Columbia Powder Bowl Parka Used and Reviewed
Columbia a brand that the mainstream recognizes as being a “leader” in outdoor apparel decided this year that they were going to venture out into the non endemic media and give bloggers, website people, and others of interest a chance to review their product. The reason for this is they wanted to get the word out about their Omni-Heat technology and in my best guess to show that they aren’t some big mega corporation that has lost touch with the little guy. Now I’m sure you’ve probably seen one or two of these reviews on some of the similar snowboard sites as this and I’m sure you’re guessing I’ll be far more constructive with how things are done. Well you would be correct so here’s what I had to say about this jacket.
Product: Columbia Powder Bowl Parka
Purpose: To be a two in one shell with liner jacket that has the Omni-Heat technology to keep you warm and dry all while being stylish.
Fit: I opted for the XL because I know how box store brand stuff typically fits and the LG or MD wasn’t going to cut it. This thing is a giant box on me. Seriously if I stand with arms out it’s like a square with two sticks poking out from the top of it. But the length is the biggest issue every time you go up in size the length stays the same, if I bent over my lower back and ass were exposed. Oh but guess what there’s an XLT option for those that are tall, I’m not that tall nor do I need an XL jacket from any of the other outerwear companies I use.
Features: Removable internal liner that can double as a light weight jacket. Removable powder skirt, various pockets like for your iPod or goggles. Velcro on the back of the hood to cinch it down when not in use. Pull cords located on the hood to tighten it down when it’s up and prevent wind from getting in. Can’t forget its name sake Omni-Heat reflectors that as they claim make it 20% warmer. The zippers are virtually invisible and hide well so you don’t notice all the outside pockets. Finally velcro wrist cinches to tighten the sleeves down over your gloves.
Conditions: 14 inches of powder, cold temps, slightly warmer temps, rode it in the trees trying to get it snagged on one to see if it would rip, in the park, around town in various conditions, and to the hot tub.
Pros:
- They sent me this for free.
- The style as in the color blocking doesn’t look like a traditional Columbia jacket your dad would wear.
- Tons of pockets for storage in case you decide you want to be a snowboarding pack mule.
- Powder skirt
- Pit vents
- 300 dollar price tag.
- First off the cut on this thing was designed for someone that is obviously carrying more than a few extra pounds because the bigger the size the wider it got. As previously mentioned up above it’s wide as hell and boxy.
- Now lets talk about layering lets say you wanted to use your own under layer instead of their internal liner, well then you’d need to find something that actually fits with it. I tried to layer up using various thermal hoodies and the neck opening would choke the shit out of me like Ike choking Tina Turner. This meant that I was unable to zip up jackets shell entirely.
- Warmth is pretty damn subjective and the fact I’m missing that lovely little organ we call the spleen means I have piss poor body heat regulation. So when I was wearing this jacket with the liner and a basic thermal layer I was still cold. 20% warmer? Honestly it’s a number like a boot flex rating it’s not proven it’s subjective. The damn thing was cold I know that much add to that a cut that’s too short and what do you get when you bend over? Heat escape.
- The powder skirt didn’t do shit but ride up my stomach and try to make sweet fuck to that scar from where my spleen was so wonderfully removed. If you’re going to have this feature make sure it actually works and doesn’t ride up, now I guess if I had Columbia pants I could attach it those and it wouldn’t have done this.
- Wrist gaiters every jacket that isn’t a spring shell should have these damn things. The lack of them caused the sleeves to become wind tunnels and funnel the cold windy air up my arms into my arm pits and chest area when I wore just the shell. This wasn’t as much of a problem when I had the liner on.
- The hood cinches and cable to tighten it down when it was up are a joke. First the elastic cable is so bulky you can feel it through the fabric and it makes it awkward. Second the actual pull string and closures suck and are incredibly cheap. It’s not a spring release system it’s a loop and swoop with plastic that if I had used it with any vigor would have more than likely snapped. The same could be said about the waist cinch as well it’s pretty damn worthless in my opinion and when done tight feels like you’re being squeezed to death by a Boa Constrictor.
- The zippers are a pain in the ass to use on the pockets most need two hands to get done and half the time feel like they’re stuck. Sure that’s great for keeping the elements out but you know what when I want to get to my damn cell phone to twitter how much something sucks from the chairlift like this jacket I don’t want to have to take my gloves off and pull with two hands to open it. The same problem occurred with the pit vents and that’s just frustrating.
Durability: I rode through a shit ton of Lodge Pole Pine trees on the powder day trying to get it snagged on some branches and see if it would rip to no avail. Second durability test came in me stepping on one sleeve and then pulling the other to see if there was any ripping once again to no avail. Seam inspection shows that it’s actually done pretty well and doesn’t look like there will be any fatal flaws immediately but down the road there will probably be normal wear and tear. All in all after a week of use it seems fine.
Personal Thoughts: Would I ever buy this? Not a chance in hell especially with a 300 dollar price tag. I understand what Columbia is trying to do by reaching out to non mainstream media and getting product reviews. Will it work for them? More than likely everyone will be all boners and unicorns for a free jacket and praise it which is what they want. Few will look past that to see if there’s anything wrong with the actual product. If you look at the cons of this jacket it definitely outweighs any of the pros I found and that should speak volumes about my disdain for the product. While I did get a lot of compliments on the color blocking and over all style of the jacket it still comes up short.
What They Say: Keep progression in your crosshairs in a jacket that pushes the limits along with you. The Powder Bowl Parka is a premium technical piece that steps it up with sweet style, advanced Omni-Heat warmth, and a host of other foul-weather-fighting artillery.
Omni-Tech® waterproof-breathable fabric on the shell creates a wet-stopping barrier between you and the elements, while critical seams on the shoulders and chest are sealed to stop moisture short. Omni-Heat® thermal reflectivity on both the shell and the zip-in Interchange liner employ emergency space blanket technology to capture and retain your body heat while still breathing and wicking interior moisture. The liner is also water-repellent and sports Omni-Heat thermal insulation, which has a soft, down-like feel and even more lightweight warming power. A removable powder skirt keeps out the deepest powder, and then harmlessly snaps to the jacket’s lining when not needed. The attached, adjustable storm hood features ingenious side stretch panels that make it super easy to pull on over your hat and goggles. Underarm vents zip open to disperse excess heat, and zip-closed hand and security pockets are rendered nearly invisible thanks to Invizzip™.
Popularity: 13% [?]
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I currently wear Columbia Titanium jackets and pants for ‘boarding. The pants are terrific (new this year), the three year old jacket is terrific, the one year old jacket is – okay. And I’ve tried on some of this year’s jackets. I’m not surprised at this review to be honest. While the colours have gotten more interesting, the features and fit have declined noticeably. Rather disappointing for an established outerwear company.
I’ll be sticking with my existing stuff for a while I believe.
You’re missing your spleen? This changes everything.
I’m 6 ft and a shade over 2 bills the Large is constricting on my when the liner is zipped in but I usually wear it without the liner and other than the length, it fits pretty well. The XL I probably would’ve had the same “box” issue. I also disliked lack of wrist-gaiters and the more I use it I notice little things now like the sticky zippers. Digging the variety & placement of pockets, and the shell & liner have done a pretty good job keeping me warm down to about 6 degrees outside. Echo the bottom line: it’s a decent jacket and a far cry better looking than their old stuff, I think the tech works well, but at $300 it needs to be better.