Two Cents: Columbia Peak Power Jacket
There’s no shame in it: I love gear. What do I love even more than gear? High quality gear. When Columbia reached out to me to check out their Peak Power Jacket with their “Omini-Dry technology,” I said, “SIGN A SISTER UP!” However, I received the jacket and the poor thing was left alone, just hanging in my closet as the summer sun blistered away and the thought of putting on a jacket would equate to putting a fork in my eye.
With the potential of a hurricane on our honeymoon, I thought that our trip to the Dominican Republic might be a perfect opportunity to put the blue beauty to work. So that’s exactly what I did: I put the jacket in some of the most extreme conditions I could find while facing hurricane Irene. Including…
Extreme basketball!
Extreme cycling!
Extreme exploring!
Extreme rock climbing!
But in all seriousness, this jacket is extremely amazing…
I’ve never had gear quite as nice as this…there are so many small features that if you were to look at the jacket on the rack, you would never notice all of the finite details that make this jacket a keeper. Columbia will claim that the best part of the jacket is “an ultra-light laminate membrane that’s over 50-percent air, making this jacket insanely breathable and lighter than other 3-layer shells like it.” Here are a few of my favorite features:
These bungee-things (I have no idea what they’re called) pull to fit the jacket perfectly around your waist. While this isn’t an innovative feature, they pull tight without the rest of the jacket poofing up like you’re in third grade. There is also an innovative bungee-thing around the hood. Pull it just right and the hood literally stays on your head – even in a hurricane. It was amazing.
The zippers! They’re everywhere and amazing. Under your arms for extra ventilation and two-way zippers with a silicone seal (keeping me absolutely dry in the hurricane).
The front of the jacket hits right around my waist, but the back goes a bit below my booty, which is perfect for my long torso. I also have abnormally long arms, so a jacket that didn’t make me feel like I was shoved in a junior jumpsuit is a win for me.
There are a ton of other specs that make this jacket great, but you can check them all out here.
But I’m not going to lie to you…the price tag of this jackets is pretty dang steep ($350!). As someone who loves high-end gear, that doesn’t necessarily mean I have much of it and it’s usually because I’m a cheap ass. I don’t know if I could bring myself to drop $350 on a jacket (even if it is as amazing as this).
So tell me, am I crazy? Do you have high-end gear? How much would you pay for an amazing piece of gear that would last you forever?
TWO CENT RATING: 4 out of 5 stars. The jacket is amazing. The price? Not so much.
Happy Running!
Hilarious pictures! Love the one of you extreme exploring!! I agree – looks like an awesome jacket just not so much an awesome price! But one would hope that for that much money the jacket would last for over 10 years!
I bought a similar jacket (Asics) earlier this year. It was around $70 I think. I’m sure it doesnt have the “50% air” technology, but it worked amazingly. It has the same bungees at the bottom, vent zippers, and long arms to cover the sleeves (Garmin). I loved it, especially for the price. I should do a post about it…
I like the sound of the $70 Asics jacket (and I want to know which one it is now). No way would I spend $350 — granted, I am going to pay that much for a leather jacket, BUT that’s for a custom-made one sized to me, and I get to pick the leather, etc. Of course, the Columbia jacket looks cool and I know their stuff holds up.
But anyway, I LOVE the photos. Extreme exploring! Hahaha!
Yep, agreed – really nice-looking jacket, but no way worth the price…
ummmm $350?!?! Is Asics crazy? It looks cute, but not $350 worth of cute. Maybe $150 worth of cuteness.
Lol at those pictures, haha
The price on that jacket seems way too high, like 50% too high. I could see them pricing that at $175, but not $350. Heck, even $175 might be too high for that jacket.
I bought a $100 jacket from REI in 2009, and it has gone everywhere with me – New Zealand, Australia, Europe, and it survived it all. The jacket is light, waterproof, has a removable hood, and a lot of zippers as well. I’d highly recommend it. I got the jacket in black.
http://www.rei.com/product/794207/rei-ultra-light-jacket-mens?ref=746581
Your pix are hilarious!! I love the one in the leaves. hahahaha. You should move to San Diego.. it seriously never rains here. I mean even less than in Phoenix (where I lived for a few years) since Phoenix had monsoons. The desert is so weird…
I was waiting for the hurricane picture in it! LOL. I saw that picture on FB and almost commented – is that for the jacket review?! Glad to know you love yours, mine is still hanging in my closet waiting sadly to come out.
So not worth the price of a marathon and plane ticket.
I’m totally with you on being cheap. It took me years to finally break down and buy a pair of Lululemon running shorts because seriously, I could buy 3-4 pairs of Nike Tempos for the same price! (I often find Tempos at Marshalls- $12.99 a pair- score!!) That being said, I’m trying to get better about determining what pieces/items I should “invest” in rather than just buy something cheap to get me through. I think a jacket like this is a good investment because it is something that can be used year to year. That being said, I still think $350 is a little steep- I’d wait for a sale.