Anyone have one?

Looking for some opinions.

My favorite piece of clothing since it came out. Warmest puffy I've ever had, period. Somewhat bulky in the space department but not in weight. About the same noise level and abrasion resistance as most puffys. I run a Kifaru slick bag 20 degree and the LPP seems like basically the same thing turned into a coat. The kangaroo pouch and cordura on the elbows are nice touches. The price hurt but I live in it for several weeks a year. I'd buy another in a heartbeat.

Thanks.

Was set on ordering a First Lite Uncom-whatever, but the Kifaru isn't that off in price, and seems that its warmer going by most reviews I've read.

I'd gladly sacrifice a little weight and packability for warmth on this one, as it's not too bulky.

I have the FL Uncompaghre puffy. It is one of my favorite jackets. I'd like to try the Kifaru but already have a couple of puffy jackets. Can it be worn as a stand alone - meaning is it water resistant/proof and quiet?

I agree - that's a good lookin' parka. And the first I'd heard of that one.

Yes, it's water resistant. I wear mine late season stand hunting as the outer layer. It's probably the best at blocking wind and is also the warmest. I've worn it in a light rain and snow conditions without soaking out. I also use the Kuiu Kenai, which I love, but they are completely different tools. The First Lite puffy is thinner and more form fitting, but not as warm or durable.

It is not quiet.

It will stand up to mist or a light sprinkle but that's about it in my experience. The climashield insulation retains a very high insulation rate even when wet so it'll still be warm even when saturated. The insulation is very uniform and doesn't clump. The jacket is very warm, I've hiked in that and a merino T shirt in extremely cold weather. Definitely wouldn't recommend hiking with the jacket on though unless it's really cold and downhill.

Well the Kifaru parka came in today.

Can't believe how light this thing is. Bear in mind I've never had the latest and greatest cold weather clothing, but I'm still a little skeptical of how warm this will be.

Very happy to say the sleeve and body length are plenty long for me (6'7"), although it does fit a little snug to be a 2XL.

Thinking this may be a winner, will hold out opinions until I get at least a season in it.

Cool, hopefully you're as pleased with yours as I am with mine.

Update after a few cold hunts....


This thing is awesome. Blows my mind how warm it is being so lightweight.

Time will tell about durability but everything else is well above my expectations.

Holston,
Glad it's working out for you.

Couple questions - sizing is about normal? And a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the "quietest", what would you rate/rank the parka?

I bought a LPP in highlander this fall. Love the thing so much I bought one in CB Monday, along with a Slick Bag and a Doobie.....

I normally buy XL Tall sizes. I certainly wouldn't want one smaller than the 2X. I would say on the small side, but not terribly bad.

As far as noise, it's not quiet by any stretch, but I personally don't find it to be a problem. Not sure it'd be the ideal bowhunting jacket, but for anything else I don't see it being a problem. IF I had to put a number on it, I'd rate as a 5.

So in a nutshell, if you're in between sizes order up and don't expect it to be as quiet as fleece. Can't see how you'd be disappointed though, this really is the best piece of hunting clothing I've ever owned.

Nice buck...

Curious to hear your thoughts on the Doobie. I'm debating between that and a HPG Mountain Serape.

I don't know if I'll ever pack in the doobie and use it as a glassing blanket as I've got puffers for that. I got it as a blanket for when I stay in my camper shell and my bed ain't warm enough. The 1st Icebreaker shoot I attended was a cold sumbish, and I needed another blankie (or two...)

That's perfect intel - thank you.
You and Don just cost me some $$$.

I bet you'll love it.

And for what it's worth, i'm pretty tight with money, cause money is pretty tight. This was a big purchase for me, and I set my expectations extremely high based on price. I wasn't let down in any way.

I just hope the fartsack is as good as the coat....

Might have to try the parka, but do we understand the definition of doobie differently?

Used a LPP this year for the last three weeks in three states from highs in the 80's to single digits and snowing.

General use was hiking hard to glassing spots and then sitting for hours. Hiked in a light base layer and fleece top and once at a glassing spot put on the Parka and puff pants to cook dry and insulate. It's a mid tempature puffy, not a super warm one. Down to around 30-35 degrees it was good for absolute comfort with a silk weight base layer and light fleece top under it. Absolute comfort is defined by me as sitting still for hours and being completely warm- not chilled at all. Below about 30* I had to move around some or build a fire. It was great in single digits if I were moving at all.

I like anoraks and pass through pockets, so really like the design and cut of the Lost Park. It also breathes better than most puffs. I could walk quit a bit as long as it wasn't a heavy effort and not be drenched in it.



Overall thought are-

Mid warmth
Great anorak design and hood
Breathes well and dries quickly
Relatively light (21oz in large)


It will work for some of my uses, but not for truly cold winter mountain weather while stationary. At least not without another insulating layer.



Nunatak Equipment make an early identical pullover that you can customize completely. Material, size, fit, down or synthetic with 2.5, 3.6, and 5oz of Climashield Apex insulation. The Kifaru Lost Park Parka is 3.6oz, and I think 5oz would be about right.

