Stone glacier vs first lite

[Boar]

What is your opinion. I’ve done my research. But I want real life opinions. What is warmer. The stone glacier grumman or the first lite white cloud down coat.

 

[TheCougar]

I don’t think you’re asking the right question. They are totally different jackets and you need to look at what suits your use and environment. I have the Grumman, but never used the FL. The Grumman is treated down, half the weight of the FL jacket, and packs very small. It’s an absolute oven. Down holds its volume much better over time, as long as you keep the down clean. The down treatment in the Grumman is supposedly the best you can get (Ryan Avery did a review of down jackets in the rain and the SG came out on top, followed by Kuiu). The face fabric on the SG is pretty light - you have to be careful with it; I use it basically when I’m stationary. The FL jacket is synthetic, weighs more, and won’t pack as small. The synthetic will perform better in wet environments, and hunts where size and weight don’t matter. I have a Kifaru Lost Park Parka that I wear regularly and uses a similar synthetic insulation. It was very puffy and warm, but after a single season of use, it lost probably 1/2 of its volume and warmth rating due to the synthetic fibers breaking down. This will happen with any synthetic insulation. When I first got those jackets, they were probably very similar in warmth, but after a season of use, the down jacket hadn’t degraded at all and the synthetic obviously had. I don’t know how durable the FL face fabric is, but I would recommend you take a look at the Kifaru LPP - I wear it all the time and it’s been very durable and it has different use scenarios than the SG puffy. The SG gets the nod for colder weather, dry weather, hunts where I will wear it primarily when stationary, or when size and weight are a concern. The LPP goes in the pack when I’m expecting moisture, durability is a concern/when I need a jacket I can wear while moving, or size/weight aren’t an issue.