Columbia Women's Kaleidaslope II Jacket

My Kaleidaslope II jacket is wonderful. I like that it reflects my heat back at me to keep me warm and also wicks away moisture to keep me warm and snuggly. The cuffs with thumb holes can be pushed up if you don't want to engage them over the thumb. I have found I cannot use the over the thumb bands when I am driving with gloves on as the grey fabric cuts into my thumbs causing pain. I'm tall, so the issue may be that my arms are too long to comfortably wear the over the thumb feature for long periods of time. The collar is warm and fuzzy.From the looks of the jacket, if you have an existing Columbia Interchange jacket, you should be able to swap out your inner liner of that one with this jacket.Pros: - Color (Bright Rose) - there are several choices - Omni-Heat - reflects your own heat back to keep you warm - Light-weight and warm - Fashionable and fun - Can be used with existing Columbia Interchange jacketsCons: - Cuffs with thumb holes (grey) become painful after wearing over the thumbs a while. I am still hoping with time, these will stretch out. The positive is that I can push up the cuffs and wear like a normal jacket. - The jacket cuffs (bright rose) were not pressed the same on the left and right arms. While not a major issue, every time I look at my wrists, I see this imperfection. I am scared to try to iron it myself as I don't want to melt the fabric.Overall, I'd buy this jacket again.

I ordered this because I have 'sensitivities' to bulky coats. I hate wearing them if I am in a car, I hate taking them off and arranging for them when I come indoors, I hate how unmanageable they feel to me. A coat should not stress me out, so I bought this with a hope I could just 'wear a coat.' And I can! To boot I can layer a vest underneath, even a poofy one, and still feel totally comfortable.I live in KS where the wind is often the problem. It is hard to find clothing that the wind doesn't cut that isn't large and bulky and this one does a decent job. On windier days (i.e. 20-30 mph) I will put a layer underneath, which is very easy and comfortable to do. On days that it is not windy, I am entirely comfortable.I am 5'2 with a broad back and weigh a muscle-y 140ish. My arms are bigger and again, my back is broad, so I often order mediums because smalls will catch on my shoulders, etc. I also have a long torso, and am very pleased that the length of this coat falls at my hips and not above.

I bought this jacket in preparation for the AWFUL east coast winter we had. This jacket was very warm, and the thermal "space suit" material inside really helped trap heat. I also really like that I can layer the jacket. I wore it by itself, over a thinner sweatshirt and, in the coldest parts of the year, over a thinner sweatshirt and UNDER another jacket. The cut is also great. It is tailored slightly to give a more flattering shape than a simple puffy coat. The length is a little below the hips, and slightly longer in the back. Good overlap with pants so no cold air gets in. I will say, however, that the cut is not as great in the chest. I had no problem as a small chested woman, but I don't think there would have been a lot of room if I were larger.Overall, really happy with the purchase.Pros:WarmthLayering abilitySleeves (the cuff with the thumbhole keeps cold air OUT. It's AWESOME)Cut (length)Soft material around the neckCons:Cut (chest)The stitching on the sleeve started to come off after a few weeks. Not a huge deal for me.

I have had several Columbia jackets over the years and have always been pleased. I got this jacket hoping for something that would keep me warm in 20-30 degree weather without being bulky. This jacket is even better than I expected. It is surprisingly lightweight yet keeps you toasty warm. I find that I am actually warmer when I wear just a T-shirt than when I have a sweatshirt on underneath. I assume that's because there is more direct body heat for the omni-heat to reflect back. I wore this in 25 degree weather for about four hours with just a sweater underneath and stayed pretty warm. It does well in windy conditions too. I have a different Columbia shell that I will probably zip this jacket into on extremely cold days.I'm 5'3" and 120 pounds. I ordered the small and it fits great. Not too tight at all on me, even in the sleeves. The mercury is more of a blue/grey than the pictures look, it's really a great color. Very pleased with this purchase!

Oh so warm! Jacket is nice and thin and unbelievably warm for its weight. The shiny dot material is amazing for reflecting heat, and I am never warm enough. I like that the collar is lined and fuzzy and should be able to fit a scarf. On the down side my smaller head and neck leave a little bit too much space and it is the only place that any wind gets in, sometimes, but rarely. The jacket comes down past my waist to the mid butt so i don't get breezes on my back. This is key on public transportation in winter. The only part I don't love is the thumb holes in the arm cuffs dig into the web of my finger/thumb space. If i'm sitting I cant keep the cuffs on With thumbs thru. Maybe my arms are too long.

I bought the Extra Small size for my girlfriend, and it fit her perfectly. The respective sizes for this coat appear to be very accurate, so if you are usually an American Small, or Medium, you should expect it to fit you. The coat itself is very warm, comfortable, and definitely stylish. There are holes at the end of the sleeves for your thumbs to go through, but they can be inconspicuous. It was probably styled that way in case the person wearing the coat did not want to use the thumb holes.While every aspect of the coat was great, I must comment that it is not very good to wear in the rain. It will definitely keep you warm in all weather situations, but it was not designed to be a raincoat by any means.