Mountain Hardwear Chillwave Down Parka - Men's

Pretty warm, definitely good amount of down filling. However, I concur with other comments, I'm 150lbs and 5'7", athletic physique so I don't have massive shoulders or chest to fill the jacket out, but the arms still felt about 1 to 2 inches too short (NB: all I had underneath was a long sleeve merino baselayer, a very thin cashmere sweater, and I was very comfortable in about -10'C weather with a wicked wind).

UPDATE! THE MOUNTAIN HARDWEAR CHILLWAVE PARKA IS WATER RESISTANT!!
The Mountain Hardwear Chillwave Parka is water resistant!
Mountain Hardwear, the Manufacturer has validated that this 2011 Chillwave Parka is Water Resistant. It has a Durable Water Resistant (DWR) Coating which will prevent water or snow from penetrating the parka. Great News!
I CAN NOW RECOMMEND THAT EVERYONE PURCHASE THIS PARKA!
REASONS ARE:
1) Lots of Down - Has more than 12 ounces of down fill.
2) Baffled Construction - No sewn through seams.
3) New Technology to prevent wind gusts from penetrating.
4) Great Hood- Face Protective.
5) Water Resistant - DWR Finish - as already stated.
CONCLUSION:
The Chillwave Parka is very very similar to the popular Mountain Hardwear Subzero SL Parka - which was discontinued. If you liked that parka, you will also like the latest version - the Mt. Hardwear Chillwave Parka!!!
Go for It! I will buy two of them this year! Keep Warm!

With the loss of the Sub Zero and Sub Zero SL products offered by Mountain Hardwear the Chillwave does an excellent job of filling in this space.

A slightly less heavily insulated version than the Absolute Zero, this particular jacket utilizes the new Dry.Q waterproofing technology. I would consider this a significant improvement as it involves the partnership of eVent and Mountain Hardwear, making it one of the most comfortable weather resistant jackets on the market.

I personally found that it ran slightly larger than some of Mountain Hardwear's other products, however nowhere near as large as companies like Columbia Sportswear or entry level North Face apparel. I am 5'9 and 140lbs. The reason I mention this is because when wearing the Chillwave in size small it sat about 2 inches below my belt line, which offered decent but not full rear coverage. The sleeves sat comfortable at my wrist, extended about an inch beyond the wrist line.

Let's talk about features. The velcro adjustable cuffs were a nice touch, however they tend to rub the material around them a bit creating some abrasion wear. The storm flap zipper covering is nice, but a waterproof zipper would be a preferred choice. I also enjoy that it is fully windproof, however I am curious as to why they would back the face fabric while not taking the extra step of taping the seams for waterproofing. This is a glaring oversight at a $340 MSRP.

I also enjoyed the micro-chamois lined collar. It gives a lightweight velvety feel that I found made me want to lean my face against, due to its soft and warm texture. I also enjoyed the way that the insulation was held against my body, offering warmth but in a non restricting manner.

Overall I would say that this jacket is a good choice for the price, but leans closer to the 3.5 out of 5 star mark rather than 4.

Got this on sale. Now its been awhile since I had a good winter jacket so keep that in mind! Man, as soon as I put it on I figured I had just tried on the most comfortable winter jacket I have ever worn. Went snowshoeing in -13 degC weather and I felt zero cold or wind at all. Having said that, this was too much coat for snowshoeing and likely other activities that cause a guy to sweat. Having said that, a person with layers could stuff it in the stuff sack that comes with the jacket and tuck it away in your backpack for later. The hood is great, the pockets are even super comfortable as they're lined with some type of fabric, so if you had no gloves for whatever reason they would stay toasty warm in the pockets. When zipped up the fabric by the chin is nice and warm. I found I no longer needed a neck warmer. I did sweat in this thing and simply turned it inside out at night and it was dry within a few hours. No big deal. Its got a pocket on the inside designed for a water bottle but I did not use it as it makes the jacket feel very lobsided. All in all a great, warm winter jacket!

This is a coat made for really cold, nasty weather...weather that's worse than where I live. I couldn't feel right about keeping a coat that I might wear one time a year; the coat is too valuable for that. So, I returned it. Not because of anything lacking in the coat; instead, I could never put it to the kind of use that one of you who are reading this can. Sort of makes me wish I lived in Alaska, just so I'd have a real reason for owning this. Whoever needs a really well-made, warm beyond belief winter coat, go for this one. Enjoy it!

I really wanted this parka and liked the construction and features when it came, but the sleeves were too short for me. The product description says the sleeves are 35" and I wear a 35/36" sleeve in dress shirts, but the sleeves on the parka just made it to my wrists with my arms by my side. Moving or lifting my arms made the sleeves ride up my arms, so it just wasn't going to work. I returned it for a MontBell Frost Line which has much longer sleeves. I would say this is a great parka but it wasn't a good fit on me unfortunately,

I really like that parka but there is something werid about sizing... I had before Men's Medium size SubZero SL parka from Mountain Hardware and it was almost too big form me (I'm woman 5'8'' around 160lbs) The sleeves were perfect kind of tiny bit too long which I love a lot and I could still put fleece under if needed. Well... the new one... sleeves about and inch shorter and when I extend arm in fromt of me they are too short, and it's tight fit, just regular sweater and nothing more. I just gave it away to the lady that is 5'6'' and it fits her way better... I really can't imagine how it is men's size medium... Very small for men's Medium or they have some kind of manufacturing problem or labeling. Other than that it's very well made and very good quality. i would recommend it but take at least one size bigger than usually if not two.

The chillwave parka is awesome, super warm, constructed with excellent materials but unfortunately i have to return it. I'm a pretty small guy 155lbs 5'6" and i took a medium, sadly the the way the arms are constructed causes them to ride up pretty bad when you lift your arms up. To me this is a major issue especially if its freezing cold outside unless you plan on having your arms facing south your entire trip. I'm sticking with the Rab Neutrino Endurance jacket which is lighter and its arms move very much like the angel wing movement on Marmots line of jackets.

I recently returned the North Star Jacket from Montane for this, the Chillwave and I could not be happier! When I buy a jacket I usually look for 4 things...

1. Warmth
2. Construction
3. Style/Fit
4. Extras

The Chillwave has exceeded my expectations in every single category. It is by far the warmest jacket I have ever owned. I will be spending time regularly in temperatures that average in the -20's (F) and I could not be more confident. Granted the Absolute Zero has it beat in the warmth category, but the Chillwave is just such a good deal. The Construction of this jacket is simply SUPERB and the fit is excellent. Im 5'11" 188lbs and a large fits me perfectly with ample room to layer appropriately! I love that the hood is removable, and that the pockets on this model are fleece lined.... in my last few jackets they were not and that, to me, makes a big difference.

All in all this is my first buy from Mountain Hardware, and I will be a customer for life. This is a fantastic parka!