When my wife bought my kid one of these a couple of months ago, I couldn't believe that it would keep her warm in below freezing weather. It weighs less than a pound and is extremely thin for a winter garment. Yet she insisted that the jacket was more than enough for all day outdoor winter activities and that when she was very active, she was TOO hot. I decided to buy one for myself to see if her internal thermostat was whacky or if she was telling the truth. After all, if it didn't perform, I could return it and get something useful.Well, my daughter wasn't kidding. This Omni Heat system REALLY WORKS WELL! When it's below freezing, I find myself quite warm with just this jacket on over my cotton shirts -- no sweater necessary. The outer nylon shell is more than enough to keep out the wind and it appears to be water resistant, although I haven't worn it in any kind of precipitation. Even if it's not good for a downpour, it's light enough to wear under a rain slicker and still be quite warm. It also breathes quite efficiently as I tend to sweat when active and I haven't yet had an uncomfortable, sweat soaked shirt when wearing this jacket.It's light and flexible enough to roll up into the 8in x 4in storage bag that came with it, so it easily fits into a briefcase or pack. I was so impressed with this jacket and it's capabilities that I also purchased a set of gloves and a beanie lined with the Omni Heat shielding. The hat has proven to be equally effective against the cold; not so the gloves. Now all I need is some Omni Heat pants and I'll be all set for some skiing (if we ever get any snow, that is).I decided to be the one to try the omni heat jacket out after seeing the commercial, and my god, I've never been happier with an online purchase. It really is a different world of jacket, it weighs close to nothing, feels like a damn second skin, and keeps me warm in any weather, blocks all wind/rain/snow and can still be worn inside without sweating, I think it is awesome, and I'd recommend it to anyone, I make all of my friends try it on too so they can see that this columbia stuff is right on the money.I couldn't believe how warm this coat was given how light it is. There's no reason to spend $300-$600 on a higher priced coat when Columbia makes something this nice. I also like how well the hood fits without any need of adjustment. I haven't yet warn the coat in a downpour, but the coat's ability to repel rain has so far exceeded my expectations.The only downside is that it's not the most fashionable outerwear, but I wouldn't call it ugly either.I was looking at the winter jackets department of Amazon and this and one other caught my eye. This jacket is perfect. It is light, warm, fits well, is packable, super comfortable, and has enough pockets to stash your stuff in. It is also made well and I can't wait to use it when the weather gets colder. I highly recommended it to everyone, and am very pleased with my purchase.I purchased this coat for my middle school son. I thought it was very nice looking. He liked it when he put it on too. It looked really nice on him. The problem was the lining of the coat was metallic. When my grade school aged daughter saw the coat she said "Mom are you sure this is a boys coat? It's all sparkly inside." We sent it back.Bought this for my frequent winter travel to Europe. Needed something light but warm and this fits the bill perfectly. It's light, can be packed into a very small footprint.The lining does look a little "disco" ... But it's the reflective layer that keeps the jacket warmMay feel too warm if worn indoors. Otherwise love the jacket!Not a winter coat, first time out in 38 degree weather 8" snow still on the ground and a 15 mph wind. I was wearing a long sleeve denim shirt over a t shirt and the wind cut right through. The reflective insulation pokes out around the sleeve cuffs. Waist pockets are deep and lined.I bought this jacket for camping and the occasional urban wear. It's packable, light, and warm. I feel the material is more durable than other similar compressible insulated jackets. However, I would still wear a shell over it if I'm backpacking or walking through thick woods as it could still snag and tear.