Update: The jacket has held up really well through its first winter so far, and I look forward to using it again this fall and winter. I love this Jacket it works great. I love the visibility it gives, and people can see me during the winter months. Some people have mistaken me for someone who works for the city or is an official of some kind. Hilarious. Original: This Thermal Bomber jacket is really comfortable and has excellent visibility and reflectiveness. In the past growing up because of going through puberty I went through winter jackets a lot. Anyways my old jacket I had before, I bought from Sports Authority* (This was before Sports Authority permanently closed and was bought out by its competitor Dick's Sporting Goods.) the old jacket also had some visibility, and was pretty nice, it was great in cold weather, and light rain, but not in heavy rain, however, compared to my new jacket, this current Thermal Bomber is waterproof, and is great in extremely cold weather, I've used it, in freezing rain, taking my dog for a walk, throwing salt on the ground, and shoveling snow. Also, my intention of buying this coat was I mostly thought if the roads weren't frozen, I would ride my bike in the snow, and that never happened for 2019. Most of the time I am hesitant to buy a jacket that isn't a brand name like Eddie Bower, Addias, Nike, etc. However, on my old jacket, the stitching that the zipper was sewn to broke, and even though My attempt to resew the zipper back on was unsuccessful on top of all that one of the zipper teeth broke so I was unable to zip my jacket up, though I was able to keep it on with an expandable snaps on the bottom, at the time but that did no good as it didn't keep me warm and plus when I initially bought my old jacket, I inadvertently bought a size large thinking I’d lose weight and so on when I should’ve bought an X-Large. So when I was shopping around for a new jacket, I kept in mind the pros and cons of my old jacket, the pros: -had, warmth in extremely cold weather. -had great visibility and was a bright color. -had large pockets -had a insulated hood in colder weather. the cons: -lacked waterproofing therefore the coat would be soaked in heavy rain. So with this all in mind I looked around at several jackets and was more concerned getting the correct size but that I might have to buy a few sizes larger, and I looked for a while, before making my final decision on this one. For now, will see how it holds up, for the price I was amazed, (hopefully more customers will be able to relate to me here) usually if I see something that's in the $15-$30 price range I always think what I might be buying is cheap quality, cheap stitching, etc., at least in my experience when comes to winter gear or any clothing or sporting gear, etc no matter the seasons or reasons for shopping for new gear. However, if I buy something in the $50 or more range I usually think I'm buying something higher quality and will last me at least a few years or more depending on durability, stitching, etc. So this jacket really took me by surprise, not only the price, plus the positive reviews on Amazon, that's usually how I shop, especially if you're on a budget plus I always read both positive and negative reviews of products before I buy anything, and make sure I'm not overspending. So when I got the jacket, I was excited, and after trying it out I really like it, the only thing I don't like is the small pockets, and it would've been nice if it was just a few inches longer but then it would be a coat since coats go past your thighs and jackets go to your waist, but that's fine I can compromise. The smaller pockets do concern me, my old jacket did have pretty good size pockets even if it was a jacket and only went to my waist, it's fine, I'll just have to keep that in mind when carrying my winter ski gloves or any winter gear, I may have to look for a coat something that goes to my thighs. This jacket will get me through winter, I may or may not start looking for a coat in the spring so I can have something before next winter, but this jacket may be all I need. Remember if you're looking for a durable winter jacket or coat, make sure you look around before narrowing down your choices, Price plays a big factor but so do the reviews, and most importantly needs of the consumer as well as size and fit, comfort, height, width, durability etc and if your concerned that going up one size from whatever size you previously wore keep in mind that its ok to go two or more sizes up, if needed. Besides the last thing you want to do is buy a coat that's one (or two sizes) size smaller and for it to fit at first but as time passes it just feels tight and uncomfortable, which if you think about it that applies to all clothes or outfits. Keep in mind every person's body type/autonomy is different and everyone has different needs and wants etc. So make sure like any clothing purchase its all about finding the right fit, making sure it's comfortable and it's in the style you want and like. My Mom, for example, had previously had a jacket in size Medium, and eventually, it got too tight on her, so she had to go two sizes up from that which in this case is XL and she loves the coat she got, that made all the difference for her. I would still highly recommend this, it worked for me so it may for you also!
