Montbell Ex Light Down Anorak

I recently purchased two Montbell Ex Light Down Anoraks. One XL and one XXL. I wasn't sure which would fit, so why not just buy two and send one back. Here's a review of the jacket(s)--

First, a little bit about me--male, 50years old, 6'3", 221lbs, 37 inch arms (long, not around :)), 34-35 inch waist. My biggest problem with finding good fitting down jackets has always been the armpit to top of shoulder area, or where the arm of the jacket connects with the body of the jacket. It's usually too small for me. That's why I bought the XL and XXL to compare.

I didn't take a picture of the XL before sending it back, but it was in blue. I really liked the blue better than the grey, but the XXL fit better (...and they only make the XXL in limited colors). What I mean by fitting better, is that with the XXL I could "hug myself" without the shoulder areas binding. The bottom and middle are a little big, but with the elastic draw-cord that shouldn't be a problem. I also decided to go with the XXL so that I would be able to wear 2 layers under the jacket. The XL would have been a little tight, but the tight shoulder areas would have been way too tight. The XXL arm length was also slightly longer than the XL, but the XL would have been long enough.

The XXL weighs in a 7.8 oz, and the XL weighs 7.3 oz (used digital scale). The zipper is a fine, good quality zipper, and the cuffs have elastic. The hood does not have a cord to cinch it down, but when zipped up, it fits well enough that it won't blow off/back during a gust of wind. At $217.00 it is an excellent value, especially when compared to the Mountain hardware ghost whisperer. Although I recently saw that the Ghost Whisperer is on sale at Backcountry.com for $237.

The material is very light (as expected), but it doesn't feel too fragile. It also has a water resistant coating on it. I've worn it outside around the neighborhood, but haven't hiked with it yet. It is very warm (900 down is good), and wind resistant. If it's raining out, I'll wear my fleece and rain jacket, so I don't know about how well it will perform in wet conditions.