Canada Goose Fraser Rainshell Jacket - Men's - 2009 BCS

I've had both a medium and large Fraser Rainshell in my possession and thought I would go about correcting what seems to be some incorrect specs that exist not only in Backcountry's description but also on Canada Goose's site.

Pockets:
-1 external on left chest with velcro closure.
-2 hand pockets. The media pocket is just a larger coin pocket sewn into the right hand pocket. I suppose you can put your cell phone in that although there are no closures of any sort on the hand pockets.
-2 internal pockets located opposite the hand pockets. These seem primarily designed for water bottles although you could certainly stuff gloves in there as well. I was able to fit 2 32oz bottles in there comfortably. Tops of the pockets are stretchy and there is a drain cut into the bottom of the pockets. You can't really store anything small in these pockets as the drains are large enough that something like keys, ipod, or phone would fall through. These pockets are completely absent from any product description I have seen.
-There are no zippered pockets anywhere on this jacket.
-The media port is just a rubber grommet that is punched through the back of the left chest pocket and there is a small soft rubber wire keeper loop near the left of the inside of the main zipper to route a cable through.

Weight is actually 872g for the medium size and 919g for the large size. A medium measures 46" pit to pit and a large measures 48". The collars on these seem cut quite tight and were a primary reason I moved up to the large size as I was barely able to zip up the collar all the way to the top. A medium collar measured 19.75" tip to tip whereas a large measured 20.25" and was still fairly snug. If you are on the high side of their sizing chart and ever intend to layer this for cold weather use I would advise ordering a size up. The garment has a fairly trim cut, is hip length and has a nice drop tail.

The hood is also cut very tight and the size of the large hood did not seem noticeably larger than that of the medium. You won't be wearing anything other than maybe a tight beanie under the hood. It seems cut specifically to fit under a helmet and I can adequately strap a bike helmet over it. The brim is rather small which I guess would be good if you had a helmet on and bad if you didn't. Sides of the hood seem scallop cut inward which gives good vision but also exposes the side of your face somewhat.

Canada goose lists this jacket as 85% polyester and 15% cotton which is odd because the jacket's label says: Outershell: 50% polyamide - 40% polyester - 10% polyurethane. Lining: 100% polyester. There is no mention of cotton anywhere on the label.
I will echo the previous reviewer and confirm that the overall build quality is very high. All the seams, stitching, and assembly details look perfect. The fabric is fairly smooth(not sure of denier), has a discrete matte finish and is pretty quiet. It's not silent but it isn't even remotely like a crumpling plastic bag hardshell noise level. I'd also comment that this NanoSphere coating is comically hydrophic. Fabric and jacket look mundane but nearly have subtle sci-fi qualities. The Schoeller materials in this jacket seem to be just about the current state-of-the-art from my research.

Main zipper is not a two-way zipper which seems like a design oversight. Pit zip are two-way and bit difficult to operate although they are equipped with small pull tabs. No zipper garages on the pit zips. Main zipper needs a pull tab or something as it is rather small for gloved operation. There is a permanently open back vent concealed by the flap across the back. Mesh backing on the back vent but no mesh on the pit zips. The shoulders have a seam across the top whereas saddle shoulders may have been a better idea for this type of shell. The seams are as flat as could be expected but a heavy pack might cause issues for some.

This jacket is branded in no less than 4 places on the outside which is more than a bit annoying considering how discrete the rest of the jacket looks. Canada Goose is advertising themselves on 3 sides of your body. The left arm patch and stitched logo on the back vent are seam taped on the inner side but are still utterly pointless. I'm not sure if CG would void your warranty if you removed the patches with a seam ripper but I intend to find out.

Overall I think this is a very good value at the sale price but has enough minor design issues to keep it from seriously commanding the top-tier retail price that was asked. I intend to use this as my single shell for spring-fall urban cycling, the few ski days I get each year, and general foul-weather use. Thus far I can't see any reason why it shouldn't do all these jobs competently. I know CG is new to the shell market so if they continue to refine the details I think, given the limited samples I've handled, that they should soon come to be recognized as a truly top-tier shell maker They also need to get on the ball with detailed, accurate specs and provide complete photos with their product literature.

Very high quality materials provide outstanding rain protection. The workmanship that went into the jacket construction is very good. I purchased a medium and it wears a little loose which makes it ideal for covering fleece or wool underlayers. Yes, it is expensive and I would not buy unless it is on sale. The only complaint I have is that the outside handwarmer pockets are rather small and there is no way you can slide your hands in if you are wearing medium to heavy gloves. In summary, if you are going to be in rainy/snowy wet conditions for hours, as in fishing, hiking, skiing, this jacket will keep you dry - in style.