Columbia Men's Cougar Peaks II Jacket

This jacket is NOT a rain jacket and barely considered a windbreaker. It is touted as "water resistant", and yes the fabric is highly water repellent, but the numerous unsealed seams on the shoulders and elsewhere and the exposed zipper allowed water to soak through in a downpour. Even as a windbreaker it's mediocre because you cannot close the back shoulder vent so when the wind is at your back it blows right through you. As for the fabric being breathable, I'd say it's more breathable than a plastic bag but it falls way short of something more sophisticated like Gortex. I found it trapped a lot of condensation. There are no vents in the armpits.

On the up side, it's lightweight and packs small, has a concealable hood, is cut large enough in the sleeves to fit over a fleece jacket or sweatshirt, and does shed light rain/drizzle. And it looks good. But don't be mislead in thinking it's truly a rain jacket or windbreaker because it isn't either. It's just a...Read more

This jacket is supposed to be waterproof, but after a while in even a drizzle it starts to absorb the water just like any other material. If this were actually waterproof then it would be AMAZING. I wear every now and again when I'm going to be outside for short amounts of time, it's good for that, but isn't much better than that.

I love the fact that it's packable, very easy to store in your car under the seat or a backpack. The hood packs into the collar so it's not in the way all the time, that's another awesome feature.

It's light and since the thickness is minimal I would recommend possibly getting a size larger to wear a sweatshirt under if your going to be wearing it in Fall weather.

LIke I said, this would be an awesome jacket, if it were waterproof. But without that important feature, this is nothing more than an expensive windbreaker. I would recommend spending a little more money in order to get better quality, that's the general...Read more

I've got a bunch of stuff from Columbia, not only is every item of superior quality, but reasonably-priced as well. Seriously, when it comes to sportswear, and particularly items like jackets and such, the mark-ups are often ludicrously unjustified. One particularly severe example of this phenomenon I experienced involved a soft-shell jacket from one of the upmarket manufacturers. The MSRP of that jacket, which protected against neither wind nor rain, was $160.

Columbia doesn't pull shenanigans like that, which is why I sought out this brand for an cheap windbreaker, and as the review title indicates, I do love it. It's got a decently roomy cut for layering but isn't all puffy, it has a proper anti-precipitation coating that actually works, and it has the all-important vent in the back to keep the wearer from overheating (crucial for cycling,) and the cell phone pocket up front. Put a polyester fleece sweatshirt or wool sweater on underneath and you're ready for...Read more