffled 250g of high quality 800+FP down with added Primaloft in the shoulders and forearms to resist compression. The only area where there is sewn through stitching rather than full baffling is at the side seams (armpit to hip). This is still a HEATER. It has more down than the MHW Nilas jacket and far far more down than the Patagonia Fitz Roy at a comparable price. The fit is a little snug despite the claim of a relaxed fit. I'm a size 40 chest and wear medium in everything. I found the medium to be very restricting when considering use as a belay jacket so I got a large. Montane makes some of the best mountaineering gear in the business. The functional helmet compatible hoods on almost all Montane jackets are truly the best. The stiff wired brim might be a slight annoyance when you're packing it into a stuff sack, but it makes up for the nuisance during actual use. The zipper on this jacket doesn't have issues starting like the zipper on the Montane North Star that I returned long ago. It's got UK zippers, so don't complain about the zippers being on the wrong side. Americans are backwards in a lot of things. What other civilized country doesn't live in the metric S.I. system?
I was expecting to love this jacket as I saw a youtube video on it in a frozen fish locker and the tester said how warm it was. And it is. Very lightweight, excellent construction. This jacket will keep you warm in the coldest of weather. So why do I say but?
One reason and one reason only. The fit is very small. I stand 5'11" and weigh 215 pounds. Yes, I'm not trim, but I'm not very fat either. I do a bit of weightlifting and a bit of eating. I purchased an XXL. Every jacket I own is either a L or an XL. I have never needed an XXL before and it is still much too small. This jacket is very trim, very tight. I cannot layer anything under it. Even with a t-shirt it is warm, but what happens when you go inside a restaurant or a movie and take the jacket off? You will be cold. If I put a sweatshirt on, I can barely zip it. And I feel like a mummy.
So, bottom line: Made extremely well, super warm, but beware of the sizing. I really should have returned it. Instead, I just ordered the Rab Batura in an XL, hoping the sizing is truer.
Very slim fitting jacket. overall quality was impressive. phenomenal hood. Im 6'3 235 lbs with athletic build and the xxl fit tight. 38" long arms. arm length was good but when lifting over head they would ride down 2 inches below wrists. Length of jacket was perfect coming down to mid rear. Very warm jacket. Unfortunately i had to return because was too tight.
Wish I'd read the other reviews, because this jacket is insanely narrow in the torso. XL is usually fine for me. I am not even going to risk exchanging this for XXL because the extra few inches is not going to come close. Weird fit.