Jacket a little snug or a little loose

[cat]

I am about to purchase a new ski jacket. It is a Columbia that has the zipped in polartec inner jacket. I seem to kind of be between sizes. One size feels a little snug and the larger size is loose. If I take the larger one apart, the inner jacket itself is loose and the outer one by itself is really big. I am in Socal, so not so cold here. I am leaning towards the smaller size.

Any comments?

Thanks

cat

 

[ski diva]

I just retired my Columbia jacket, and it was as you described. A nice jacket, bit I found it extremely heavy and bulky. My new jacket is a Mountain Hardware, and it's incredible how much lighter it is, while providing, I think, the same amount of warmth.

Just something to consider.

 

[SnowEssie]

Hi there,

I agree with SkiDiva on the bulky heavy issue. In fact is is the reason why I never bought one while I have tried them on on more than 1 occasion because they looked so great and seemed so handy.
You do not tell why it is this jacket you have chosen?
Because of the looks? I completely sympathize with that but if it doesn't feel comfortable that is a big minus. Is it a bargain? There will be other bargains!
Another very important reason?

 

[cat]

I really like the jacket itself, it's not bulky or heavy, I'm just wondering do I want a more snug fit or a more loose fit.

Thanks for the help.

cat

 

[SnowEssie]

I see,
Well if you can still wear a skipully underneath and move comfortably when you try skimovements I would say go for the smaller one. It might also be that is only tighter than your old one but not actually too tight.
Too loose can be too cold as well if the jacket starts swinging around your body.
(Mind you, when you wear a tight fit jacket it looks great until you start to put stuff in the pockets )

 

[cat]

To answer your other questions. I went skiing for the first time after about 8 years last week with the kidlets. The jacket I wore was not really a ski jacket, and so I found a few problems that I knew I wanted to address if I ever bought one.

I like that this one is a basic color (black) and doesn't look super "ski jacketish" so that I can wear it for cold kids soccer games if I have to. I really like the location of the pockets, which was a problem when I took my kids out. (You have to carry all of their stuff too!!). That is a great idea to try and stuff things in the pockets and see how it fits. I will do that.

I also liked that it has pit zips and can come apart. I actually wore a polartec jacket under my other jacket when I went and it worked out well. The skiing here can be quite warm so it's nice to have that flexibility.

Thanks for the help.

cat

 

[Jilly]

Are you planning on wearing anything else than what you had on when you tried the jacket on? If so, how thick? Is there enough room in the smaller jacket to do that? If not, then the larger one is the one you need. I have a similar jacket from another company. I got it to wear without bulky stuff underneath it, ie work stuff, so it fits close to the body. I could only wear it skiing if it was 0 C or above.

 

[SnowHot]

I really like the jacket itself, it's not bulky or heavy, I'm just wondering do I want a more snug fit or a more loose fit.

Thanks for the help.

cat

Depends.
I tend to like a jacket that is fitted, mostly to avoid letting wind creep in.
However, not so fitted that I can't carry a camera and wallet without it bulging.
The key is to try them on with similar clothes that you will be wearing when you are skiing.