Review on BD Cold Forge Hoody

I am interested in purchasing the Black Diamond Cold Forge Hoody: blackdiamondequipment.com/e…

Does anyone have experience with this jacket or similar? I live in the upper peninsula of Michigan where it gets in the negatives during the winter and I'm looking for an extremely warm jacket. I don't understand the primaloft system of synthetic down. Also if anyone could compare to how much down this could be in warmth since synthetic is a little different.

Also those who have had experience in synthetic down jackets, how long do they actually last? Since everyone says Synthetic doesn't last as long as natural down, i'm really wondering how long they last.

It's hard to judge something that you can't see or try.

Thank You

From my understanding, and this comes from the PrimaLoft website, PrimaLoft is still producing a fully-synthetic option. It used to be PrimaLoft One, but they re-named it to PrimaLoft Gold. Now, they are producing what you described as a synthetic-down mix. Again, from the PrimaLoft website, it is my understanding that if the garment is a synthetic/down blend, the fill will be described as "PrimaLoft Gold Down Blend."

As far as durability and longevity goes, I doubt your going to find many reviews. It is a new technology that PrimaLoft has developed and recently released. For what it's worth, I have several PrimaLoft One products and they have endured their fair share of abuse and came back for more.

My reference has been the PrimaLoft website

How's the warmth with the primaloft one jacket? I'm not to familiar with down jackets. When I look at the BD jacket it looks a little thin to keep very warm. But I wouldn't really know.

climbing2man wrote:How's the warmth with the primaloft one jacket? I'm not to familiar with down jackets. When I look at the BD jacket it looks a little thin to keep very warm. But I wouldn't really know.

To get a better idea if the jacket will suit your needs, you need to tell us what your using it for. Will its main purpose be for belaying while on ice/alpine, as a mid-layer or just a general around-town winter jacket?

The Cold Forge is definitely going to be warm, but not as warm as you may think. Unfortunately, Black Diamond is not listing the PrimaLoft Gold Down Blend fill weight. Obviously, the higher the fill weight, the warmer the jacket. Since this is a down styled jacket, you want to pay attention to the baffling Black Diamond uses. Baffles keep the down from "shifting" out of place. This piece appears to have "sewn through" baffling, which means it's not as warm as a jacket with "box" baffling.

Honestly though, elaborate what your plans are for this jacket and we can advise on whether this may fulfill your demands.

Just a heads up as I see you are from Marquette. Down Wind Sports is your local BD dealer and is stocking BD apparel for the upcoming winter season. Stop by and lets talk!

why not try something down? They are super warm and that is something you can easily find in a store to try on..just my opinion. I bought a down jacket that I use to belay in and wear around in the winter months in new england and it's super warm and packs about to about the size of a nalgene