It is very rare for me to review an item I purchased on Amazon, because there is always a little bit of subjective bias in any item review. What moved me to write this is the quality of this jacket. The hefty price tag might be me paying for the Columbia label on the breast, yet I feel that I would pay twice as much for this item. I don't mind being a walking advertisement for Columbia, even if I get zero royalties. I bought the black metallic version in size large. I am 5'4" and weigh about 150, with wide hips and bust. I have short arms and torso, so this jacket came down to my hips and the sleeves will reach to my fingertips. I normally purchase clothes in size medium/large, and this jacket has enough room for me to move my arms in a full circle without it riding up - which is a must for me. Being outside means a lot more than running to the car. The fabric doesn't look even vaguely metallic, however so I have to dock points for that. But it is heavily textured and does have a nice sheen to it. It also seems extremely durable, being a little stiffer and thicker than the shell I have seen on other down jackets . The Omni-Shield fabric with the tiny silver dots is also durable, and soft despite the aluminum foil vibe. The inside of the hood is lined with a buttery soft cotton-like fabric, which helps it not slide off my head. On the inside of the sleeves are ingenious built-in half-gloves with a thumb hole, which will keep snow from getting inside the sleeves. A handy snow "apron" on the inside of the jacket can be buttoned snug at the waist and will not ride up-perfect for staying protected during snowball fights. There are two nicely sized pockets on the outside, with waterproof zippers. These zippers don't open easily, a trait which I have yet to decide is good or bad. On the inside is a "media" pocket, above which is a small hole for headphone wire so I can listen to music and protect my iPod. On the other side of the inside is a mesh pocket, which doesn't raise my confidence as mesh can get easily torn. The hood, which is removable, fits very nicely over my head and can be snugged down with an elastic cord that does not dangle but leaves rather curious loops on either side. The fur trim on the hood is not my favorite feature, even though it extends the edge and can be flipped down in case of rain. I think the jacket would be better if it had a thick strip of fleece here instead. Thankfully, this part is also removable, although without it a rather large strip of valuable weather-blocking is removed. When zipped all the way up, the collar of the jacket covers my neck and mitigates the need for a bulky scarf. As you can see in the pictures, this jacket is a bit understated and doesn't have a ton of bells and whistles on the outside. The stitching is very high quality, and the snaps and buttons are not tiny and dainty to the point of uselessness in gloved hands. I saw a couple of people report that the jacket is too bulky and not form-fitting. You cannot expect a 550-fill down jacket that is built to protect you from the cold and snow to look like your party dress. I do not think this jacket is bulky. Columbia used a mostly diamond-shaped pattern to "quilt" the down pockets - much more shapely than the square and rectangle designs of others. And there is a bit of an hourglass shape built into the silhouette of this coat - it is not entirely ungainly. Overall, the appearance, fit, style and design of this jacket are stellar.
Now that we have the description out of the way, we can turn to performance. This jacket's level of warmth exceeded even my expectations. The "Omni-heat" technology isn't just a fancy gimmick. I own two other Columbia garments with this feature, and they hold in heat very well. Combining that with the insulating power of down and wrapping it in weather-resistant fabric mean I was nearly too warm walking for ten minutes in below-freezing weather. The wind picked up at one point and I didn't feel it except on my face (and legs!). I could lounge around in this jacket, my fleece sweater and a base layer and be perfectly warm. I can't wait for snow so I can go out and see how this holds up to me making snow angels and sledding downhill. I should have invested in a down jacket years ago, I would have missed out on many hours of shivering and wet sleeves.
UPDATE: I was able to wear this jacket during Snowmageddon '17. I went outside to shovel myself a driving path in 4 inches of snow during -16 degree temperatures. A personal thermonuclear generator would not have kept me warmer. Now I just need to buy the equivalent pair of pants so that I can ditch the neon pink girl's ski jumper I was forced to purchase.
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From the manufacturer
Reviews with images
Warm jacket and nice fit.
I bought this jacket to take to Austria in January 2018. We did a lot of hiking in the mountains and had lots of snow. It was very cold, 20's and 30's. Liked that I could unzip and remove the fur because it was cheesy and not great quality. Liked the added sleeve and thumbholes for your hands. I would rate this jacket a 5 except for the material of the jacket was a bit slick and shiny for my liking; however it kept me good and warm.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2015
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2017
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2018
Size: MediumColor: BlackVerified Purchase
I bought this jacket to take to Austria in January 2018. We did a lot of hiking in the mountains and had lots of snow. It was very cold, 20's and 30's. Liked that I could unzip and remove the fur because it was cheesy and not great quality. Liked the added sleeve and thumbholes for your hands. I would rate this jacket a 5 except for the material of the jacket was a bit slick and shiny for my liking; however it kept me good and warm.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2017
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2015
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2015
I am very upset that this is a potential fake or made for factory coat. I ordered the XL in Groovy Pink. The one star is because the color is as shown except the piping around the exterior pockets is slightly red which is ugly. I already own this coat in the sea salt white and plain black. Those coats have more of a silky feel to the fabric, which I think is due to the water repellent technology. It also is about 1 in shorter and slightly boxier. The one I just received is so much thinner.It makes me wonder if there it is even down filled. Also the interior tag is not the same as my other two coats. It is missing the "Omni Shield Advanced Repellency" stamp. Another thing that concerns me is the quilt stitching seems superficial, like they just sewed in lines without making actual pockets so the down doesn't shift. This coat would be perfectly fine selling at Wal-Mart for $50, however, I do not think it should carry the Columbia name and sold for $230. Very disappointed. I am including pictures of the interior label, the contract piping, the boxiness/flatness and the puffiness of my other two coats.
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Top reviews from other countries
Kriz Stevens
Love this jacket
Reviewed in Canada on July 6, 2020Size: MediumColor: Bright Plum DobbyVerified Purchase
Itzel Pimienta
Excelente chamarra
Reviewed in Mexico on October 10, 2019Size: MediumColor: Bright Plum DobbyVerified Purchase
