I customarily like Patagonia's items -- I think they are well thought-out and well-made, and they are backed by very good customer service. This coat has been one of the items I have been less fond of. This coat is from the stripped-down end of the soft-shell spectrum in the sense that it offers good wind and decent water resistance, but zero insulation. You really need to wear something underneath this coat unless you are working hard (and I say this as someone who tends to run warm); oddly, it seems cut too slim to accommodate that insulating layer comfortably. It has a snow-skirt -- I would have preferred it didn't -- but I don't think it would work in lift skiing other than in nice, warm conditions; it does have a hood, which is good to have. No pit zips, but it has long zips on the front pockets, and you could do a lot of venting out those (they're fairly deep, so your gloves or whatever shouldn't fall out). One annoying flaw -- the placement of the tab in the back to tighten up the collar: it digs into the back of your neck if you sit in a high-back chair with the coat on. I think its ideal niche is backcountry/AT skiing, some activity where you will work up a sweat. All in all, though, I have other soft-shells that I prefer -- either they have more insulation or they do the same blocking of the wind and weather with less weight.

I just purchased the white smoke jacket about a month ago and skied the past few weekends in minus 10-20 degrees. This jacket definitely exceeded my expectations!!

I was very impressed by the design and feel of this jacket. I had every intention of keeping it until the Arcteryx sidewinder came on SAC for the same price. Overall, I liked the White smoke better. It was more comfortable, and I thought the style was more attractive. I kept the sidewinder because of the Gore-Tex windproofing, which really, is the key to a good shell. For all but the worst of weather, you'll be happy with the white smoke!

Patagonia makes great gear, and this jacket is no exception. The jacket is light, very waterproof for a softshell, has a removable hood (vs. the permanent hood in my Arc'teryx hardshell), and the CSS welded seams make it extremely comfortable. This is my jacket of choice 90% of the time, and I wear it over an Arc'teryx Sidewinder SV and North Face Mountain Lite in all but the worst of weather.

have 2 of these jackets. Black & Brown. The design is great overall. Main zipper took a little while to break in, rough at first. Wasn't sure about the front zips for vents but for skiing they seem better because they let more air in when you are moving. This is the only hood that fits over my helmet (and I don't have a big head) and moves with the turn of my head. Haven't had it out in a full rain storm yet but the light shower I've skied in it was great. Water repelled right off. Buy the Jacket!

This is the best softshell I have ever owned. Recently took a trip snowboarding and it kept me warm and dry all week while still allowing me to move freely. Great Jacket.

I love the jacket, it's very warm and versatile. I do have one complaint however, the zipper does not want to zip all the way to the top for some reason. The only way I can zip it all the way up is with force, and I fear that I'm going to break the zipper.