Not the best piece of gear for backpacking light, but I Suppose if it was cold enough, and you wore it instead of packing it in, it would work well.
Anyway, it's my latest piece of gear, and I do a lot of Kayak camping year round, and this makes for an excellent outer garment at night, either fishing at rivers edge when it gets cold and clammy, or by the fire at night, where it stands up to the occasional stray spark that would melt right through a light down puffer.
They're made from military wool blankets and sewn in Duluth Minnesota.
If you can make room for one piece of heavy gear in your pack, during colder weather, this thing rocks!
Johnny

What difference would that make? You still have the weight on your legs.

Not much, especially when referring to the legs, but some would be on your arms and shoulders, more on your "center" whereas in the pack it would be more weight off of your center. I know that with 3 prior back surgeries, the closer the load is to my center, the easier it is for me, no matter the quality of my pack.
Ps I wouldn't recommend wearing it in a kayak in case you bail: it gets really heavy when wet!

I like the looks of that! Reminds me of the stuff that Asbell sells. Doubt it would make my cut for a pack in trip, but I could see myself using one a whole lot in the fall/winter.

I looked at these and ended up going with the Asbell option. What swayed me was Asbell's is very similar in design, but simpler and better suited for my purposes. I didn't want all the snaps and lashings I also liked the variety of color options. The price was much better as well. I was able to get two of Asbell's and still come out cheaper than one Lester River.

I think either of these is a good option for fall and winter use. They're quiet and have plenty of room for layering. I still haven't made up my mind about the extra length, but it would be a simple matter to shorten mine if I want to.