Cloudveil Koven Plus Down Jacket - Men's - 2009 BCS

I really love the jacket and it's super warm but it really leaks feathers from the stitches in the quilted liner. I've had the jacked for almost a year. I was hoping that it would break in and stop leaking, but it doesn't look like this will be the case.

I'm thinking about sending the jacket back for repair.

I'm in the market for an insulated ski jacket, and thought on paper and in pictures that the Koven Plus Down Jacket looked very promising. However, as soon as I put it on once, it became very obvious that this jacket would only be appropriate for the 1-2 coldest days that I might see each season in the mid-Atlantic region. I would guess that this jacket would be great in single digit temperatures and colder - its not a knock against the jacket, just an observation. The construction of the jacket looked impressive - no doubt this is a high-quality piece of gear.

Reasons for not giving the jacket 5 stars:

1) The jacket lifts up a lot when you raise your arms; I noticed it immediately when I was trying to adjust the hood. It's just a peeve of mine since other Cloudveil jackets are designed with no-lift underarms.

2) The color of the Reservoir seemed significantly darker than the picture on the website and the contrast between the two shades of blue doesn't appear very noticeable. While not the highest priority for me, I don't think the jacket looked as nice in person as it does on the website.

I've sent this back, and I'm going to look at jackets with synthetic insulation next. If you are skiing in bitter cold conditions regularly this jacket could very well be for you.

As a general note on sizing, I got a medium. Per the Cloudveil size chart I am a medium (barely). This jacket fit very well, although the only think I would have had room for underneath was a base layer. Granted that this would be fine, given the warmth of the coat. The arms did feel a little bulky to me, but would probably be an acceptable compromise if I needed the level of warmth provided by this jacket.

Pros :
- very warm and technical shell, specially with the quilted 700-fill insulation
- I'm 5'11 185 and could layer a long sleeve and light fleece underneath, which kept me extremely warm the other day in the Gore Range of Colorado on an overcast, 25 degree day. The Koven Plus outer shell and 700-fill insulation is a perfect combo, extremely water proof, durable and warm.

- Solid Weight : Warmth ratio. I've seen and experienced better, but this is still solid.

Cons :
- Like mentioned before, both shades of blue, as seen in the bc.com pic are darker. While that isn't really a concern of mine and doesn't affect the performance of the jacket, its just a FYI. Cloudveil is notorious for their colors on the websites being significantly different than in person. I've never really understood why thats the case more often than not?

- a little tight around the underarms, nothing major though

- Not all that great for climbing or ski touring. Its not packable by any stretch of the imagination and you'd heat up way too fast when heading uphill. This is a true ski jacket (for the resorts) and you'd appreciate it a lot more on a windblown, cold as s**t lift than the backcountry. This is kind of a no brainer.

- While not as technical and well made, I honestly thought the North Face Plasma Thermal jacket was a better fit (for me) and warmer (primaloft). I'm a fan of down for certain occassions (sleeping bag, belay jacket), but synthetic for skiing. Just my opinion.

Man, this jacket is EXACTLY what i need. I get really cold on powder days but dont want to ski in a puffy down jacket. This is a hardshell jacket, like their awesome Koven Jacket, BUT it has a quilted down interior that is really soft and warm. The best part is the lack of bulk. you cant even really tell its a down jacket until you open it up and put in on. i was looking at the Patagonia Primo Down last year, but this Koven Plus down is $100 less expensive. bring on the zero degree powder day, i am ready this year.