Purchased Hooded Helios. This jacket is ridiculously sized. The ratio of arm length, which was perfect, to torso length, which was strangely short, was highly unusual and made the entire experience ridiculous. Feathered Friends may make quality gear, but how can something be quality if the simple proportions are so out of touch with anatomy.

Just got the FF Helios. Can't say enough about it. Took it hunting- Nothing compares to it. My bride has a MB alpine down, the Helios puts it to shame. I would absolutely buy it again. Lofty,warm, fit is close (just right), it's perfect

The product was purchased but not tested in the field. Good craftsmanship, as their products typically are, but customer service is lacking.
Bought this jacket for my wife for Christmas. We live on a horse farm in Eastern, WA and my wife is always complaining about the cold. I have other Feathered Friends products, (jacket and sleeping bag) and have been very satisfied with the products. Never had occasion to work with ther customer service.
This jacket fit my wife, but after wearing around the house for a couple of days, decided it was too "poofy" in the shoulders, and the zipper, when unzipped would scrape the underneath surface of her throat. Although it pained me to return this "heirloom" item, I agreed. There are always slight variances in how a product ultimimately fits someone, so I thought this would be a painless return. Well, not so fast. Upon returning the item, and their thorough inspection, they established that there was a "slight" water stain on the pocket. Mind you, it is at most a single mm in diameter. Totally removable with a damp cloth. This item was never worn outside the house, and frankly I cannot understand how there was a water stain in the first place but that was their assessment, un-negotiable. They state they cannot re-sell the item as new, yeah, right, so they begrudingly retunr it at 85% of the normal sale price. It will be on the rack tomorrow as "new".
Anyway, poor customer support and as a result I will go back to buying from companies that stand behind their products and return policies. Ridiculous, these folks are bush league.

I bought an XXL with nylon shell and at 6'1'' with a 36 in. arm length it's still too small. When they say their jackets are snug, they aren't kidding. The helios is a sweater, not a jacket. The nylon does leak some feathers, but it's not a serious issue. It is a good garment, but the "snug cut" takes some getting used to. As long as it's used in conjunction with an outer shell it's warm to about 10 degrees. I would buy it again if they'd make it bigger in the shoulders and sleeves. Maybe I'll try the Mont Bell ultra light down jacket next time.

Customer Service

They did not properly describe the fit and cut of the garment.

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Large Helios Epic with 800. Me 6'1" 170lbs, narrow waist, broadshoulders. Had it custom for my monkey arms (armspan is 6'2" Feathered Friends are made for people with builds like myself, athletic, flexible etc. So a large is not really that big. I really appreciate the ab/stomach/chest section does not bunch up like most other jackets when I sit down (marmot, n-face, patty) the extra long arms were key for me. jacket weighs about a pound, stuffs down really small but has few zipper pockets (only one, really small) but that is fine with me, the double insulated hand warmer pockets really work well. This coat has been extremely durable, I've probably used it 300 plus times. Worth every penny. It has already been said but they do make the best down gear available. I've used my helios extensivly for 5 years, and I couldn't say anything has changed about it. I thought it would loose some water repelency, but no, even after chaffing. I just washed it (by hand) for the first time and it still didn't lose any water replancy.

Customer Service

I keep hearing bad things, but I have only experiences profesional service, quick, helpful, nice etc.

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Marmot down sweater, N-face (okay if you pay less than $70)

I scoured the internet to find the best down jacket in the world, and shortlisted Rab of Sheffield, England and Feathered friends of Seatle USA. I was tempted to go for the local option but in the end i went for the FF Helios, due to the fact that it is made to order and i could get it exactly the way i wanted. It has lived up to every expectation, and the EPIC fabric is unbelievably waterproof, although yet to determine how durable it is. I highly recommend the 800+ upgrade it is a bragain for the price

