Columbia 3-in-1 Parkas

[wackyjacky1]

Does anyone have any experience with these? It consists of a waterproof parka, and a zip-in fleece liner. You can wear the shell by itself, the fleece by itself, or both for extra warmth.

I will be traveling to Europe in January, and I want something that'll keep me warm under different conditions. This sounds like just the ticket, but I'm concerned with how bulky it may be.

Any info?

[beccaB]

At my employment we are given one every 2 years. It's not actually Columbia, but it's pretty similar. If you get one, I would suggest that the fleece inner coat have a lining, that way you don't get stuck to your shirt sleeves trying to take it off, or static.

[wolfak]

I've had two. Got the second one because I got smaller!

I'm very happy with with the performance, especially the new one. It has lining only in the sleeves of the fleece like the previous. I usually never zip the two parts together, I just wear them as two separate coats.

[MillieNZ]

I love mine................ brought it a couple of years ago from Kohls in Portland, very cheap (well compared to the price of them down here !)

Only occasionally use the fleece & jacket together (never really gets that cold) but are always using them seperatley........... next time I'm over I'll be getting a new one........

Would be great for Europre winter

[Cataboo]

Columbia has several levels & qualities of these - so just make sure the parka is actually waterproof and breathable. And there's different weights of fleece that'll zip into the jacket.

I'm not a huge fan of these even though this is pretty much the way I layer up for skiing in the winter - shell over a fleece. But actually having the jackets zip into each other really just ends up being gimicky. It's nice to be able to open your shell to cool down a little bit or to get to your fleece pockets without unzipping the fleece - keeping the warmth in, whereas if you have them zipped together, I guess it's more convenient for taking it off... but there are few active situations where that's what I want.

so I'd recommend purchasing a high quality fleece and a high quality shell separately. There are several fleeces that are windproof, so a shell isn't really necessary unless it's raining or you expect to get wet in some way, and you can just get a really lightweight shell for that... (that's assuming you're not going to have to worry about abrasion or anything like that)

[badgercat]

Mine served me well through 4 Wisconsin winters, including 100+inches of snow this past winter. Like Wolfak, though, I rarely kept the two pieces zipped together... on really cold days (like the day it was -30 F with the windchill and we all still had to go to class ), I'd put on the shell, zip it all the way up, put on my hat, put on a big scarf, and then put the shell on over that and zip it up too. Like Catriona mentioned, it was also nice to keep things separate, because I could unzip one or the other to get a little ventilation those cold days when I worked up a sweat trying to get to class on time.

I was very happy with it, even on those very blustery days! I don't think it's very bulky at all, and in fact I've used the fleece as a fall coat and the shell as a windbreaker/rain coat for summer travel (which it was great for, because it has lots of pockets).

Happy shopping!

eta: I don't think mine is technically waterproof, either. Though most of the water rolls off, the outside of the shell gets damp if you're out in a downpour. I don't recall it soaking through and me getting wet underneath it, though. I think mine wasn't exactly the 'top of the line' model, either, so I'm sure there's more waterproof stuff available if that's what you need.

[wackyjacky1]

Thanks for all the advice/info. I know many of you say you don't wear the two pieces together, but I have a feeling I will! After 30+ years in South Texas, I totally can't handle any kind of cold weather anymore. I have a feeling January in France will be way too cold for me!

It's pricey, but I think I'm going to go for it. The only decision now is whether to go with the mauve/chocolate color combo, or the paprika/winter white color combo...

[Cataboo]

I think you're misunderstanding - we wear the 2 pieces together, but we don't wear them zipped into each other.

We zip them up independently. ... That way you can unzip your outer shell without your fleece being unzipped on the inside, which doesn't work if you have the jackets zipped into each other.

[wackyjacky1]

we wear the 2 pieces together, but we don't wear them zipped into each other.

Yeah, that sounds like a good way to do it.

[HillSlugger]

I used to have one, except the inner part was insulated and not fleece. Lasted me many years until the zipper broke. I rarely separated the two parts. I've thought several times about getting another.

[Triskeliongirl]

I have had one for years. They are great for san antonio, cuz you can wear the outer shell alone as a great rain jacket in SA (if you get the omnitech fabric) but zip in the liner when you go to a cold place. I wore mine to Austria in winter and was fine with the liner. So, its a relatively inexpensive way to have some variety. But do be advised to buy one of the longer styles (i.e. be sure it covers your butt!).

BUT, if you want something higher tech for sports, I agree with the recommendation for a goretex shell with a high tech fleece inside. I also think that I look heavier in the columbia 3 in 1s than in separate pieces. In fact, I prefer the outer shell of my columbia, with my shebeest windpro jacket or terry cycling vest inside instead of the fleece that came with it (and or an ibex shak and base under that). But that means there are lots of ways to use it. So buy a good one and you will have the best of both worlds.

Locally, usually sun and ski sports and the sports authority carry a few (so you can get sized), but you'll have more variety and better prices at sierra trading post. Also, be careful, not all of their styles zip together, some are separate. LL Bean also makes a similar kind of parka (and I think their prices are better).

[Cataboo]

Other places to check:

Tjmaxx or Marshall's. I haven't been recently but they do tend to have Columbia at good prices. But what they also have had a lot of recently is Cloudveil. They also sometimes have Marmot jackets.

I'm a bit of a gear snob - but Columbia's sort of the bottom end of the totem pole gear wise. They make a lot of popular styles - and a lot of it looks good but isn't actually all that functional (which is why I said to make sure that the jacket is waterproof & breathable) or what you want when you're mountaineering or ice climbing or skiing - Wackyjacky is just going to Europe, so it probably doesn't really matter - but I can't recommend that someone pay full price for Columbia.

But you can generally find on sale garments from higher end manufacturers that are less than the cost of the Columbia stuff either full price or on sale.

So other brands I'd recommend she look at - Mountain Hardwear (columbia does own them, but their gear is better), Marmot, Cloudveil, REI, Patagonia, Arc'teryx (this last one will probably be too expensive)

If you're a size medium, thegearrevival store on ebay usually has great prices on size medium women's clothes & outerwear - they're an outdoor store down in Atlanta and they get a lot of manufacturer's samples and ebay them.

Other places:
sierratradingpost as Triskelion girl mentioned
- Don't buy at sierratrading post without checking the fatwallet coupon thread because there's usually a 20% off coupon available, and going through microsoft live cashback generally gets you 12% back or so

altrec.com (again, use microsoft live)
backcountry.com
backcountryoutlet.com

rei.com
reioutlet.com

(REI's house brand of outdoor gear tends to be very good and relatively inexpensive)


Rotating deal sites to watch:
tramdock.com
steepandcheap.com

[Cataboo]

There's a marmot zip in compatible fleece on steepandcheap currently for $33 down from $80.

It's a good insulating fleece - it's not a windproof one, so a shell over it'll be good.

[wackyjacky1]

I'll certainly check out all your suggestions. Part of the problem I have in finding decent sporting/athletic gear is that I wear Chunky Mama sizes, and it's really really really really really really really...REALLY...hard to find stuff in 1X or 2X. The internet is about my only hope of finding stuff. (Hey, apparel manufacturers, I know I'm overweight, but that doesn't mean I'm not exercising or enjoying the outdoors!!! )

I might take a closer look at LLBean's 3-in-1...

[Cataboo]

I don't know for sure about all the brands - but I know REI has extended sizing, so they might have something.