I Like It!

By Chuck Lucas Ranked #103 - Men's Ski Jackets September 1, 2009

I bought a Sportif GoreTex parka at least 15 years ago and have loved it. It finally wore out and I have been searching for about a year for a replacement. The biggest drawback was not many manufactures made "parkas" in a shell. I wanted the longer length of a parka. The XL measures 33.75" in length. This jacket had every feature I wanted except for snaps on the storm flap. I got the XL Grill (which I would describe as grey). It's a regular fit, which allows plenty of room for everything from a fleece pullover to a down jacket to fit underneath. I have worn a shell setup like this with several layers underneath as cold as -27F (not wind chill) I pulled the hood up over a helmet, it fit fine, no vision obstruction, but your face is going to get wet. As mentioned here, the hood rolls up and a flap secures it. Not a great design, we'll see how it works. Another feature I was looking for were snaps on the front storm flap. This jacket has velcro closures(would have preferred snaps). I wanted this so I could just close the jacket with the velcro if it was raining, but was too warm to zip the jacket. My son turned me on to Backcountry. The reason I bought the jacket here was the no questions asked guarantee. As you know you just have to wear this stuff and see if it works or not. I will be anxious to see how waterproof it is. I just saw (9/2/09)the Espresso pop up in Steep and Cheap for $84. That must be close to cost!

View Details: Mountain Hardwear Exposure II Parka - Men's

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