Have had this jacket for about three years and have loved it. It can be dressed up a little with career pants and a good bag. I can not stand coats, or anything, with collars around my face and with the hoodie and zipper this is quite flattering if you are the type who lives in v-neck tops. I had this in size 3X and it always was generously sized except a bit snug around the bottom hem. I have lost 45 pounds and was so happy to find this in smaller sizes. I was guessing I would need an XL until I read the reviews about the jacket running small. Then I couldn't decide between the 1X and the 2X. A few reviewers said there was a big difference between the 1X and the 2X and that the arms of this jacket run small. Thank you Amazon reviewers, you were right! I just tried on the 2X and even with the 3X being way too large and the 45 pound weight loss, I needed the 2X in the upper arms and hips. The rest of the jacket is roomy. This is a nicely styled jacket with the zipper and the velcro closure over the zipper for extra protection against rain, and the attached hoodie was the deal-maker. However, many of the quality details of the older version of this coat have been eliminated. The style is the same on the outside where it counts, but in a side by side comparison the fine details I loved are gone. This is more a reflection on quality control than whether you should still buy this coat. Yes! You should still buy it, just see if any of these smaller details will bother you: where the older jacket was detailed with a snap closure at the top and the bottom and three easy velcro closures, the newer jacket has no snaps, but 5 velcro closure points on the flap over the zipper. The jackets though purchased 3years apart are mostly the same with other small differences. Sadly, the roomy zippered security inside pocket is gone. I miss it because that was a safe place to keep items if you were out for a walk and didn't want to carry your purse. The entire lining is not as well made as before: the older jacket's mesh lining is much finer and softer, the inside of the hood had the same lining, and at the outer pocket level, for the bottom 8 inches or so, the mesh ended and the interior of the coat had the same, more durable fabric as outside. That supported what was carried in the 2 outer pockets and gave the coat more substance. Now the hood has no mesh lining. The body of the newer coat has a more open, coarser mesh from the shoulders to the bottom of the coat. My coat is black and the mesh lining is black over a white, or gray, lining that is labelled "OMNI-TECH". Both exterior "hand pockets" are still zippered and lined with mesh, but once again, you are putting your items into double mesh pockets without the fabric reinforcement the old pockets had. The old hoodie had an odd flap with velcro at the back--?? must have served some purpose--but I do not know what. The coat does have an inner hanging loop that is nice in restaurants and places to hang it on a hook to dry. Booth coats have sleeves with a little elastic at the cuffs and a great velcro storm strip at the cuffs to pull the coat very tight around your wrists. The Columbia embroidery and the Omnitech stamp on the left cuff are identical. The hood drawstrings are similar but the old hood had a metal grommet at the opening and a longer, more secure tunnel that the cord pulled through at the end, as well as other minor features being finer on the previous hoodie. The drawstring around the hips is also inferior. All told, you have to wear the jacket for your size. I am grateful they are still making the coat. You would never see much difference in the outer appearance, but it is sad the way producers eliminate the quality details and think the consumer won't notice.
