OWNER REVIEW

Nunatak Skaha Plus Down Sweater
Richard Lyon
August 20, 2006

Personal Details and Backpacking Background

Male, 60 years old
Height: 6' 4" (1.91 m)
Weight: 200 lb (91 kg)
Email address: rlyon AT gibsondunn DOT com
Home: Dallas, Texas USA

I've been backpacking for 45 years on and off, and regularly in the Rockies since 1986.  I do a weeklong trip every summer, and often take three-day trips.  I'm usually camping in alpine terrain, at altitudes 5000 to 13000 ft (1500 - 4000 m).  I prefer base camp backpacking, a long hike in with day trips from camp, but I do my share of forced marches too.  Though always looking for ways to reduce weight, I'm not yet a lightweight hiker and I usually choose a bit of extra weight over foregoing camp conveniences I've come to expect.

One piece of personal information especially applicable to this review: I am cold-prone. I sleep cold in the backcountry (and in air conditioning) and am more comfortable with an extra layer in moderate temperatures, such as a sweater in my air-conditioned office or a windbreaker at breaks in hiking on warm days.  I regularly pack a sleeping bag rated 10 – 15 degrees F (6 – 8 degrees C) below the minimum expected temperature.  I do most of my backpacking in the Northern Rockies, and at elevation keeping the chill off after the sun goes down often requires something more substantial than fleece, even in the summer. 

Product Details

The Skaha Plus is a hooded zip-neck pullover down sweater, marketed with the simple phrase "Think Light!"

Manufacturer: Nunatak Gear LLC (www.nunatakusa.com). 
Year of manufacture: 2006
Year of purchase: 2006
MSRP: Sweater: USD 325 for sizes XS through XL, USD 357 for XXL.  Optional handwarmer pocket, USD 40.   See Company Note below regarding list prices.
Materials: 800+-fill goose down insulation.  Pertex Microlight rip-stop nylon shell fabric.  See Company Note regarding shell fabric.
 Listed weight, size XL, .85 fabric, with pocket: 12.5 oz (354 g).  See Company Note below regarding listed weight.
Measured weight of product delivered: 14.1 oz (400 g)

Packed size, as measured: 6 x 9 in (15 x 23 cm).  I'm sure that I could make it smaller if I owned a smaller compression sack.

Baffle height, listed and as measured: 0.75 in (19 mm)
Construction:  Baffles are box constructed. 
Features: Fourteen-inch (356 mm) front zipper at the neck.  Elastic drawcords with barrel-type toggles at the waist and the hood.  Optional sweatshirt-style handwarmer pocket.  That's it – according to Nunatak, " It has no extras, zero bells and whistles, nothing to snag or break or get in the way of traveling light and fast. What you do have is maximum warmth for the given weight, and a clean looking, functional garment."
Related products: The Skaha Plus is also available as a hooded vest.  Sweater and vest are available without the hood as the "Skaha." 

Company Note

Nunatak makes its down sleeping bags, jackets, and vests to order.  My purchasing experience illustrates both the customization process and the pains this fine company takes to give customer satisfaction. 

From the sizing chart on the website it appeared an XL would be appropriate for my chest size, but that the sleeves would be too short unless I went up to XXL.   My torso is somewhat longer than a normal XL fit, so I planned to order the XXL, as I was willing to take a bit of looseness across the chest to ensure adequate length in the sleeves and body.  When I phoned to order, I had a long and informative talk with Nunatak owner Tom Halpin.  The result was a simple hybrid: a size XL, but with an extra inch (25 mm) of sleeve length and an extra down panel in the body. 

Tom and I also discussed fabrics.  At the time I ordered Nunatak had a half-dozen or so fabrics on hand or soon-to-be available, varying in weight from .85 oz (24.1 g) rip-stop nylon through EPIC by Nextec™ at twice that weight.  (Fabric weights are listed by the weight of one square yard of material.)  I explained that I planned to use the sweater for backcountry skiing and four-season alpine camping, and that I preferred greater durability at the expense of a few extra ounces.  After we discussed pluses and minuses for the fabrics in inventory, I settled on Pertex Microlight, a DWR-treated nylon fabric weighing in at 1.3 oz (36.9 g) that Nunatak describes as "significantly stronger than a .85 oz/sq. yard nylon, yet [having] the soft feel of traditional taffeta." 

My custom features are relatively simple.  Nunatak advertises that it really will build to suit, and testimonials on its website and another BackpackGearTest.org review indicate that customization is limited only by the available materials' capabilities and a customer's ingenuity and requirements.  At the time I ordered my Skaha Plus, Nunatak said on its website, perhaps with tongue in cheek, that it would fill a bag or jacket with Eider down (gathered of course by hand in an environmentally friendly manner) for a mere USD 125 per ounce surcharge, for the backpacker who absolutely must have the best insulation at the lowest possible weight.  Gimmick this may have been, but it shows that it is the customer who dictates product specifications.

Nunatak's individual approach to manufacture has several consequences for the buyer.  I purchased a garment that fits my preferences and my figure.  I received it eight weeks after I ordered it; custom-made goods take longer to make than simply adding stock.  Nunatak requires full payment in advance to cover the not inconsiderable expenses of top-quality down and U.S. labor.  (The website does indicate that Nunatak will allow cancellations for a 25% restocking fee.)  Unless I was willing to wait longer, I had to select a shell in one of the fabrics on hand.  Fabric inventory affects color as well as durability and weight; I rejected a lighter weight Pertex fabric in part because it was only available in "hot orange." 

These variations make the listed weights and prices more of a guide than a fixed-price catalog.  While my fabric choice didn't impact price (and I certainly couldn't afford to disturb the Eiders), I did pay extra for the optional pocket (at the USD 40 list) and added torso length.  On a later purchase of a sleeping bag I paid extra (at a per-ounce price listed on the website) for down overfill. 

