****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I purchased this jacket for use in winter snowshoeing, hiking, and clearing my driveway of snow (though we haven't gotten much yet). I am 5'3" and 160 lbs. Short and busty! I considered a large, until I tried one on at a sports store and then decided to go with an extra large. I need room for the girls.The good:The coat is indeed warm. The versatile 3-in-one has always been my go to for winter wear. You never know what Buffalo weather will be like. The reflective layer keeps you warm while the outer layer keeps out the wind and wet weather. I was expecting a zipper flap, but the sealed zipper works as expected. The ruby color is more like a watermelon, and was much less expensive than the other colors. I only paid $95 here at Amazon, and I really like the color. The hood remains in place when up, and doesn't feel uncomfortable with a ponytail.The bad:Where did all of the pockets go? I hate carrying a purse in the winter, since the shoulder strap never stays on my shoulder with a winter coat. The older version of this coat had all of these nice pockets to stow my stuff. Those are gone. The two outer hand pockets are just big enough to put my gloves in, and the shell is lacking any internal pockets. An internal chest pocket is needed in this layer. This was where I could stow my phone, which I wouldn't dare put in a hand pocket for fear of it falling out. The only internal pocket is in the inner layer, which is good, since those hand pockets seem even smaller than the shell pockets.The breathability of the coat is lacking. The shell has two vents under the arms. When worn with the zip-out liner you will stay warm, but will sweat if your activity increases. After snowshoeing for two hours, with only long underwear and a thin fleece mid layer, I was sweating slightly. When I stopped, I started to get a chill, so I headed into a shelter. After I removed my coat, I realized why I was getting cold. The outside of my liner and the inside of the shell were wet, almost dripping. A friend suggested that I not wear the liner when partaking in physical activities.The fit was fine around my chest, which was a real concern for me. Unfortunately, I am short and these don't come in petite sizes. The jacket was longer in the body, which covered my rear (that was a plus), but the sleeves are very long. They come almost an inch past my fingertips, with my arms dangling straight. The cuffs, with their Velcro, are not designed to roll up.Final thoughts, I like the jacket and can change up how I wear it for the right activity, and it will keep me warm. The fit will be something I have to get used to, unless I can dump some weight and fit into a smaller size, but I don't see that happening soon. The disappointing part is the loss of pockets. Women's fashion seems to dictate that we don't need pockets or even regular sized ones. We don't all want to have to carry hand luggage, and we all know women generally carry more cr@p then men. Columbia, bring back the pockets!
