Norrøna Lofoten Gore-Tex Pro Shell Jacket - Men's - 2010 BCS

I have tried a few Norrona technical shells (thanks to BC for outstanding return policy). Great quality stuff, but sizing is tricky. The chart for Norrona is generic and I think refers to body size. Actual garment dimensions vary quite a bit, presumably based on design/usage considerations. I am 6' 4", 195#. I compared the actual garments to see how they differed.

Lofoten is probably the best fit for me for skiing, with longer arms and body, and athletic fit; I liked how the XL fit, if they had any good colors left; L is a little too trim for insulation.

Falketind is the trimmest model I tried, very slim, and shorter in body. Falketind XL is quite a bit smaller than the Lofoten XL in body width and length, and also shorter sleeve length.

My favorite in terms of quality build is the Trollveggen (pro shell version). Best fabric, great zippers, designed for mountaineering. It's a technical fit, but Trollveggen L is wider than Lofoten L, almost exactly the same as Lofoten XL. The Trollveggen L is a good fit for me in the body, but I wouldn't mind the sleeves a touch longer. The front on the Trollveggen is short, designed for harness access, which may not be ideal for skiing. There is a long drop back hem.

I didn't compare to the soft shells or insulated models. I do own the Svalbard soft shell in XL, which is one of my all time favorite jackets for less intense ventures.

What would be great would be a Norrona garment measurement chart by model and size. I had one once from Arcteryx years ago, and it was interesting how different the specs were between models.

My previous jacket was Arc'Teryx Alpha SV, and i needed a new one so i thougt i should support Norrona, and bought this shell. It has many great details and is so light! It feels thinner than the Arc' Teryx, but its at least as waterproof. Super jacket

Just skied this for the first time at Alta, Utah, in stormy weather and deep powder conditions - and it's fantastic. The shell is light and supple giving you free movement and keeping the weather out. The hood wraps nicely around your chin so you can hunker down out of the storms and the wrist cuffs (although seemingly a little flimsy) keep the weather out too. I used to own an Arcteryx Stingray jacket, which was good, but I rate this jacket above it if you want a "shell only" option, mostly due to it's freedom of movement and longer length. Great styling just adds to the finish. Definitely my favorite ski jacket of all time.

I'm guesssing that I've logged at least 150-200 winter days in my Lofoten, and I still love it. Keeps me warm and dry, looks good, and the fit is perfect (I'm 6'3" and 180lbs and use a L. XL would fit, but baggier than I prefer).

For me, durability has been excellent. I've had to fix two minor holes that were totally my own fault. Apart from that, the jacket looks almost like new, only some minor chafing in the neck. Oh, and the lettering fell off (mine is an old version where it was painted on), but who cares.

I will be buying this jacket again, but I'd prefer it if they left out the hand gaiters.

Just used jacket (cavier w/ green zippers, XL) for first time and was blown out of my mind with Lofoton jacket. Its super light weight and almost felt like nothing was there. The 3 ply gore-tex is hands down the best for keeping out wet snow and water, plus this jacket breaths great. After a quick twenty minute side step I unzipped to dump moisture and heat. I just had on a base layer thermal for the 15 degree day on mountain and a mid layer would be too much. Simple but with lots of thought put into the making of this product. I went with a XL because I can not stand the tight fit and this fits me great, but not being to baggy (5'9". 200 lbs). Sleeves are super long and work great with the hand panties and longer upper cuff. I tore through some tight tight pines at high speeds and the fabric took the beating and did not show any signs of failure. I HIGHLY recommend this jacket for the perfect outter shell, layer with a thermal and a mid layer and this is the perfect set up for those bitter cold days below zero.

Just got mine on Monday, XXL Olympian Blue. It's a Gore-Tex 3L Pro Shell, so you already know its guaranteed waterproof and breathable. The things that sets this jacket apart are:1) The fit: great athletic fit that still has long wide arms and a long torso. Huge hood that fits over a helmet or adjusts to smaller sizes.2) The color. The Olympian Blue is really sharp and different than than anything I've seen.3) The media pocket is designed well.4) Removable skirt, not uncommon but awesome for reducing bulk when you're not on the mountain.My only complaint is that it doesn't have handwarmer pockets. Other than that, this jacket is great and I can't wait to put it to the test.

Just got mine, I'm 6 foot 2 and 185 lbs and i got an XL. I was going to get a large but the good folks on the phone at backcountry.com told me a XL would be much better....it is. Its fit it not baggy or tight just right.

Does anyone have a picture of the Olympian Blue while your wearing it? Would like to see how the color is except the product picture.

There's a great video of this jacket on youtube... search Norrona jacket. It's done by Backcountry employee Tim and shows you all the features. Also gives you a good idea of the size and fit. Worth your time if you're considering this jacket.

This coat is pretty much amazing, however after only 2 weeks the lettering that says lofoten is coming off. I have all ready lost an "O" and i wouldn't really care but it is brand new and was quite spendy. I would like to return it but am afraid I won't be able to get another. Lame! Goes to show how much i like it.

Bought this jacket for my cousin and he can't tell me enough about how much he loves it. Perfect fit and it looks great on him!