Sierra Designs Capiz Women’s Down Vest

October 21st, 2013 • BY

This is the time of year when a base layer may not be quite enough but that down coat is complete overkill. Enter the Sierra Designs Capiz DriDown Vest ($149). Designed specifically for women, this spot-on mid-layer is lightly stuffed with Sierra Designs’ 600-fill duck feather DriDown, a new down technology we wrote about last year when it was released.

DriDown is basically regular down that’s treated with a molecular-level polymer to create a hydrophobic finish on each and every individual down plume. The goal? To stay dry longer, loft better, and dry faster than regular down, keeping the wearer warmer.

Since I tested the DriDown jacket last year (when I wet the entire jacket in the shower and wore it at my desk for three hours), I’ve been a big fan. DriDown is light as a feather and it dries like a dream. The soaked jacket I tested last year was fully dry within two hours but I felt warm the entire time it was drying. In fact, Sierra Designs says that DriDown dries 33 percent faster than untreated down. I believe it.

The Capiz Vest is no slouch either—strategically placed DriDown panels on the front and back warm in just the right places while black stretchy fabric panels on the sides do a fine job with the slimming effect. They also provide added mobility for outdoor pursuits. This women’s down vest works perfectly for around-town jaunts where you just need a little extra warmth. I also wore it for trail running with a base layer on colder mornings and it worked well to keep me warm and dry—there was no sweat accumulation from wearing the Capiz. When winter hits in a month or two, along with winter sports such as alpine, sidecountry, backcountry, and Nordic skiing plus snowshoeing, this down vest will make a perfect mid-layer between your base-layer-swathed body and a shell.

The two side pockets are ample and warm; two interior pockets are spot on for smartphones and iPods. The zipper is heavy duty—my pet peeve is a wimpy zipper that doesn’t deliver lightning-fast closure. This zipper has engaged and gone up seamlessly for me hundreds of times.

On the style side, it’s a winner—especially if you lean towards the “mountain casual” side of the fence. The Capiz has a slim fit but the sizing does run a bit big; I sized down a size and it fits perfectly.

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Erinn Morgan

About

After a 10-year career as an award-winning New York City-based editor launching and redesigning urban, style-driven magazines, Erinn Morgan left her downtown Manhattan digs after September 11th, 2001, in search of a less encumbered, freelance lifestyle. A life-changing, two-year-long trek around the country in a motorhome eventually landed her in Durango, Colo., which she now calls home. Her writing has appeared in numerous— More about this author →