Columbia Men's Double Whammy Parka

I got this jacket on sale for $99. It's not a bad jacket for the price, and it's warm. I have to do a lot of work outside and it's ok for day trips or for going to the office or the mall or whatever. I haven't tested it in the rain, it seems to shed snow ok.

However, I much prefer the Gore-tex outer material. The Bergundtal material is noisy and doesn't flex very well. The hood is too small, particularly when wearing a hat. The pit zips are bulky and too much trouble.

For backpacking extended trips, I wear my Eddie Bauer Gore-tex mountain parka with fleece and a down vest. I'll write my reviews for these under Eddie Bauer and Solstice.

I bought this as a general use winter coat with occasional ski trip duty. The hood is way short for me, it needs a longer "bill" to cover to keep rain/snow out off my forehead. The fabric is NOT water repellent. Light rain has a tendency to soak the fabric. I have applied some "Camp-Tex" water repellent which helped a little. The pit-zips are nice and the coat is durable and well made. The liner tends to "bunch-up" when putting the coat on.

I give it a 5 out of 10. If they'd only put a decent hood on it and a bit of water repellency...

I've owned this Columbia Double Whammy for 9 years. The shell is still waterproof and looks great! The liner is a great stand-alone jacket. I use this coat for snow skiing, rain, and general cold weather. Great coat, especially for the money!