Men's Peak 2 Peak™ II Shell 4 5 3 3
Decent in a Monsoon or Waterfall I am 6'2" ~180 lbs and ordered this in a large. For me being between a medium and a large I always get Columbia in a large. The fit was spot on for having a fleece or baselayer underneath it. This rain jacket is a very heavy jacket compared to other backpacking rain jackets. The nice thing about that though is that it is very burly and tough, exactly what I need doing my off trail backpacking trips into the wilderness and for my excursions out onto the water. The waterproofing on this jacket is decent, it only failed when I hiked through an insane drenching thunderstorm in the Smoky Mtns. for 10 miles with a 60 lb pack (which might have caused leaking at the shoulders) and then took a hero shot infront of a gushing waterfall. Any other rainstorms I have been in, this jacket handled them very well. If you were to purchase this jacket I would recommend a top quality wicking baselayer to not only control sweat and condensation, but also if you get into a nasty storm for hours on end it will help dry you out quicker. Considering I have had all the name brand waterproofing and this jacket did just as good as them, I am happy, thanks Columbia. May 17, 2013
The fitting is a little off I found even for a skinny guy this jacket fit too small to be a shell. Even the XL was small in the shoulders and short in the arms. Great jacket quality. For skiing purposes and to fit layers underneath it doesn't work for me though. Everyone is different though and I was stoked at the style and the lightweight well built jacket February 29, 2012
Peak 2 Peak II It's a very good quality hard shell, though the fit is a minor issue. I felt the medium was too tight in the arm pits (and I'm a lanky guy), the sleeves were too short, and not quite big enough to accommodate insulating layers, so I exchanged it for a large. The large size resolved those issues, but it billows out in the front. I only say this because the Arc-teryx fit like a dream, and I would have bought that one except for the $$$.I have a Columbia fleece with the same issues. Eventually I broke down and bought a Mountain Hardware fleece with more of a European cut.It feels like the hood is going to be too small for some helmets, but I haven't got that far yet. The visibility in it was fine.They appear to have resolved some of the minor issues raised about last year's model, such as it has better pockets now, so that's good. The chest pockets were fully usable while wearing a large pack.Overall, I have big plans and will be taking this jacket with me, and I feel it will be up to it. February 13, 2012