As I started my planning for the coming trip to Lapland, I begun to look for a vest to layer under my BPL Cocoon Hoody when the temperatures dip into the single figures. I was pleased to discover that an online retailer Outnorth had the Western Mountaineering Flash Vest in stock and I did not hesitate to purchase one.
The vest is of simple construction, large pockets, no collar as well as a zip down the front, it layers well underneath a puffy hoody and the XL weighs 184 gms. I used it on my last trip along the Hallandsleden; the first evening of use was after arriving at camp in hail storm, I was chilled and it was only when I put the vest on under my Haglöfs Lim Barrier Pullover (no longer available), that I started to warm up. On the last night of the trip with a cool breeze coming off Björsjö at Mästocka I was surprised at how comfortable and warm I was wearing the vest over a shirt and woollen short sleeve shirt.
If you are looking for a down vest then I can recommend the Western Mountaineering Flash Vest.
11 comments:
Looks nice :). Wouldn't mind owning one of those if I didn't already own a pair of synthetic ones.
I use my Flash West all seasons. Its perfect to bring for extra insulation.
One can never have too many vests, I have a BPL Cocoon synthetic vest, but for warmth down is best.
Thanks Roger, I agree completely it has taken me a while to get a down vest but it will be in my pack from now on.
I like my Flash vest and use it a lot. Seldom for backpacking though, I just realized. Outnorth, by the way, is Western Mountaineering's Swedish agent and have a lot of their stuff on their webpage.
I have the Flash Jacket with hood and its impressively warm for its weight. I'd not hesitate to buy the vest to replace my PHD minim if I could find one for a reasonable price.
In recent months I've come to appreciate the quality of WM products and would probably only move from Cumulus sleeping bags to WM if the need ever arose.
Thanks Jörgen the vest is nice and that explains why Outnorth has a wide range of WM products. I like to take a mixture of down and synthetic on my trips. Down for warmth, synthetic if it is damp.
Thanks for visiting Marcus, I have never seen the PhD gear but it does look good online, and with the WM gear readily available here I expect I will stick with them. Sadly quality gear is never cheap, no matter where you are.
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I use my Flash West all seasons. Its perfect to bring for extra insulation. My reply"Thanks Roger/Trinsla, I agree completely it has taken me a while to get a down vest but it will be in my pack from now on."
Thanks Roger/Trinsla, I agree completely it has taken me a while to get a down vest but it will be in my pack from now on.
nice review ...i agree it's a great vest
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