James Bond's parka

By jl41302005182 Ranked #489 - Men's 3-in-1 Jackets March 16, 2009

I've been using this jacket in 20 degree F weather and if anything, I've been a smidge too warm: my thermals were sweaty after a few runs and hot air is always gushing out every time I reach into the collar for my drinking tube. So now we know the insulating layer works just fine. But what about everything else?

Here's where the flaws show up a little. The shell comes with six external pockets: two huge flap-opening ones on the front, two zippered ones on the side underneath them, and two waterproof-coated zippered slots on the left breast. The two huge pockets are great for big things that don't fear water, like wrist guards, gloves, goggles, etc. In the zippered pockets, I keep my backup gloves and stocking cap. For a while, I kept delicate items such as car keys, phone, wallet, and lift ticket in the breast pocket. However, after a few runs, water managed to find its way inside and my money and lift ticket got a bit moist; I"m not sure if this is snow melting in or sweat venting out. Either way, I'm pretty sure this is not supposed to happen. Now I wrap the fragile items in a dry sack and stuff them in the zippered hip pockets.

The inside of the shell features a slot for your tunes as well as a tube to thread headphones out. there's also a zipped pocket intended for keys. At the bottom is a powder skirt. I don't know much about the pockets, since they are annoying to access when the liner is zipped in. The powder skirt is a godsend, but can be tricky to use, again due to the liner.

Zooming out, I'd say the shell probably deserves it's 10,000/10,000 rating, but it hasn't made me as indestructible as I had hoped. Finally, a bit of the stitching around some pockets blew loose soon after I started using it. Nothing is going to come unraveled or anything, but for 200+ dollars, you'd expect better than that.

To summarize, this is a great jacket held back by a few niggling design flaws in the shell. I love it nonetheless and can only recommend it.

View Details: Columbia Rodeo Magic II Parka - Men's

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