Columbia Sportswear Men's Cubist III Jacket

(Updated review below original)I was initially looking for a lightweight jacket that would be warmer than the Mountain Hardwear jacket I've been using for the past few years. Living in Seattle, I wanted something waterproof but also something that would keep me warmer when the weather dipped into the 30's. I was initially looking at the Rain Tech III jacket by Columbia, which has Omni Heat as well, but opted for something a little warmer given that most users said that they were only comfortable in the 40's and up. I wanted a jacket that featured both Columbia's Omni Heat and Omni Tech (waterproof) options, and after doing some looking, I decided to go with this jacket.First impressions: it was a chilly 27 degrees this morning waiting for the bus. My face and hands were cold, but my body was comfortable. Not hot, not chilled, but completely comfortable. I stuck my hands in the fleece-lined jacket pockets, and after a couple minutes, they were warmed up nicely. With my lighter-weight Mountain Hardwear jacket, I'd be standing there trying not to noticeably shiver. The best part is that due to the Omni Heat lining, there doesn't need to be heavy amounts of insulation, so the jacket doesn't feel that bulky. There is a small amount of bulk, but that's going to happen with any jacket once you start adding insulation. This has the performance of a much heavier jacket, but at only a fraction of the bulk.This jacket also boasts a powder skirt for skiing, which you can conveniently unsnap and leave off for day to day use. There's also a large open inside pocket for storing one's ski goggles. The outside pockets are very roomy, and as I mentioned before, fleece-lined, which will keep your hands nice and warm. There's a zippered pocket just above mid-chest on the outside of the jacket, and an inner one in the same location. Both are ideally sized for a smartphone or a media player. The outside pocket also has a reinforced opening for a headphone cable to pass through to the inside of the jacket, so you can leave your device perfectly sealed away from weather inside the pocket, yet have quick access to without unzipping your jacket.I'm not a big fan of having hoods on jackets, but I wanted a jacket with a hood for the rainy days in Seattle. Thankfully, the folks at Columbia decided to design this jacket with a removable hood. The hood attaches with a small zipper in the center, and the outside edges Velcro to the collar of the jacket. It took me probably less than 15 seconds to pop it off and store it in one of my jacket pockets.So far, I'm very pleased with this jacket. I'll update again when I have a chance to test it against some of the wetter weather, but so far my initial impressions have left me very pleased with this purchase.***Update***So now that I've had a couple months with this jacket, here's a more in-depth review. Waterproofing: fantastic. We've had a fair share of the wet stuff in the past month, but it's never been an issue with this jacket. Granted, I'm not standing in the rain for hours on end, but I've walked through a couple downpours and haven't had a single issue. No leaks, not even at the seams or where the removable hood attaches to the jacket.There was a dip in the weather again this past week to 20 degrees... there was some wind, too, but I don't know what the wind chill factor was. At any rate, it was full-on chilly. Walking in cold weather is different than standing around in cold weather. Walking around generates body heat, where standing generates much less. In either circumstance, this jacket has been a champ.An added bonus I discovered this past week was with the hood. As I mentioned, it had gotten a bit windy one morning, and the cold air was extremely unpleasant to my hands and face. (Like a genius, I forgot my hat & gloves) I shoved my hands into my jacket pockets (still as warm and toasty as I mentioned in my original review) but my ears were really starting to feel the bite of the wind chill. For lack of any other alternative, I pulled up my hood just to act as a wind blocker. Given there's no insulation on the hood at all, I was actually surprised to notice that my ears began to feel warm back up after a few minutes, which was more than I expected.All in all, this is a great and very reliable jacket, and I'd highly recommend it.

Did a lot of research on jackets before I went in for this one, and am very glad I held off until I found this. I was looking for a jacket that was more than just a shell (to keep warm on those really frigid days), that would fit well (not baggy) but still have room for layering within, that had good build quality, and that was easily visible on the slopes. Oh, and I didn't want to have to take out a loan to buy it - so none of that magical Arc'teryx stuff for me.This jacket meets those needs, and then some. The light insulation + the omni-heat keeps you surprisingly warm. A base layer, a light fleece, and this jacket saw me through 5-10 F weather on Whistler even through the wind. The zips on the jacket front and pockets are good quality and I don't have to worry about them breaking or getting stuck. The same goes for the helpful velcro tabs. And for $135, you get a decent deal something you will be happy with for years to come. My only problem is that the hood isn't voluminous enough to comfortably fit over my helmet, unlike some jackets I've seen. I can get it over my helmet before zipping up the jacket, but then it feels very restrictive while doing turns down the slope. But I don't often find the need to cover my helmet, so I'm fine with this. No problem with the hood if you don't have a helmet on of course. So net-net, not a big deal.Pros:+ Jacket keeps you warm without being bulky+ High quality zips and velcro strips keep water and snow out+ Multitude of functional pockets to hold your stuff+ Jacket looks good and fits well, love the Green+ Easy-to-detach hood, if hoods aren't your styleCons:- Hood may not be large enough to pull all the way over your helmet while skiing

I was expecting a light weight jacket, that would be good enough for a Chicago winter. What I received was a light weight jacket that was good for all conditions that this city brings. It's not overly warm, but as a very warm blooded person, it feels great in 0-10 degree temperature. I liked the adjustable sleeves that help when cleaning the snow off the vehicles. I like that the jacket zips up all the way where I am able to cover my nose in it. The pockets are well placed, deep and have zippers on all of them so that helps a lot to put my cell phone or wallet in it. I have no complaints about it, but if you're not a hefty person like myself that usually gets hot right away, then you might think it's a little too thin for very bad weather conditions. Besides that, it's a great fit and seems true to size for me, since an XL fit me like normal XL do being 5'11'' 240lbs.

I bought this jacket for my BF for Valentine’s Day because we’ve been having a record-cold Pittsburgh winter and I didn’t want him getting hypothermic whenever he had to work outside in sub-zero temps, but I didn’t think any of the coats I’ve seen him wearing looked warm enough and I wanted to get him a jacket with the Omni-Heat reflective lining like my Lay D Down jacket (which has been a life-saver this winter). I gave it to him early so he could try it out this week and he said it definitely kept him warm in the below zero to single digit temps without getting overheated like he did with one of his other coats, he just felt as comfortable as if he was outside on a nice day, and the XL fit him fine, so I definitely made the right choice for him with this jacket and think he’ll be putting it to good use, especially if our winters continue to be this cold!