Worth a look: SD’s spring clearance, up to 50% off || And, High Route back in stock

Smiling in -10 F in Rocky Mountain National Park in late-February, and not just because Dave is a happy guy. His baffled parka is a must-have for winter hiking and camping.

First off, the High Route Tent is back in stock, as of Friday. If we sell through this inventory, we have a bigger batch arriving in early-April.

Next, Sierra Designs is clearing out their inventory in advance of new arrivals. The High Route Tent and Flex Capacitor 40-60 Pack are among the few items that are not on the sale list, which otherwise includes most tents, sleeping bags, and men’s and women’s apparel.

View all SD sale items

If I were doing personal shopping, here are the items I would most consider:

Elite DriDown Hoody, now $124 (XL and XXL only). An ideal 3-season jacket for the Mountain West, or cooler season in the East.

Elite DriDown Parka, now $175. For winter trips in cold temperatures, and fall hunting trips when you’re not generating much body heat.

S/S Pack Polo, now $34. The long-sleeve version is my go-to for milder temperatures in the West (read my long-term review). The short-sleeve is more suitable for the East, or for those who are willing to regularly apply sunscreen. The same selling points apply: unmatched air permeability, quick dry, good looks. The treated polyester has proven more stink-resistant than conventional polyester, but it’s not as good as wool.

Mobile Mummy 30-deg 800, now $210. For most of my trips I use a quilt, except when temperatures will be regularly below freezing — at that point, quilts are simply too drafty to be comfortable. So I have a mummy in my closet for these colder temperatures. This Mobile Mummy has a lot of things going for it — just $210 and 1 lb 11 oz, and many features that make it more versatile than a conventional mummy, e.g. front zip, arm ports, and a jacket-style hood.


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Posted in on February 26, 2017
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9 Comments

  1. spelt on February 26, 2017 at 6:34 pm

    Happen to know a fill weight for the parka? The internet can’t seem to agree.

    • Andrew Skurka on February 26, 2017 at 6:43 pm

      i would rely on SD’s spec, 19 oz. Not sure what internet sources are in conflict, but you might be finding weight for an older “non-Elite” Parka.

  2. Haig on February 27, 2017 at 8:07 am

    I can vouch for the high quality and innovation in SD’s products. I have a number of SD gear, including the baffled parka in the photo, which really is an excellent winter coat. I am 5’8″, 145, and the medium size fits well on the jackets (and 32 on waist fits well on their pants), but their shirt sizing is off. Andrew has referred to this too. I bought the LS polo in medium, and it was too tight. I would consider sizing up on the shirts (though then you run into the issue of sleeves being too long).

    • Andrew Skurka on February 27, 2017 at 8:11 am

      The shirt sizing issue pertains just to the L/S Polo, and only for the season for which the current batch was first made (Spring 2016, I think). The S/S does not have those issues, interestingly, at least with the version I have from Spring 2014.

      • Sean on February 27, 2017 at 11:47 am

        Did they fix the S/S sizing issue then? I bought 2 short sleeves a few years ago and they ran really small. I had a weight issue to begin with, and I usually have to order a size up in any backpacking or technical clothing, but I felt that they were almost 2 sizes too small.

        In the end I just lost weight and that fixed the issue 🙂 Long Sleeve I didn’t have the issue with because I had left a backpack full of fat off me before I hit the trailhead.

  3. Andrey O on February 27, 2017 at 11:23 am

    I purchased the pack polo in shortsleeve and longsleeve versions at 50% off, and have to say you were right, they’re great and a great deal at that discount. I can bike to work and still look and smell good. Or I can go for a short half-day hike and then have late lunch/early dinner in a restaurant. I now find that I have a tendency to think “I shouldn’t be hiking/biking in this too much, it is too nice for that” – but then I remind myself that that’s the exact purpose I got it for.

    So now I’m looking for similar-looking well-made cross-activity polos (cool & comfortable on a hike, good-looking and not smelly in civilization) for daytrips and travel. Sierra has only the Flame color in a medium size, which is a little too bright. I have a Columbia Titanium polo which keeps me cool but does tend to smell. Most golf-specific polos have old-man styling… I guess there’s the Ibex merino polo… any other recommendations?

  4. Gordon on February 28, 2017 at 9:50 pm

    Some online reviews of the “elite” baffled parka reference 800 fill power, rather than the 850 that SD saves the elite designation for. And some reviews do not contain the “elite” term at all. It’s all very confusing online, but in the real world the SD elite baffled parka my wife has is extremely warm. So much so that I have taken advantage of the sale to buy one for myself, even though I already have a fairly new, full-featured sewn-through parka weighing only 21 ounces that I have been very happy with. I suspect my “old” friend will be going up for sale.

  5. Rob W on March 13, 2017 at 6:39 pm

    Andrew, It looks like SD doesn’t have a women’s offering similar to the LS Pack Polo. Any ideas on something similar for my wife? She would like some sort of collar and a 1/4 zip or button style.

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