Reviews by User: East Coast Ski Fan (4)

I've been searching for the perfect down jacket/coat for quite some time. I wanted something longer, covering the kidneys, but not too long. I tried several parkas and other coats but some where either too bulky or had a really strange, unflattering cut. I am slim but not tall, and some of these coats made me look like the Michelin (wo)man! The Isis Snow Queen is perfect! Nicely shaped, with a slight a-line towards the bottom and roomy yet not bulky. It is very cozy and warm, and I love the magnetic closures keeping flaps put. The lined pockets are helpful when you can't find your gloves first thing in the morning. I am very happy with this coat! One note - some of the other reviewers mentioned that this coat runs large. I agree, I ordered one size down and could probably have gone even smaller, but it is a good fit with an extra layer underneath.

Awesome design, but the collar is way too high to be comfortable. I tried everything, but the diagonal cut (which attracted me to this jacket) doesn't make leaving the collar open very easy. I went with a different Arc'teryx model with a straight zipper.

Finally got it right on the third try. The size 12 was the right size. So keep in mind, the softshell, inner jacket is very body-hugging and you might have to swallow your pride and go one size higher than usual. Skied with this jacket for a week with varying conditions and loved the versatility. The vest came in handy on the extra-cold days, but the inner jacket can hold its own on a cool-ish day, too. Great feature are the many pockets (two jackets, double the number of pockets). Just remember which one you stowed your car keys in....

I love the softshell/vest concept - very versatile. I would have given it a five, had there not been some fit issues. Be prepared for an extremely snug fit. I'd even say the jacket runs small. Compared to my other Spyder jacket (a regular size 10) this one is extremely tight in the shoulders and hips and you may have to go one (or even two) sizes higher, depending on your body shape. I just returned the originally ordered size 10 and am hoping that the larger jacket will be the perfect fit for me. I tried to use my old black ski pants with this new jacket, but it really looked awkward. Spyder does offer pants in a matching blue but they seemed excessively bright, so I looked for pants with a brown similar to the jacket's accents (I ordered the Dark Ice/Coffee version).