$14 650 Goose Down Jacket for the Big/Tall Crowd

I was passing through a JC Penney’s in Virginia yesterday and came across a great deal for an inexpensive and lightweight down jacket for those who fall in the category of “big and tall”.

JC Penney Down Puffer Jacket

The jacket comes in 4 colors (black, lime green, blaze orange and sky blue). It is filled with 90% 650 goose down which means resilience. It comes in Large Tall, XL Tall, XXL Tall, XXXL Tall and XXL, XXXL XXXXL. It has a nylon shell and has two hand-warmer pockets and an interior stash pocket. It even comes with a stuff sack.



The tag on the jacket said it was originally priced at $90. Online it says $70. The online sale price is $32. The in-store price was $14. They didn’t have my size in the store and they were willing to order a XXL Tall for the price of $14 with free shipping to the store.

This jacket looks very similar to my Montbell in that the construction is solid and arm cuffs are elastic fabric which is preferred.  While it didn't come with a waist cinch, it was easy enough to thread a piece of shock cord and attached it to two toggles without sewing or challenge.

My jacket weighs 12 oz which is for an XXL Tall with the added waist cinch.  I've been wearing it around town on 20 to 40 degree days and have found it works quite well.



While the colors aren’t ideal and the materials aren’t the best of the best, my impression is that it is a nice, inexpensive and lightweight jacket for big/tall folks who don’t want to break the bank.

TrailGroove Magazine

Aaron over at TrailGroove Magazine was kind enough to include a short and fairly incoherent article I wrote recently in Issue #6.

I feel tremendously appreciative that Aaron would offer me the opportunity as TrailGroove is such a high-end offering that fits a niche long absent in the outdoor marketplace.  Rather than throw a product together and hope for the best as others have done, it is clear he spends a great deal of time making deep strides towards a quality product supplemented with top-notch photography and impacting articles. 

While I have no illusion that my article fits in any of these categories, quite honestly merely thumbing through each issue is enough to renew my spirits and remind my soul that inspiration and calmness is as close as stepping out the door.

Cheers.