[twosix]

stars87 wrote:

Good enough.

What's your resistance to cold ? Office 16/17 degree aircon feels just about OK for you ?

Best to get a windproof lining. My Thai friend had one of those 99$ uniqlo down, the coldness gets in from the seams between each layer of down.

A fleece liner/soft shell on the inside would suffice.

Tokyo no need la. 2-3 deg no problem after Hokkaido

thanks a lot!! I guess I'll go with whatever I have and if needed, buy more from japan itself. I hate to wear heavy gears too.

[twosix]

stars87 wrote:

Long long ago in a different world where there was a John little at specialist centre, I worked at the winterwear department for my summer job.

Down is a wonderful material. Basically, its the little feathers of ducks that traps heat in the layer of air in between them

Down works wonders as it is both light, and has tremendous insulating power.

But not all down is good down. Down is basically a weight/insulation performance tradeoff.

See those big bulky down jacket right ? May cost over 229.90 but the inside is filled with cheaper 400 grade down. 400 down is coarse and heavy. If you are a guy with a big frame like me, no problem with another 1-2kg of weight. (My down jacket is about 2kg+)

800 down is the high grade down. Lighter yet with the most insulation power, it allows manufacturers to make thin, slimline down jacket.

Here's the problem: not all manufacturers tell the truth about down. While we aren't avid mountaineers about to go to Patagonia or living in the cold windy streets of Chicago or the bone chilling roads of Alaska, it matters because if you don't know what you're buying, you don't know what are you paying for.

Afaik, uniqlo doesn't disclose what type of down used. It is a good little piece of kit. Light, compact, foldable. Probably warm enough for 80% of whatever we are doing. But for $99 "sale" price, I think u can easily buy north face from the US at that price point.

Just need to search for it. I find gear reviews very useful. Don't buy on price or claims of down. Read, find the technical specs, see if got user reviews.

That being said and done, I do think the uniqlo down is a pretty decent down jacket. I just don't think it is value for money.

But in singapore, the $99 uniqlo is the best value for money? It can go down to $79.90 or $69.90 at times too.

[stars87]

kifo wrote:

I am not sure about Uniqlo SG, but on Uniqlo JP website, they do state that the down they use has 640 fillpower. For 7000 JPY, a light 640 fill jacket weighing less than 200g, with DWR coating and a aluminized coating on the inner is great value for money. Of course you can wait for sale in the summer when they are even greater value for money.

http://www.uniqlo.com/jp/store/featu...lightdown/men/

The cheapest down jacket for a bona fide outdoor apparel manufacturer here in Japan is 12,000 JPY (excl tax). This is a 800 fill 175g down jacket with DWR coating. For those who wants assured quality, I recommend going to a Montbell store in Japan to get your stuff. They are one of my favorite stores here. Their pricing is generally one of the most reasonable and lowest around. In Tokyo, you can find them in many places, including Ikebukuro, Shibuya and Shinjuku.

http://webshop.montbell.jp/goods/dis...uct_id=1101420

Thanks for sharing.

I did not know the new one had a alumnized coating and DWR.

Can share more about the alumnized coating ? How does it work ?

DWR is a water repellent layer. But my experience with dwr treated fabrics is that they tend to flake off after 2-3 years.

[twtan14]

cancer81 wrote:

I would go for it if u see savings on the hotel and car rental....

This package much cheaper than the full guided tour but does not factor in petrol, meals (lunch and dinner) and any entrance fees to places of interest. I would love to go with this since it can spend more time at places I enjoyed but my driver don't want to.

[stars87]

twosix wrote:

But in singapore, the $99 uniqlo is the best value for money? It can go down to $79.90 or $69.90 at times too.

Yeah. If I had to buy only from Singapore, I would definitely get the uniqlo

Hard to find good value.