Customer Service

Havent used

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Rab Summit

This jacket kept me warm in -10F weather. I bought the 800+ fill XL with epic fabric. It is great to throw on while resting in the middle of a hike, or when you get to camp. Is very light and stuffs into almost nothing. I commend FF for their pocket design. No messing with zippers while wearing big gloves, or touching cold metal with no gloves. Just slip your hands inside. Epic is a great fabric. I also have a sleeping bag made with the same material. All of my equipment has stayed dry... even in a moist tent. Sizes do come small. I ordered an xl (6ft, 165lbs.) and am very happy with the fit. i am able to wear it over a patagonia r3 fleece jacket and a midweight shirt. not much rooom left after that. FF intends them to be small. The design is both beatiful and functional. Articulated arms alow you to wave to the camera at the summit without the jacket exposing your waist... probably the reasoning behind the design. To anybody looking for a great down jacket, this is the one to get. Thanks FF.

Customer Service

Have not had to deal with anything other than ordering.

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North Face Nuptse - Much heavier. Down quality is obviously lower. Still a very warm jacket.

This is a great jacket. It weighs around one pound stuffs tiny and is MUCH warmer than fleece. I have one of the water resistant shells and it has leaked VERY FEW feathers. I like the pocket design which allows easy, snag proof access without your crap falling out. The zipper doesn't snag that much as well. I have always worried about the thin feeling fabric but I have not had any problems. Made in USA quality as well. This jacket would be hard to improve.

Customer Service

This jacket did take a long time to get here but I think they are made to order. The people were no trouble to deal with.

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Mountain Hard Wear sub zero jacket. Good jacket as well

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I echo most of what the others have said; great quality, very light, quite warm. I''m 5''8", 155lbs, got a large per recommendation from the salesperson. Mine is in Epic with the newer style of 750 down. Weighs a tad under 16oz. Nice understated look about it.

Customer Service

They had this one in stock, so got it in about a week.

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None

I have a yellow Helios PTFE-light jacket. Just tried it at Coastal California campsite, freezing overnight, last night wore it over a T-shirt-- stayed warm. This morning, same thing, same warmth, while listening to neighbors in adjacent campsite shivering. The PTFE-light fabric is very water resistant. I've worn this around town in mild rain-- no problem. The jacket is incredibly stuffable, about the same as nylon. However, the drawback is breathability. I wore this jacket hiking about three weeks ago and after an hour, I smelled like a wet dog... the inside nylon liner was absorbing the moisture but the outside liner wasn't breathing fast enough, hence the down was collecting moisture. OK, nylon might be similar, but there was a difference, here. Ah, I should have worn a fleece jacket, but it was good to test it. But how they got such a light, stuffable fabric so water-resistent is pretty incredible. I wish I could get a tarp made out of the same stuff.

The other thing I like about this jacket is the fit. It is form-fitting and yet cut so that the arms have maximum mobility without the jacket riding up. A nice touch is the tube of down on each side that attaches to the back and front of the garment, permitting the close-cut with maximum mobility. The other nice thing about the way FF cuts their jackets, is the arm-length. They are a tad longer than usual, perfect for me.

This jacket has the best stitching & overall appearance of quality & durability that I've seen so far from a FF garment. I understand that FF is switching to 750 fill down in their garments, but I would verify this during the purchase. I would recommend this jacket to someone who is willing to ante up for the warmest, lightest, and most compressible jacket around for 3 season + use in camp/stationary use and for "just in case/emergency" use to keep in your pack.

Customer Service

This jacket replaced a jacket I bought on sale that had some issues with the stitching and down leakage. Customer service was very, very good. Warning-- their delivery times can be very, very long (six weeks for mine). So plan ahead. I feel more like I'm commissioning a painting than investing in a jacket, but if you want the best, I guess it's worth it.

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Nuptse.. a great jacket, not the right fit for me. Volant... I have a factory second with dryloft shell for occasional very cold winter use... Sierra Designs... I had a bargain acquisition that worked great, but too many Sierra Pale Ales and it didn't fit any more....