Columbia Women's Discontinued Arcadia II Jacket

Have had this jacket for about three years and have loved it. It can be dressed up a little with career pants and a good bag. I can not stand coats, or anything, with collars around my face and with the hoodie and zipper this is quite flattering if you are the type who lives in v-neck tops. I had this in size 3X and it always was generously sized except a bit snug around the bottom hem. I have lost 45 pounds and was so happy to find this in smaller sizes. I was guessing I would need an XL until I read the reviews about the jacket running small. Then I couldn't decide between the 1X and the 2X. A few reviewers said there was a big difference between the 1X and the 2X and that the arms of this jacket run small. Thank you Amazon reviewers, you were right! I just tried on the 2X and even with the 3X being way too large and the 45 pound weight loss, I needed the 2X in the upper arms and hips. The rest of the jacket is roomy.This is a nicely styled jacket with the zipper and the velcro closure over the zipper for extra protection against rain, and the attached hoodie was the deal-maker.However, many of the quality details of the older version of this coat have been eliminated. The style is the same on the outside where it counts, but in a side by side comparison the fine details I loved are gone. This is more a reflection on quality control than whether you should still buy this coat. Yes! You should still buy it, just see if any of these smaller details will bother you: where the older jacket was detailed with a snap closure at the top and the bottom and three easy velcro closures, the newer jacket has no snaps, but 5 velcro closure points on the flap over the zipper. The jackets though purchased 3years apart are mostly the same with other small differences. Sadly, the roomy zippered security inside pocket is gone. I miss it because that was a safe place to keep items if you were out for a walk and didn't want to carry your purse. The entire lining is not as well made as before: the older jacket's mesh lining is much finer and softer, the inside of the hood had the same lining, and at the outer pocket level, for the bottom 8 inches or so, the mesh ended and the interior of the coat had the same, more durable fabric as outside. That supported what was carried in the 2 outer pockets and gave the coat more substance. Now the hood has no mesh lining. The body of the newer coat has a more open, coarser mesh from the shoulders to the bottom of the coat. My coat is black and the mesh lining is black over a white, or gray, lining that is labelled "OMNI-TECH". Both exterior "hand pockets" are still zippered and lined with mesh, but once again, you are putting your items into double mesh pockets without the fabric reinforcement the old pockets had. The old hoodie had an odd flap with velcro at the back--?? must have served some purpose--but I do not know what. The coat does have an inner hanging loop that is nice in restaurants and places to hang it on a hook to dry. Booth coats have sleeves with a little elastic at the cuffs and a great velcro storm strip at the cuffs to pull the coat very tight around your wrists. The Columbia embroidery and the Omnitech stamp on the left cuff are identical. The hood drawstrings are similar but the old hood had a metal grommet at the opening and a longer, more secure tunnel that the cord pulled through at the end, as well as other minor features being finer on the previous hoodie. The drawstring around the hips is also inferior. All told, you have to wear the jacket for your size. I am grateful they are still making the coat. You would never see much difference in the outer appearance, but it is sad the way producers eliminate the quality details and think the consumer won't notice.

Nice jacket, bought for a trip & it fit perfectly over my down jacket. Nice quality & kept me dry!

This jacket is awesome. It's lightweight, surprisingly wind resistant, and keeps me dry in the wettest of Humboldt weather. Fits as expected, and the velcro closures still work well after two winters of everyday use. It isn't lined, so I sometimes have to add layers underneath, but you can't beat it for protection from the wet.

Very happy with this rain jacket, the material is not thick but the wind resistance is excellent, the jacket keeps me surprisingly warm. I really like the way it fits, the length hits me hip level. I also like the color, I bought the blue not too bright but not a dark navy either. The jacket is very well made and a good price too. Machine washable and comes out of the dryer with no wrinkles!

I ordered this in 3X because that was the only size available at the time that I first ordered. I received it today.First off the color (lily red) is beautiful. I am not a fan of the Velcro "fasteners" on the front - might as well call them lint collectors and they tend to snag things. The fabric seems very soft and the jacket appears to be well made. There is a tag with a price of $100 on it. I purchased this jacket in red in size 2X and 3X for under $35 - what a deal! The hood is as someone else commented fairly small (it doesn't extend out very far), but I guess I'll just have to test it out. At least I'll be able to see when I am wearing it! There is a cinch elastic at the bottom, but it's just on one side and when I cinched the jacket, it just looked awkward. Size-wise, I wear a 2X in jackets and I actually have a 2X on the way so I will be able to compare. The jacket is very generously sized in the arms and shoulders - the hips not so much. It seems to be a fairly straight cut jacket.I will update this once I have the 2X to compare. As far as being versatile, this jacket might just fit the bill. It could be also used as a parka over a fleece jacket for colder weather.Update: I now have the 2X and the 3X. There is a significant difference in the sizing and quite honestly that’s a good thing. I’ve decided to keep both because the jackets will serve different purposes. The 3X is fairly long (27.75 inches in front measuring from collarbone - the 2X is one inch shorter) and there’s plenty of room for me to wear layers underneath. I just returned from a breezy walk on the beach in high 30’s/low 40’s temperatures and it was absolutely perfect paired with wind pants and fleece underneath. It definitely kept out the cold wind! You could probably use this as a ski parka with the right layers underneath. The size 3X jacket weighs 447 grams - just under a pound. It doesn’t appear to be “self-packable”, but fits nicely in a plastic one gallon Ziplock bag.The 2X will be better as a rain jacket and for warmer weather. It’s shorter in length and looks more tailored because it is more form-fitting. It’s a tad snug in the hips and I consider this a minor design flaw because otherwise the jacket is true to size in all respects. There are mesh-lined zippered pockets (6 in zipper) on each side of the jacket. I realized that they were mesh when the sand from the shells that I’d collected fell from the pocket. I’m not as excited about mesh pockets. I worry that they could get torn or catch on things over time - same with the mesh lining of the jacket.So far, the jacket has offered excellent wind protection. I’ll have to see how it does in rainy weather. Don’t expect this jacket to have a stylish, fashionable fit and you should be happy overall with your purchase.