Actually the montbell items that kifo recommend are really well priced. Same thing in the mountaineering shops at Chinatown point and elsewhere are 250+

Why not order from us if u have the time ? Black Friday/cyber Monday is coming.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s?k=down+jacket

I know it may not always be accurate but I tend to read up on user reviews of kit before I get the confidence to buy.

[kifo]

stars87 wrote:

Thanks for sharing.

I did not know the new one had a alumnized coating and DWR.

Can share more about the alumnized coating ? How does it work ?

DWR is a water repellent layer. But my experience with dwr treated fabrics is that they tend to flake off after 2-3 years.

Aluminized coating is quite gimmicky I feel. I saw the jacket and the inner has a silvery sheen on top of the color of the fabric. Not sure how durable it is. I will be surprised if it can add more than 1 deg of warmth since it is so thinly coated. Even for those space blankets with full silvered coating, their reflective coating is mostly for show.

For DWR coating, it is true it will wear off in common use. The good thing about DWR coating is that it can be reapplied on your own. Just go to any outdoor shop and buy a bottle of water-repellancy spray for outdoor clothings and do it yourself. ReviveX is a good recommendation.

http://www.amazon.com/ReviveX-Durabl...dp/B002HH0E2I/

[kifo]

stars87 wrote:

Yeah. If I had to buy only from Singapore, I would definitely get the uniqlo

Hard to find good value.

Actually the montbell items that kifo recommend are really well priced. Same thing in the mountaineering shops at Chinatown point and elsewhere are 250+

Why not order from us if u have the time ? Black Friday/cyber Monday is coming.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s?k=down+jacket

I know it may not always be accurate but I tend to read up on user reviews of kit before I get the confidence to buy.

If I am going to spend S$250+ for a down jacket, I would get the top of the line ultralight down jacket from Montbell here:

Plasma 1000 Down Jacket - 1000 fill power, 130g. JPY 25,400 excl tax.
http://webshop.montbell.jp/goods/dis...uct_id=1101493

plus it has a really eye-catching stitching pattern that will make your jacket stands out!

[evilerniex]

kifo wrote:

If I am going to spend S$250+ for a down jacket, I would get the top of the line ultralight down jacket from Montbell here:

Plasma 1000 Down Jacket - 1000 fill power, 130g. JPY 25,400 excl tax.
http://webshop.montbell.jp/goods/dis...uct_id=1101493

plus it has a really eye-catching stitching pattern that will make your jacket stands out!

wah... 130g only!!!
how much will something similar in Northface cost?

[stars87]

kifo wrote:

If I am going to spend S$250+ for a down jacket, I would get the top of the line ultralight down jacket from Montbell here:

Plasma 1000 Down Jacket - 1000 fill power, 130g. JPY 25,400 excl tax.
http://webshop.montbell.jp/goods/dis...uct_id=1101493

plus it has a really eye-catching stitching pattern that will make your jacket stands out!

Bro what about the shops at ueno and the stretch of shops between kanda and ochanomizu ?

Are the gear legit ? They have like always lots of gear on clearance

[kifo]

evilerniex wrote:

wah... 130g only!!!
how much will something similar in Northface cost?

I hike quite a bit so I am always on a lookout for good outdoor clothing...
and to me, Northface has a poor selection generally. They are more a fashion clothing company than a true outdoor apparel maker. Of course, since their items are usually more fashionable, the brand is also more visible to the general public.

Okay for Northface, they do not have an ultralight down jacket in their lineup currently. Their best down jacket (outside of their summit series - meant for technical mountaineering folks) is the Quince. 800 fill down, 370g jacket. It is a typical down jacket you can wear for skiing in Aspen or Whistler with all the jetset folks. US$250.

https://www.thenorthface.com/shop/me...ce-jacket-cvs9

For Northface, their so-called "ultralight" insulation jackets are all synthetics, using their own proprietary insulation material called Thermoball. At 350g, I don't find them particularly light or packable actually. US$200. The Thermoball jacket would probably be warmer than the Uniqlo Ultralight down jacket, but maybe equal to the Montbell Plasma.

https://www.thenorthface.com/shop/me...ariationId=BUX

But then again, I am evaluating all these jackets with the hiking perspective. For normal streetwear, I am sure design and brand matters more to the general public.

