Stoic Bombshell Jacket - Women's - 2009 BCS

Jacket sized in M fits great on me (5'5" 130 lbs) over some light base layers. Wind-proof, water-proof, powder skirt, helmet compatible, and generally great for hitting up the local slopes. The color is a pleasant brown and the zippers and detailing spice up and otherwise subdued jacket.

The only downsides so far: Pockets are not pack compatible (waist band scrunches them up) and the thumb-holes make the sleeves feel too short.

I love the look and shape of this coat - it follows your curves, rather than being a big bag of a shell. The brown with pink and white accents looks really nice, the material definitely blocks the wind (haven't worn in rain/wet yet), and I like the extra bells and whistles.

However, I was surprised at how slim it fit. I'm 5'6" and ~145 lbs, and lately wear about a size 8. I ordered a Medium, as the size guide for Large looked way too big. It does fit, and my boyfriend likes the way it looks on me - but I won't be able to layer up underneath as much as I'd expected. It should be okay with several thinner layers - a baselayer and merino or *thin* fleece - but I don't think I could comfortably wear it with a thicker fleece, or anything puffy at all. I also find that it fits quite slim to my hips at the bottom - though I haven't yet removed the powder skirt to see how that feels.

I'm glad I bought it - it's flattering and should perform well in the elements - but if you plan to use a number of layers or anything with thickness, you might consider sizing up...

The Stoic Bombshell Jacket was the final piece in my wife's new Stoic getup and I think it is the best piece. Quality is in-line with her previous Arc'teryx shell and for skiing Utah she didn't need anything more than 20,000 waterproofing. Lots of attention to detail was what made the jacket stand out - comfy micro fleece lining around the face, nice media pocket, stoic-logo grippy stuff on the removable powder skirt that keeps it in place, and the seam taping that matches the jade stoic base layers are all examples. I'm skiing in a shell that cost twice what this goes for and aside from a name brand waterproof membrane, this jacket is nicer!

This, plus the jade down sweater and the brown/jade merino base layer = super cool system that all matches.

Other helpful info is that she wears a small in the down sweater and the base layer but the small shell was not designed with the layering of high loft items in mind. If you want to put a puffy underneath the shell - size up one size.

For the past couple of ski seasons, I have worn an Arcteryk Sidewinder in Large and it fits great and has been great performance for storming ski days in Tahoe. But this season, I was looking for some new fashions so I ordered the Stoic Bombshell, as it is a similar quality and construction to Arcteryk ski shell. I ended up having to return it, unfortunately. I am more of a narrow hip, wide shoulder frame - more of a square shape, althletic 5'8" and 155 lbs. I'm not heavy, I have lean limbs and more a straight boyish frame. This jacket is styled for what I would consider a more traditional womens frame: narrower shoulder and wider hips. I purchased a large, which was the right size, but was so tight in the shoulder and upper arm area on me due to its design, was just "ill-fitting". And XL would have been too big overall. If you are more hourglass with narrower shoulders, this jacket will fit you well and I highly recommend it.

This jacket was okay, but I returned it for a couple of reasons. I wasn't crazy about the white zipper in the pictures, and it didn't win me over in person either. Also, the fit was a little funky for me. (I'm 5'7", 130lbs, small on top with big hips.) There's a very defined hourglass shape to the jacket, which is good, but it's actually a little TOO defined and flares out too far on the bottom (even with my big hips). It just made me look huge. The pros: definitely lightweight, great long sleeves, and seemed to be good construction. Oh well.

Love this jacket - well constructed, great fabric, looks great, flattering fit, nice features - EXCEPT - the main zipper is not 2-way, i.e. you can't unzip from the bottom, which is a problem for using the facilities (especially in the woods) and also would be nice for additional venting. Second, the wrist/thumb gaiter does not line up correctly -- the hole is at the back of my hand. So when I put it on, the whole sleeve twists 1/4 of the way around. It's uncomfortable and looks funny. I don't think I have deformed hands, so I am pretty sure this is a design or construction defect.

We ski often, and generally are outdoors a lot year-round. I like to layer, so I have been looking to replace a warm but terribly uncomfortable Gore-Tex insulated hard shell. I ordered a medium from SAC for $124.99 and am so pleased. I'm tall 5'10" 150 lbs. and love the fit. The sleeves are long enough which is usually a problem for me. It's flattering but allows for a couple of medium layers underneath. I stay warm and love the features like the powderskirt and underarm zips that my old coat was missing. Great quality, very impressed. My only complaint (and it's a small one) is that the zippers seems stiff when zipping- I'm chalking it up to the fact that the coat is still new. Also note: if you order the black coat, the accent color is not "cream", I'd call it white but it looks fine.