I e-mailed Kifaru last week asking what the g/m2 spec was in the Lost Park. I haven't heard back, anyone know?

they told me 3.6 insulation. Whatever the heck that means....

Ounces per square foot, possibly? If so, that's a fairly good amount of insulation?

3.6 is ounces/yard. The metric equivalent is 122 grams/meter.

Thank you!

3.6oz as said above. It is same/same as their 20 degree sleeping bags.


Given heat transfer, surface area, etc., differences, 30-35 degrees is about right.

Roger thanks. Same as the DAS. The (now) ancient ID Dolomitti is about the only synthetic puffy I've owned with enough loft to be a primary belay jacket in truly cold conditions. There are a few others that push toward 150-180 g/m2 these days, but most burn weight on heavier face fabric than I care for. Down gets hard to argue against as the mercury dips below slush conditions anyway.

Snowy,
My favorite belay jacket is the Mountain Equipment Citadel. Lofts almost like a down jacket. It's basically waterproof, also. It is rather heavy. That's the only downside. It truly kicks the [bleep] out of my DAS for warmth and weather proofing.

Thanks 340. MEC makes pretty solid stuff for the price imo. The Primaloft Gold they use in that jacket is a cut-staple insulation and will loft and "feel" more like down (same as Primaloft 1, just re-named I am told). The Lost Park uses Climashield, which is a continuous filament--comes out more "quilt-like" and will be bulkier on average than a cut-staple. The benefit is that it tends to hold up better over time (less deterioration of fibers) and won't bunch. Neither is perfect, just different ways to skin the cat. Weight is the damnation of synthetics of course, which is why we have down jackets for 16-18 oz that can do the same thing as synthetics that weight almost twice as much. It's all about the cost:benefit ratio for a given condition.

I had an Integral Designs pullover very similar to the Lost Park in concept and cut, except with Primaloft 1 and no hood. I put snaps on my Dolomitti hood so I could retrofit it onto that pullover. It was a handy combo, but didn't get enough use to warrant hanging on to it. I like pullovers personally. They don't work well for belaying so there aren't likely to be many above 60-80 g/m2 from the standard outdoor manufacturers.

Snowy,
Climashield sounds interesting. I used to think that the degradation of synthetic insulation was a myth until several of my Patagonia puffies had about as much loft as a windbreaker after several years of hard use.
What I am really excited about are the developments in hydrophobic down-I'm keeping a close eye on that.

Yes there are some upsides to it. I have it in my primary puffy, a Brooks Range Mojave. I've tried to keep up with some of the reviewers I respect at BackpackingLight on the dry-down products; it seems the general consensus to date is that it doesn't loft quite as well per ounce, but obviously doesn't give up as much R-value when wet as standard high loft down. It appears that it's as close to middle ground as we might have at the moment. Obviously the higher the fill power of the down, the more performance is lost when wet, by percentage. Anyway, If you learn anything interesting let us know!

I will definitely share here if I find out anything interesting. In the past I've actually done some research on modified silicone compounds that are very hydrophobic. I wouldn't be surprised if that what's the industry uses to make the down hydrophobic?

Didja order yet, Scott?.........grin

Kifaru is doing a black friday deal, for those interested, if ordered before Monday.

Use code KBF15


Sale excludes the following items.
Shelters and Stoves

Only applies to orders made 11/22-11/27

Have you ordered anything from Nunatak? If so what and how well did you like it? I too got a little cold glassing in my Kifaru parka and want to have something made to keep me toasting when sitting for hours.

I have not. I have seen a couple, and they looked solid. I will be ordering one soon.

if you have a mountain hardwear Compressor Hoodie how do you compare with it? one of the best belay jacket i ever had. never leave home without it.

Sorry, no experience with that to compare.

FWIW, the compressors were a mix of 100 and 80 g/m2, compared to about 120 g/m2 in the lost park. However, the compressor was a cut staple insulation that lofts better per gram than a continuous filament. I'm not guessing on that, guys at BPL measure this kind of stuff. Therefore probably comparable on loft, but then you have the face fabric. 20d ripstop on the compressor, don't know on the lost park, but it looks comparable to me. I'd be very surprised if it's outside of 15d-25d range.

After reading this and the "warmest puffy" I went and ordered myself a LPP. You people sure know how to make people spend money.

You won’t regret it, great piece of gear. Amazingly warm.

Kifaru just came out with a full-zip version today, instead of the pull-over......

If I had to do it again I’d maybe go with full zip. Not a big deal either way, except that I’m lazy and it’d be easier to put on.

Yeah, but the removeable hood on the pull-over is sweet.....

I will most likely put this on my "need to get" list, now that they have a full zip. I can't stand pullovers as I tend to overheat.
My Mont-Bell is getting a bit long in the tooth and everyone seems to be pleased with the Lost Park.

My word, this time of the year gets expensive......

How is the wind resistance with the LPP?

Received mine a couple of weeks ago and haven't really worn it much except to shovel snow. I was out there for a couple hours at 10 degrees and the wind howling with just a T-shirt and LPP. Nothing cold except my hands.