Solstice Microshed Parka

I have mixed reviews about this jacket. I don’t remember the exact year, but I got it between 1998 and 1999. The repellency has been completely shot, and its been like that for several years. I would have thought a $200-$300 jacket would have performed much better. For a long time I never washed it; however, I kept it very clean. Not until a few years ago did I learn from a local outdoor shop that you can wash it without affecting its repellency qualities. I used a light detergent (Woollite), but that didn’t make it any more or any less repellent. I decided to give it one more chance before shopping for another jacket. This time I bought Nikwax and again it didn’t make it any more or less repellent.

The jacket very roomy to allow for several layers beneath the jacket. The zippers were always stubborn. I felt like I really needed to guide the pit zips to keep them from pinching the fabric. This wasn’t an issue in the spring, summer, and fall, but when the weather’s cold it was hard to control my hands to do such a delicate task, especially with mittens. The hood and bottom draw cords are worked okay. The hood had plenty of room for a hat or it could be cinched close to my head leaving cover and room for peripheral vision. Now I’ve learned from other reviewers about the warranty, or lack thereof, I’m dissatisfied with the product.

Solstice ski jacket malfunction.

I purchased a Solstice Microshed Parka from a shop in Breckenridge in 2009 and within a year a pit zip came apart. Tried for the next two years to get any response from Solstice both via phone calls, which I received the response that the message service was full and then via email of which I received no response. 

So like other reviews, it is better to do business with Patagonia or North Face who stand behind their garments than one that appears to have no customer service.

Back in the '90s I had a Patagonia jacket that I ripped a hole in the back due to my own slope antics, sent it to Patagonia the they repaired it no charge even though I was willing to pay for it.  That's what I call service. I just sent a 3-year-old jacket to Pat that the Velcro sleeve cuffs wore out and they repaired those too with no charge and did it very quickly. 

Solstice has a lot to learn and is not worth spending your hard earned money on its products. The jacket I purchased is a good jacket, the service is just non-existent.

Like the other reviewer, I am unhappy with Solstice's warranty/repair process. I have a Solstice jacket, purchased in January of '99. The fleece I bought with it has finally worn out, and I wanted to get a new fleece. Problem? None of the new fleeces zip in to my old parka; the slider design on the new fleece won't accommodate the old zipper.

I called Solstice; Don (the completely un-helpful and non-service-oriented customer service guy) essentially said "Too bad, so sad." What he really said was "Don't zip the new fleece in. We can't support old products; YKK changed their zipper design. This happened to North Face and everybody else. We used to retrofit with new sliders, but we just can't do that anymore." I then talked to North Face, who said they would be happy to replace the slider.

In the end, I've been happy with my Solstice jacket, but their warranty/service SUCKS. Spend a little extra and go with a company that gives a sh*t about customer service.

Before buying a garment from Solstice (especially made from microshed) you should know that for warranty purposes Solstice arbitrarily defines the life of a microshed garment as 3-5 years, and will not honor warranty claims beyond that point.

Here's the story:

I recently returned a parka that had started leaking to Solstice, expecting them to repair or replace it under their "lifetime" warranty. Solstice is refusing to honor the warranty, claiming that "lifetime" refers to the lifetime of the garment, which they arbitrarily define as 3-5 years. They admit that there's been no physical damage to the garment (no rips, tears, abrasions, etc); the coating itself has just started leaking, but they don't consider this to be their problem.

I've had absolutely no hassles with other manufacturer's warranties (North Face, Marmot, Moonstone, etc) -- just Solstice.

Moral of the story -- if you're happy with the idea of shelling hundreds of dollars for a parka that'll last three years then buy Solstice. Otherwise, do business with a company that stands behind its products.

I have used the jacket since 1999 and just noticed the microshed laminate is flaking off. No warranty per Solstice.

Great jacket, loved it. Too bad it has to retire due to the microshed delamination. Solstice offered to look at it and maybe offer me another at wholesale as a replacement.

Great design and high quality construction, questionable waterproof laminate.

Solstice should find another waterproof coating.

My Sostice Microshit parka has lost its waterproofness. Spent a very cold wet night in December wearing it. I'd recommend another brand. This coat wasn't inexpensive. Gortex has worked much better and longer for me.

Trying to find what is called a Soltice 3 in 1 Parka with teh item# g3399, does anyone know what this may be and how I find the dealer who has this? Please send info to mtccreations@ymail.com

Thank you!