Cloudveil Koven Jacket - Men's - 2010 BCS

Haven't had it in the snow yet but the fit is great. I normally wear an XL and I would say this fit is in between arcteryx (tight) and REI Shuksan (loose). This is right between the 2. Perfect fit!

The shell is a little stretchy and breathes great.

Cant' wait to give it a try when it gets cold.

7 days in Aspen/Snowmass and the Koven behaved like a champ on all sorts of weather. From low teens to low 40s. It was cold and dry to beggin and then we were poured 15". This shell is as versatile as any. And even allows for margin of error. Fabric is super light but at the same time super soft and seems to be very durrable. Im 5'11" 185 and ended up getting the large. If I were to reorder I would probabbly go for the medium since it would probably be more fitted which I would like, but no regrets. For sure going to be using it for the rainy season in the tropics. Great job Cloudveil!!

I had a Mountain Hardwear Goretex PRO shell that was lost in a fire. Since MH had discontinued the particular shell, which I loved, I got the Koven based on the old Outside mag review and great BC price.

The MH won my loyalty by being reliably dry and windproof on summer and winter hikes, snow shoeing and skiing on and off piste. The Koven brings more to the game. I actually like being caught in the rain, it is amazing to just watch torrents bead up and drain off while inside it am warm and dry. It is impervious to downpours.

The really amazing thing is the nanotechnology involved in the fabric. It vents amazingly well. If you control your layers correctly, there is no need to use the pit zips. The magic fabric gives the coat a broad temperature range that really surprised me.

I pay attention to the layers that work so I can approximate how to dress before a hike, bike ride or day of skiing. Inevitably conditions change and I get it slightly wrong. But, with this coat it actually seems to get a little warmer or cooler depending on the your body's temperature. If you are engaged in something aerobic and start off cool, you'll get warmer, but not uncomfortable. Similarly, if you are going at a good pace and the sun starts to set and temperatures fall, the coat just makes you feel warmer. Honest, it seems to me that I only feel the temperature change in body parts that are exposed or covered by other garments.

It is a great pleasure to have a broader comfort range. As my first time skiing in it approached, I am hoping that it will prove to be the answer to the in-bounds skiers' dilemma, do I dress to be warm on the lift and be over heated at the bottom of the run, or to be comfortable downhill and cold going up?

I recently replaced my 10 year old Cloudveil shell with this new model and it is every bit as great as the original. Cloudveil excels past other major brands in keeping things simple while being high performance. The material used is just the right weight and durability for numerous activities and closely matches that of my friends Arcteryx Alpha shell that retails for twice the price.

So this review is for sizing only right now as i havent had time to get out and put this jacket through the paces yet. i as 5 ft 11in, 215lbs 44in chest, 38in waist, 44 inch hip, 35 in sleeve for reference. The materials seem pretty awesome, some mechanical stretch blocks wind well. As for sizing the arms are a little long, maybe an in to long, and the coat is quite large in the waist/hip area, luckily there is a draw string to fix that. the coat comes to mid butt on my in length which is nice... the zippers are a little stiff, the fleece on the neck is nice, hood seems a little small for a hood but havent tested it yet. this is a good size for me to layer up with for CO skiing. overall pretty nice, i got the green one and its a good color. i recommend the jacket.

Skied four days in the Koven so far and it's been great, no complaints! Two days at Whistler temperatures in upper 20s/low 30s and had a lightweight poly pro and mid weight fleece under the Koven shell and if anything got a little hot. Toured in it last weekend in pretty mild temperatures (low 30s) with just a poly pro underneath and had arm vents open and front zipped half down all the way up, but didn't need to add a layer for decents. Definitely keeps the wind and weather out and very lightweight compared to my old shell. I'm 5'-9" 160 lbs. and got a medium and fit is great! Room to layer underneath and still be comfortable but not too sloppy with minimal layers. Interior and exterior chest pocket are a little small, but exterior pockets are nice and roomy! Was able to fit my skins in the exterior pockets perfectly for decents which is really easy if you don't want to deal with putting them in your pack just to dig them back out again in 5 or 10 minutes. All in all no complaints so far, great shell!

I went on a quinzhee trip covered from head to toe in waterproof gear. This was the only piece (besides my boots) that didn't get soaked. The hood is plenty big for a helmet and the fit is right on. Only thing I would add is a removable snow skirt.