This is an OK gaiter for most all uses. It is very soft, and top smartwool quality. It lets a little too much air in for faster downhill skiing, but is great to wear around town.

Ok - first things first: To come to this jacket I have owned three in the last four years, and tried on about 15. I have owned a Marmot Logan Jacket and a North Face Vortex for comparison. I was looking for something that 1) would keep me warm, 2) allowed a good range of motion, and 3) look good enough that I could wear it around town. To these things: warmth -- I have always been skeptical of down jackets, but I can't even tell it is goose down. The jacket functions as a soft shell, but has an extremely warm, light layer of down. This eliminates the bulk of 3 in 1 jackets. Fit - because the jacket insulates with light down, I can move around, something I could not do with a 3 in 1. Although not as roomy as some gore-tex shells w/ light insulation, the pit zips don't constrict my arms, and the length is excellent for skiing short-hike powder. Looks - it looks good: good color matching, and a multitude of pockets for stashing everything you could want.

At 100-200 dollars cheaper than goretex shells, and the same price (with MUCH better functionality) than 3 in 1 jackets, this is the jacket if you ski hard in the big resorts.

I ultimately returned this jacket for the following reason -- the softshell liner restricted movement and was not warm enough. The pitzips against the softshell felt to be rather encumbering in terms of movement, and the jacket was not all too warm. I suspect the Tower would fix these problems.

Good fit, not too baggy, not to tight. They stay very clean, and repel water as well as anything not Gore-Tex. The insulation is very good, and I don't need anything more than boxer shorts even if it's only 10 degrees out (Farenheit). I recommend these to anyone.