Obermeyer Charger Jacket - Waterproof & Insulated Winter Coat for Men & Women - Skiing, Snowboarding & Outdoor Adventures

As a quick overview before I get into specifics, I was in the market for a slim fitting ski/snowboarding jacket because (a) I like slim fitting clothing, and (b) I love the style/function of a ski/snowboarding jacket. I had narrowed down my selection to this jacket and the The North Face Anonym before ultimately choosing this one for a variety of reasons. Not being into skiing or snowboarding, I had never heard of the Obermeyer brand, so it was quite a surprise to discover this and experience how good it is.FITI’m 6’0”, 170 lbs., 39” chest, 31” waist, and 34/35” arms. Because of my arm length and shoulder width, I ordered this in the M and the fit is fantastic for me. Arms and shoulders are perfect fits and the body has that slim cut I was looking for compared to your standard jacket. I typically wear an undershirt and thermal long sleeve and even with my Columbia Powder Lite vest over top of that, which isn’t a thin vest, the jacket never feels like it’s too tight – the chin/neck is the only area where it can get snug with my vest on underneath but we’ll get to the why of that below.DESIGN/STYLELikes:This is obviously subjective, but I really like the design of this jacket. The mix of predominantly red and black with accents of white and reflective makes for a very striking look that for me wasn’t monotone like so many jackets out there. It’s a one-piece design meaning it’s not like those tri-climate jackets made up of multiple removable layers. Then there are little things like the Velcro straps to tighten the arm over your wrist and the way they have an extra 1” of material over the top of your wrist to keep it covered at all times. The snow skirt, which I’ll probably never use, has two width settings to give you the right fit and the bottom edge of the skirt is lined with a “sticky” material to grab your clothing. The Anonym for comparison only had one width setting. I also like the neck enclosure with how high it goes and how it fits perfectly around my chin to keep the cold out. This does have a slight drawback of your chin brushing against the top edge of the fabric when you turn your head but I’m willing to take that for keeping the cold out. The Anonym by comparison had a much larger neck/chin opening for completely free head movement and a much softer fabric lining there was well, but I didn’t care for how it let cold air in.Dislikes:By far, the biggest let-down of this jacket are the thumbhole inner cuffs. The seam is right over the webbing between my thumb and index finger. Again, my arms belong in the L and it wouldn’t have been an issue in that size, but had they designed them so the stitch line is off-centered, it wouldn’t be an issue. The Anonym by comparison nails them perfectly. They were a bit longer in the M and super comfy because they moved the stitch line over. Well done North Face. Then there are other things like the left-handed main zipper. Left-handed people are likely going to enjoy that touch but it’s very awkward and annoying for a righty like me. It’s the first jacket I’ve seen like this. I also wish that they ran the softer chin lining higher than they do so it actually serves its purpose.WARMTHAs I’m sure is the case with most of you reading this, you probably have no clue what 100g or 80g of insulation actually means. It’s very simple – it means the jacket will keep you warm. 100g body, 80g in the arms is what you want for freezing temperatures, nothing less. In 30° weather with the wind blowing, wearing an undershirt and thermal long sleeve, this easily keeps me warm. In the teens and below I’ve always worn a vest underneath for some extra toasty warmth but I think with a sweater on you’ll be just fine. The Anonym was exactly the same here, but as I stated earlier, the more open neck enclosure caused more cold air to get in. On top of the warmth, this jacket will keep out all the elements too. Winds? No problem. Rain, sleet, snow? This jacket can handle it all. It’s as waterproof and windproof as you can get.Missed Opportunity/Slight Dislike:The hood is the one area on the warmth front where this jacket falls short. It does not have any hood insulation, and while you can argue that with a beanie on you won’t have any complaints, it can be an issue wearing a helmet if you snowboard/ski. The Anonym by comparison had an insulated hood with 80g of insulation and it kept your head warm – maybe too warm.UTILITY/FUNCTIONLikes:This is where this jacket really excels, especially compared to the Anonym. I love pockets and places to put things and I buy my jackets based on their utility among other criteria. This jacket has 10 pockets. 2 hand-warmer pockets which are great in terms of size and lining, a small sleeve pocket, 4 chest pockets, and 3 interior pockets; 1 zippered on the left side, 2 stretch pockets on the right. I also love that there's a drawcord adjustable hem on the inside to tighten the jacket to your hips. It’s also got the zipper under the arms for ventilation, and a nifty stretch key lanyard built into the right-side front hand pocket.Dislikes:The plastic loop on the key lanyard looks flimsy and is likely going to break with high usage. I purchased a metal clip to attach to it so I won’t have to worry about that anymore. I’m also not a fan of what they did with the goggle cleaning cloth – it’s in the chest pocket and has an alligator clip holding it. I understand why the opted for that but I prefer the Anonym approach of having it in the arm with the cloth stitched to a clasp that can be released to use the cloth more freely.VALUEI paid full price for this jacket - $429, and although I was bummed to see the price drop to well below that in the following months, I think this jacket is worth it at the MSRP even with the lack of hood insulation. The Anonym MSRP by comparison was $449 but I bought it at $314 at the time on discount so it was arguably a better deal at both prices considering what you get, but I simply couldn’t get passed the larger neck/chin opening.BUILD QUALITYI’ve had and worn this jacket since the end of January and the stitching and finish is still perfect. We'll see how it holds up over time, but right now I’m confident it’ll last for years.FINAL THOUGHTSIf you read my entire review it’s evident that I like this jacket overall. That being said, if you’re dead set on hood insulation, then look elsewhere. Otherwise, I think this is a fantastic jacket and well worth the price. I give it 4/5 stars with the 1 star deduction for the subpar thumbhole inner cuffs and the lack of an insulated hood.Love this coat. Returned the Amazon order because I found it locally, but the same coat. Very high quality, the fit is awesome, it’s light but warm and very functional with several convenient pockets. It’s doesn’t puff out at the bottom like many ski coats so it still looks great around town as a normal jacket. It cost more than some coats but it’s very well made, no loose threads. The inner sleeve linings have a thump hole that slides right on, sealing the sleeve from snow and allowing easy removal. The colors are vickie and stunning with subtle shade differences in the black defining areas. The hood is made to fit a helmet but cinches down to any size. I wish it had a visor built-in on the hood but over all love this coat.I am a snowboarder who gravitate towards obermeyer ski jackets because they're so feature-rich and well-made I love this jacket but it's late in the season and it was even warmer than I thought if you want a resort jacket for really cold days and to wear nothing else underneath this is the deal