Bespoke tailoring and top-quality materials mean prices well above retail prices for functionally comparable off-the-shelf goods.  That said, let me emphasize that, on this and my later sleeping bag purchase, I received real value for every dollar I spent.

Where I Wore the Skaha Plus

Skiing.  In March I wore the Skaha Plus on two long day skis in the backcountry in and around Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.  The first day was sunny and cold, temperatures about -10 F (-23 C) when we started and getting no higher than 15 F (-9 C) in mid-afternoon.  The next day was much warmer, with temperatures from 25 to 35 F (- 4 to 2 C), with occasional snow flurries.  I donned the sweater as a cover-up every time we weren't hiking or skiing – lunch, water and tea breaks, and rest stops.  The Skaha Plus also was an effective and attention-getting outer layer around town in the evenings, worn over a sweater in place of a parka.  I've used this sweater for this purpose, in town and at an outdoor après-ski café, after several in-bounds ski days.

Backpacking.   The Skaha Plus has been camp and sleep wear on backpack trips in Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming) in May and the Bob Marshall Wilderness (Montana) in August, with nighttime temperatures at 35 – 40 F (2 – 5 C).  As discussed below it's become part of my summer sleep system.  I also wore the sweater while fixing and eating breakfast in the high country and midnight bathroom breaks.  I expect to wear it for warmth around camp on autumn evenings in the backcountry.

Evaluation

This sweater is a perfect layering piece for backcountry skiing or touring.  Lightweight and compact, I stuff it in a waterproof stuff sack, stow it in my pack, and retrieve it at stops or photo ops.  It pulls on easily over a jersey, sweater, or fleece layer, and when zipped and toggled up keeps me warm from head to waist.  The pocket lets me keep my hands warm without having to put heavy outer mittens back on – very handy when the camera is out.  The fabric resists water well enough so that the down doesn't get soggy from falling or blowing snow. 

The Shaha Plus also excels at use in a sleep system.  I am somewhat claustrophobic when inside a sleeping bag, and have consequently preferred semi-rectangular bags to mummies.  Neither my standard summer bag (a Western Mountaineering Aspen) nor a recently acquired Nunatak Back Country Blanket has a hood.  The hood of the Skaha Plus covers neck and head for a comfortable cocoon effect, much more effective than just a hat.  With the Skaha Plus over long johns (or, on the Montana trip, a simple merino wool t-shirt and shorts) I've been comfortable in either bag or blanket at temperatures close to freezing.  When wearing the Skaha Plus I can vary the insulation of the bag or blanket, ventilation, and wiggle room by opening more or less of the side of the bag, without risking a chill.  

I wore the Skaha Plus around camp in the mornings and occasionally in the evenings, and on the weeklong Bob Marshall trip it was especially useful when watching midnight meteor showers.  The sweater's thermal capabilities have allowed me to substitute a much lighter shell for my three-layer Gore-Tex jacket as spring and summer rain gear. 

The Skaha Plus packs smaller than a midweight fleece sweater.

With the extra inch of length the sleeves extend over my wrists.  I haven't noticed any drafts from lack of a toggle or other means of closure there.  When performing morning chores such as cooking or bringing water back to camp I simply push the sleeves above my elbow to avoid their getting in the way.  The toggles at the hood and waist aid insulation in cold weather by keeping body heat from escaping and keeping out winter winds.

I haven't been caught in the rain with this sweater as my outer layer, but the Pertex Microlight has repelled snow, mist, dew, and tea and water splashes effectively.  It is not completely downproof, as I've lost a feather or two on each trip, though so far this has been manageable.  Nunatak's description of this fabric, quoted above, is accurate.  It has the texture of taffeta, without any of the disagreeable slipperiness that I have found in some silnylon products.  My nighttime and morning activities haven't yet tested fabric durability under combat conditions (bushwhacking).

I've cleaned the sweater once, by hand in the bathtub in the same manner as a down sleeping bag, using Nikwax Down Wash.  Like a bag, it took a couple of days to dry completely, but when dry the loft looked as good as new.

What I Like

Pack size is the feature I have come to value the most.  I can compress the Skaha Plus to about half the size of my other down sweater.  This means that I can easily fit it into a genuine day pack (such as my Mystery Ranch Mountain Monkey) when skiing and still have room for other essentials.  In the past the alternative has been a larger pack, as I don't want to be without some serious insulation when in the backcountry in winter. 

Because the Skaha Plus is so compact and lightweight I don't feel it's a luxury on a summer backpack (or even day hike) in the high country, when it might be needed only occasionally.  It has allowed me to reduce other pack weight by using it as part of my sleeping system in warmer weather.

Over-engineering and unnecessary frills are pet peeves of mine, so I especially value Nunatak's no-nonsense design.  Not only does this reduce weight and enhance compressibility, there's so much less that can go wrong.  With the pouch – which adds only one ounce (28 g) of weight - I don't miss regular pockets, and the pullover style means less chance for warm air to escape and less weight.

Of course these attributes would mean very little if the Skaha Plus didn't always keep me snug and warm.  I really like being able to tighten up the hood around my face when it's windy or snowy.

Possible Improvement

I have no criticism of the Skaha Plus.  It's exactly what I wanted and has done what I bought it for extremely well.  Besides, since I helped set the specs any shortcoming in design or thermal capacity is as much my fault as Nunatak's.  A minor irritant is perhaps a necessary corollary of dealing with a small business run by outdoorsmen: It was occasionally difficult to contact Nunatak.  Several emails were never answered and a couple of phone calls not returned for several days.  I suspect that Tom and friends were outside doing their own field testing.  The quality of customer service and the personal attention I received, however, more than made up for this.