Best belay jacket for NH

Anybody have an opinion on the best puffy out there for a long cold day in NH?

EDIT - Ideally this would be for both long moving days (shoestring or huntington gullies), and crag days. So a perfect balance between weight and warmth. But - cragging will likely be 70% of time.

"Long cold day in NH" could mean a wide variety of conditions. Cragging at Frankenstein is not the same as Huntington Ravine, Great Gulf, Wiley, or Cannon on a cold day. Long cold day of constant movement? Or long cold day of 2h belays?

All the normal players make something that will work. I.e. old MH Subzero parka, First Ascent Peak XV, FF Frontpoint. Synthetic is also popular, think Patagonia DAS, Arc'Teryx Dually/Solo or Atom SV, or Norrono/Rab/etc offerings.

I think the "best" is to get a 2 different weight/warmth coats and choose the appropriate coat for the day/objective. If price is no object, Arc'Teryx Solo and something lighter.

RAB Xenon Hoodie

Feathered Friends Helios. Amazingly warm, and light. It's as warm as my MH Chillwave and way lighter.

Rab positron because the thing is like a fucking hotel inside

thinking of going with the RAB electron. But I need to sell my Peak XV first. speaking of...
mountainproject.com/v/fs-fi…

My OR puffy unzips from both the top and bottom, so I can unzip the bottom a little and wear it while I belay without any awkward bunching. This feature alone is the best thing ever

Oh, I like that, which one is it?

Ah, I think its the incandescent hoody. Its light and very warm. The only downside is that it's not crazy durable... I've had to patch a couple small holes from bushwhacking and hopping a chain link fence.

lukeweiss wrote:Oh, I like that, which one is it?

This is your double zipper belay ja(hotel)cket

Linnaeus wrote:"Long cold day in NH" could mean a wide variety of conditions. Cragging at Frankenstein is not the same as Huntington Ravine, Great Gulf, Wiley, or Cannon on a cold day. Long cold day of constant movement? Or long cold day of 2h belays? All the normal players make something that will work. I.e. old MH Subzero parka, First Ascent Peak XV, FF Frontpoint. Synthetic is also popular, think Patagonia DAS, Arc'Teryx Dually/Solo or Atom SV, or Norrono/Rab/etc offerings. I think the "best" is to get a 2 different weight/warmth coats and choose the appropriate coat for the day/objective. If price is no object, Arc'Teryx Solo and something lighter.

I would like to recommend the OP read this again.

I too bring a micro puffy or a synthetic belay jacket depending on what's going on that day..

Bill,
Thanks for pointing that out again. In some ways, I want one jacket that takes care of any of those situations. One of the problems is that any of those conditions can be bone-chilling, or comfy, conditions dependent.
But, this is a fine line. I think the Rab Electron threads the needle. It is not a hotel, but it is warm. Otherwise I would go for a positron/Peak XV/Neutrino Endurance.
Sadly, I don't have the money for two.
More underlayering will have to take care of the really cold days.

No one brought it up but probably the warmest single jacket I've ever come across (thats not meant for Everest) is the Marmot Mountain Down... Removable pow skirt, pit zips, etc. I ski in this puppy in -10 deg at Jay Peak and all you need is a tee shirt underneath.

marmot.com/products/details…

Luke,

Buy used. If you were XXL I would have a Patty ultralight down jacket and MHW belay jacket you could buy for $200 shipped. I also have absolute Zero parka I would like to sell.

lukeweiss wrote:...Ideally this would be for both long moving days (shoestring or huntington gullies), and crag days. So a perfect balance between weight and warmth. But - cragging will likely be 70% of time.

Well, those objectives are pretty wide apart on the spectrum. Lots of different layers/jackets/kits would work for different folks. Unless it is a heinous day, I don't even bring a belay coat for shoe string anymore -- it is well protected and normally involves constant or near constant movement. If anything I would just keep an Atom LT in the backpack in case I was moving slow or needed to belay.
For Huntington, or the Dike, or when I know we're pitching it out, I will bring a big warm down. Big warm down is also the most comfortable for cragging days, works great when winter camping, and can let you day dream about a trip to AK. They also tend to be quite reasonably priced if you pick one up used. Since you'll be doing 70% cragging, a coat that is several ounces heavier probably isn't that big a deal, and any additional warmth will be appreciated when you get benighted topping out on Pinnacle.

I would recommend (YMMV) a "climbing sweater" and mid weight belay coat to cover those objectives. Use them alone or paired. Climbing sweater = Patagonia Nanopuff, Nanoair, Arc'teryx Atom LT, i.e. ~60g/m2 synthetic. Belay coat would be more like 100+g/m2 insulation (if synthetic), like a Patagonia DAS, Wild Things belay coat, etc etc, or box baffled down.

The truth is, I don't know what would work for anyone but myself, so my advice is not worth much. I must give credit to Dane at Coldthistle for changing the way I think about layering, synthetic layers, and alpine kit. I would recommend reading his relevant blog posts as it might be more helpful than anyone here. At the end of the day, think of what kind of kit they used in Feb 1930 for the first ascent of Pinnacle in sub zero temps -- compared to that, anything should do!

coldthistle.blogspot.com/20…
coldthistle.blogspot.com/20…
coldthistle.blogspot.com/20…

That is a tough question to answer without getting into brand biases and personal opinions. In the end the best belay jacket for NH:

Is sized large enough to fit over your climbing layers without too much struggle.

Is synthetic because all too often you start your day at a dark and frigid belay stance in the shade and end up in a dripping cave in ankle deep slush.

Has a hood big enough to fit over your climbing helmet and facilitate decent head mobility with it on (being able to look up and see the climber without the hood going over your eyes is essential).

Packs small enough to fit inside a reasonably sized (25-40L) day pack while still fitting other essentials.

Basically, this described every belay jacket everyone has already listed. In the end it comes to which brand do you gravitate to, what is your favorite color, and most importantly what can you get the cheapest? It is really helpful though to be able to try these jackets on with all of your layers and get a feel for how things fit or how far to each side can you really move your head with the hood on.

I personally use the Black Diamond Stance Parka. In the past I have had different versions of the Patagonia DAS. These jackets as well as most of what everyone else have listed will do you right, just pick your color and find the deals.

Bill Kirby wrote:Luke, Buy used. If you were XXL I would have a Patty ultralight down jacket and MHW belay jacket you could buy for $200 shipped. I also have absolute Zero parka I would like to sell.

Thanks bill. I do have a prodeal, so will likely still go new.

Maybe this one then - rab.equipment/us/shop/men/s…

someones geeking out on gear cause theres no ice huh?

^^^i dont think that rab jacket qualifies as a belay jacket^^^

3 musts for a belay coat

2 way zipper you can zip up from bottom

thick synthetic insulation

big hood

the 3 that come to my mind when i think of belay parka

Patagonia DAS
BD stance belay parka (my personal choice, and favorite peice of gear)
arcteryx dually

choice from rab

rab.equipment/us/shop/men/s…

Rab Andes is beyond warm, warmer than my Feathered Friends....Neutrino is way lighter/less expensive...but man, it's COLD out in NH! You guys have it rough!

Whatever you do, buy a high-quality down jacket; it'll last you 6x what a synthetic one does!