[evilerniex]

kifo wrote:

I hike quite a bit so I am always on a lookout for good outdoor clothing...
and to me, Northface has a poor selection generally. They are more a fashion clothing company than a true outdoor apparel maker. Of course, since their items are usually more fashionable, the brand is also more visible to the general public.

Okay for Northface, they do not have an ultralight down jacket in their lineup currently. Their best down jacket (outside of their summit series - meant for technical mountaineering folks) is the Quince. 800 fill down, 370g jacket. It is a typical down jacket you can wear for skiing in Aspen or Whistler with all the jetset folks. US$250.

https://www.thenorthface.com/shop/me...ce-jacket-cvs9

For Northface, their so-called "ultralight" insulation jackets are all synthetics, using their own proprietary insulation material called Thermoball. At 350g, I don't find them particularly light or packable actually. US$200. The Thermoball jacket would probably be warmer than the Uniqlo Ultralight down jacket, but maybe equal to the Montbell Plasma.

https://www.thenorthface.com/shop/me...ariationId=BUX

But then again, I am evaluating all these jackets with the hiking perspective. For normal streetwear, I am sure design and brand matters more to the general public.

wat brand u usually use for hiking?
I am using Columbia.. coz quite cheap when there is world of sports warehouse sale. price of northface, montbell, mammut etc too scary in sg

[kifo]

stars87 wrote:

Bro what about the shops at ueno and the stretch of shops between kanda and ochanomizu ?

Are the gear legit ? They have like always lots of gear on clearance

Yes ArtSports - OD Box at Ochanomizu is marked on my Google Maps. It is interesting to drop by and see if there are any interesting sale.

http://art-sports.jp/

But I usually prefer going to specialist outdoor shops like ICI Sports or Koujitsusansou for greater range and I also have their point cards

http://www.ici-sports.com/
https://www.kojitusanso.jp/

But increasingly, I prefer to order online. Unless I am lucky to come across an item on sale when I pass by the shops, I think I can usually find it cheaper on Rakuten or Amazon.JP.

[kifo]

evilerniex wrote:

wat brand u usually use for hiking?
I am using Columbia.. coz quite cheap when there is world of sports warehouse sale. price of northface, montbell, mammut etc too scary in sg

Columbia is fine definitely for casual use as well as for some hiking and outdoor activity. As long as you are not trying to climb Everest or mountains in winter, they will probably be sufficient.

I have an Outdoor Research Incandescent jacket and an older Marmot Ama Dablam that I will alternate bringing when I go outdoor hiking in winter. But I have no problem wearing the cheap and cheerful Uniqlo UL jacket when going out to the shops. Not very fashionable unfortunately.

[stars87]

True. Online shopping makes for good deals especially when they overstock in the off season.

And agreed on north face. I never bought into the nuptse nonsense. I have one ice down jacket from them as its a big fluffy bomber jacket style monster for daily use. Bought a closure deal/return item for about 120 inclv of shipping to sg by comgateway.

Very very convenient. Wear it and never layer anything below, just t shirt and jeans. With so many pockets, I don't need to carry a bag. Just stuff everything into the pockets

BTW what you think of this ?

http://www.uniqlo.com/sg/store/women...591790032.html

Have heard mixed reviews of uniqlo windblock/wind proof jeans (they got trashed by my friends)

I've been to the shops and they have the male ones as well. Neoprene like material that is waterproof as well. Looks to be a good halfway liner/technical shell.

Thinking of buying one and putting a zip at the armpit area. Will be good enough for a Fuji ascent in summer I think.

[BioProEng]

saffronsatire wrote:

Yes but must buy 3 up then got free courier. Else not as worthwhile. Price good though.

ooo

so its safe. think think can buy, cause i am buying 3... just nice