Customer Reviews Outdoor Research Transcendent Down Vest

I love this vest! I can wear it everyday between September and May if I want. Super lightweight and comfy. I like to wear it with a t-shirt when you dont need a full coat or to layer it under a nice hardshell when its cold and breezy.

I'm 6' 160lbs and the medium fits great. I had the last version of this vest which I really liked but the new improvements on this vest this year is great! I like the two tone colors, the new pocket organization, a better fit and being weather resistant!

I wear this vest for work in the cold winds of southeast Washington and it keeps my body warm without having to wear a bunch of layers.

Fit is a bit thick, but it looks good and it's warm.

Good insulating properties. Large size fits me well. A bit snug if I wear a wool sweater but still has good freedom of movement. The pocket lining tends to snag a bit if I have chapped hands so I would suggest a different material for future production.

Good quality. Warm. Form-fitting

So far so good. Three weeks in, used for skiing and hiking, as well as just wearing around.

This vest is great under a nice jacket and shell! It was a lighter weight than I had expected so its not warm on its own. However, it does fit well under most of my other cold weather gear. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase this again.

a little light on the fill but expected based on the description...great fit though and CANT beat the sale price anywhere!

Super warm best, great fit. I just wish it had zip up side pockets

Nice vest. Could use some stretch in the sides.

This is a great under-layer for outside, but an over layer when I'm inside when it's chilly here in Jackson, Wy. In the winter, I live in vests, and this is my new go to piece.

Nice vest! I'm 5'9" 165 lbs. with wide shoulders and opted for the large to layer beneath and am pleased with the fit. Love the colors and the fit, although the taffeta seems to show stains quickly. Good casual piece that could be layered for lift access skiing or other cold weather activities.

While I enjoy the fit of this jacket it feels light to the feel for a 650 fill jacket. I've had several thru the years and even after hard shaking it still feels thin. But I must admit the shell material is thinner and lighter; IMHO!

Great best, looks good and is packable and light weight.

Needs more Down filling.

I definitely am happy that I purchased this vest

not to shabby... would'nt have paid full price for it, seems low in the loft.

Works good for a mid-layer or cooler fall days. But an elastic at the arm sleeve hole would be beneficial and at more performance on windy days

Got it with a discount and still was let down. This vest is so thin I doubted there was any filling in it at all. That is until feathers started coming out of it...

First off, I got this at about 70 percent off of the list price. I like it, but I can't recommend it for anything but casual use. It's very thin. There is not much fill at all. This is not something to buy if you're looking to add warmth for real winter/cold outings. IMO if you're going to choose something that's got this level of insulation, it should be synthetic or fleece. If you only need a little extra insulation there's probably a chance you're going to be dealing with water in its liquid form, whether it's rain, melting snow, or sweat. That should rule out down. If you're choosing insulation for when it's cold enough that you don't need to worry about that then you'll want more insulation than this. So, to me, this makes no sense as a 'technical' piece. The stitching around the pockets is already starting to fail after the vest being worn maybe a dozen times. That's pathetic. All that said, I like it. I like it for casual use. It looks good, fits well, and has very practical pockets. At 40ish bucks it's a questionable value as a casual vest, but I do happen to like it. At its list price, it's a joke.

A bit light on the fill....OK a LOT light on the fill. I LOVE OR and have been very happy with pretty much all of my gear until now. This vest, in spite of the 650 fill, feels a bit cheap and thin. Definite cold spots due to lack of down. OK if you were to rely on it as a layer, but definitely not the classic "puffy vest" if that is what you're after for the shoulder seasons (which I was, sadly...).

Overall a solid update for the transcendent vest. The updated styling, wider baffles, and more casual-crossover designs make it a good-looking upgrade from past models. Color options are great (burnt orange/navy for me) and give us all that "I'm a grungy mountain person but know how to look good too" vibe we're all hoping for. The fit is better and the hand pockets are way more comfortable for actual warming of hands. Some folks might miss the zip pockets, but not me, the single snap is easy and holds in hats and gloves with ease. It's light, comfortable, and warm-ish. Which brings us to the sad part: the down. I have no qualms with using 650 fill-power, that's the earmark of the awesomely functional affordability of the transcendent lineup and it's great for most of our needs anyway. And using RDS down is awesome, thank you OR! The problem is the amount. In what I assume was an effort to keep it light (a hair under 9 oz. for my size medium), OR has skimped on the amount of down in the vest. The wider baffles sort of hide this problem visually. But once on, the vest easily gets cold spots and feels - I hate to say it - cheap. The wider baffles do allow more loft space (thumbs up!), but there's just not enough down in there to loft. I thought this would be my go-to winter layer from town to trail and even the extra puff on cold ski days, but I find myself grabbing other full-on jackets 90% of the time, just to have reliable warmth. While the style is on-point, the warmth and true backcountry functionality is lacking, making it more of a mountain style phenom than a full improvement over the previous models. I'd LOVE to see this same styling and design features with even just 1 oz. more down spread throughout. Until then, I don't think I can rely on this as much as the product description says I should.

Ordered based on the provided sizing guide but the garment we received did not match the given dimensions, and was actually sewn together crooked. I promptly returned it, with tags and original packaging, following all their requirements, and it took a phone call and well over 2 weeks for them to finally refund me (less shipping costs). We've owned several other OR products over the years and had been pleased. Looks like products and service are going down hill. Won't purchase anything from them again.

OR does not stand behind there product quality.