Help: John Wesley Powell down jacket

Posted by: Keith

Help: John Wesley Powell down jacket - 10/27/08 04:54 PM

When I was in the Grand Canyon in May, I managed to burn off one arm of my North Face down sweater. We called it the John Wesley Powell jacket because that first person to map the Grand Canyon had lost an arm in the Civil War.

The jacket had been used as part of a windbreak affair for our gas stove and somehow got too close and started on fire. One arm is burned. I was able to cut off the charred 3/4 of an arm and seal the remainder with duct tape.

My question now is what to do with it. I don't like vests, so that obvious approach is out for me. Could a new arm be put on, or is it trash?

Any thoughts, anyone? Penny . . .?
Posted by: rootball

Re: Help: John Wesley Powell down jacket - 10/27/08 05:38 PM

I like the name you gave it. A new lower 1/4 th of the arm would be pretty easy - if you have the down. Matching fabric might be impossible. Sell it on the gear swap - maybe someone will make a vest with it and use the down from the arms as extra fill. Take the down out and use it extra fill in your bag. Get a new one and don't use it as a wind screen.
Posted by: pennys

Re: Help: John Wesley Powell down jacket - 10/27/08 07:48 PM

Moi?

I'd make it a vest or put in in the trash.

Remaking a sleeve? You guys are nuts. Maybe you can find matching one at Goodwill.
Posted by: Trailrunner

Re: Help: John Wesley Powell down jacket - 10/27/08 09:12 PM

Just random brainstorming here:

Cut the good arm back to match the burned one. Sew permanent seams on the end of both arms, and use it for a doggie winter jacket or maybe even a small doggie sleeping bag with further alterations. Of course this depends on finding a suitably sized dog........

Or.....use the remaining full sleeve as a cozy for a thermos.

Or....track down the one-armed man from the old "The Fugitive" series and donate it to him. (Some of you younger members won't know what I'm talking about)

On second thought the vest idea sounds pretty good if someone other than you wants to use it.

At the very least you could recycle the down into a pillow.
Posted by: phat

Re: Help: John Wesley Powell down jacket - 10/28/08 07:42 AM


My biggest dislike about vests is usually the air leakage around the pits. If you were actually to cut it back to a "short sleeve sweater" configuration you'd probably have a nice light insulating layer and not miss the lower sleeves as much as I miss full sleeves on a vest with cold air in my pits.

That and go buy a new one that you don't put next to the stove <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Posted by: leadfoot

Re: Help: John Wesley Powell down jacket - 10/28/08 08:53 AM

Send it back to North Face and they just might replace it....or fix it. A friend of mine had an old TNF tent..beat up, raggedy, and the zipper broke. They replaced the entire tent with a new one, no charge.
Posted by: pennys

Re: Help: John Wesley Powell down jacket - 10/28/08 09:15 AM

that couldn't have been recently...????
Posted by: finallyME

Re: Help: John Wesley Powell down jacket - 10/28/08 09:33 AM

Sell it to someone who would make a vest. I wouldn't trash it, well, because someone would want it to make a vest, and that is better than a land fill.
Posted by: CamperMom

Re: Help: John Wesley Powell down jacket - 10/28/08 10:15 AM

If *I* really liked the jacket, I'd figure out a way to make a sleeve piece to replace the missing part. The hardest part of a set-in sleeve is getting the shoulder seam right, IMHO. Tacking on a modified tube should be reasonably easy...should be. Don't even worry about matching colors, as long as this is strictly a piece of backcountry gear. Keep the JWP nickname for the jacket as an explanation of the color.

If you don't want to work with down, consider making just that part from some other fill. The weight penalty shouldn't be too excruciating and the whole thing might just help you to remember to keep the good stuff away from heat. I messed up my Frogg Togg sleeves working too close or reaching around stoves. I hope to remember to pay better attention in the future.

Oh, yes-At least one outfit, Jacks R' Better, makes separate down sleeves among its wares. MAYBE they would sell you one sleeve or a partial one. It is worth asking.

Good Luck!

CamperMom
Posted by: leadfoot

Re: Help: John Wesley Powell down jacket - 10/28/08 03:57 PM

pennys...no. Maybe several years ago. However, my neighbor had a Cats Meow for several years and he sent it back to them this past spring saying it wasn't keeping up to the rated temperature, so they sent him a new one, which is their latest improved model. He took the new bag, exchanged it at the local outfitter shop for a better, lightweight bag paying the difference.

I would at least call TNF and see what they can do. It couldn't hurt.
Posted by: Earthling

Re: Help: John Wesley Powell down jacket - 10/28/08 04:55 PM

Keith, Montbell makes a 't shirt' style down jacket, take a look in their catalog to see the concept. Like Bob/Phat said, the lower sleeves sometimes just add bulk to your Winter top setup. You could have some light elastic run on the sleeve hems to close them up from escaping heat.....that is if you did'nt burn the shoulder area, but lower down like along the forearm area <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> Hope you had a Grand time just the same on your trip <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />