Wrapping up my first full week in southwestern Ontario in the Cat parka. It hasn’t been as cold here in December (@ freezing +/-) as it was in mid-November (snowing sideways…), but enough to get an initial feel for the coat. Also, some situational context – I live in Texas and have no need for a top-of-the-line heavy winter coat. I wanted something inexpensive, versatile, and good enough to get me though spending 2 weeks a month on the snowy, windy Lake Huron coast this winter. I’m not outside all day; I use it for short walks, so I rarely wear it more than 30 minutes at a time. If I were looking for an all-day, every day coat for this environment, I would have been willing to pay a lot more money.Fit: I bought a size Large parka. I’m 5’8”, 200 lbs., with a bit of a gut, but otherwise normal proportions. I wear a 44 Short jacket, Large t-shirt and a 17”/32-34 dress shirt. Even with my ‘well-insulated six-pack,’ I should have probably gotten a Medium (If you are 5’10”and under and less than 180, I suggest you try a Medium), but the Large fits close enough that I didn’t return it. I have plenty of freedom of movement, and enough room to add additional layers or even wear it over a sport coat. The sleeve length is fine, coming over the top of my gloves. The drawstring at the bottom of the coat helps to take up slack and prevent wind from coming in (there is another drawstring at the waist, but I haven’t used it). Length-wise, the coat almost goes to my crotch. I would describe it as ‘car-coat’ length; it doesn’t quite cover my butt but it doesn’t ride up over my belt line in the back if I bend over either. The neck of the coat comes up very high in the front; zipped all the way, it covers my chin. Great in a blizzard, but not so much in normal situations, since the stiffness of the coat prevents folding the collar lapels to either side. It would be nice to be able to snap the lapels out of the way (if I leave the top 3-4 inches unzipped, it’s tolerable). The removable hood is functional but the fit is awkward worn by itself. Not quite a snorkel, but too big to call normal. There are drawstrings, but if I use them to close up the sides so the wind doesn’t blow it off, that pulls the front edge down so far it hits my glasses. This irritating aspect cost it a star. It works better if you wear a watch cap, hoodie or other bulky hat underneath.Construction: The coat outer shell is a heavy (plasticized?) ballistic-type matte nylon that works very well as a wind barrier but as others noted, it’s also somewhat stiff and noisy. The interior (body and arms) lining is non-removable a soft quilted nylon; enough to do the job without being too bulky. The hood is fleece lined. Both linings are comfortable. Some have mentioned zipper issues (plastic teeth), but mine have been OK; since it is a two way unit, take your time getting the zipper properly seated and started (I did replace the rubber pull extension on the main zipper with a longer loop of shock cord to make it easier to find with gloves on). The pocket snaps and zippers are much appreciated over Velcro closures found on typical ‘value’ products. Overall, build quality is better than the price suggests.Features: The main zipper is covered by a storm flap that can be snapped closed. This coat has more pockets than you can possibly use. As others have said, the fleece lined slash side pockets (located to the outside of, and underneath the lower front patch pockets) are serviceable but could be 2” deeper for keeping bare hands warm. I especially like the two deep zipper side pockets located near the main zipper on the chest. The large lower front flap pockets are great for securely stashing gloves without worrying of losing them. There are at least four other pockets I haven’t even opened yet! The sleeves have an internal knit cuff to keep wind out.Utility: Overall, very comfortable (hood notwithstanding). Went out this morning @25F wearing just a t-shirt under the coat. Even though I have lots of air space inside the coat, it is weather tight; like a spacesuit! For no longer than I plan on wearing this coat outside, I’m pretty sure that I can brave anything Ontario can throw at me this winter with just this parka and a hoodie underneath. As a traveler, I appreciate that it’s reasonably packable; once in the airport, I can stuff it (along with gloves, cap, etc) into a small carry-on duffel.Style: This is a good looking jacket. I’ve gotten a few admiring comments from co-workers. Not wanting to be a walking billboard, I used a seam ripper to easily remove the Cat logo tags on the left shoulder and breast pocket in about 4 minutes, with no ill effects. The dark reflective strips are a nice touch; unobtrusive during the day but they show up well at night.Bottom Line: This parka does the job; despite a few nits, I am quite satisfied for the money. I would have given it 5 stars if the hood fit better. If I had to replace it tomorrow, I would likely order another one, but try a Medium size.This coat, parka, jacket.... whatever you want to call it is fantastic. For this review, I will be calling it a coat.For the upcoming winter season I needed a new coat. My last one did great until it fell apart from over usage in many Midwestern winters. My the stupid thing rest in pieces.So, Rather than going on to wal-mart or (insert name of store here), and deal with people, lines, my habit of compulsive buying (one day i went out for soda, came back with a laptop and a new dog. Forgot the soda. True story.) I figured i would purchase online from Amazon.After hunting around the website for a good bit, i found this, and purchased it. (as well as a dog collar and some DVD-R's that I probably really didn't need).When i got it, i was impressed.Oh my the pockets! So many! Not to mention it looks great... seriously. People at work won't shut there pie holes on how great the coat looks.It's very warm. Seriously. For as thin as it is, It has kept me warm so far this fall season in tropical Michigan.Word of caution to potential buyers of this coat: People may think you work for Caterpillar. Had a gentleman approach me and tell me that he use to service caterpillar equipment and shook my hand. I thought at first he was just reminiscing about his days of working for the company. Then he asked me if "Dave" still worked there. I said, "wait, who?" That's when it dawned on this gentleman that i was in fact just an imposter, poser if you will. He walked away confused and i think he muttered something under his breath about how i wasted 12 seconds of his life or something. Poor guy.At any rate, don't waste any more of your time with my review. Buy this! I promise you will not regret it.Pro's:Pockets - lots of them!Reflectors on front and back so you don't get run over or something.WarmHoodiestylishCons:None ... go buy the thing already. gesh.UPDATE: Two winters of use -This was my coat for 2013/14 Winter (one of the worse on record for my area) AND for the 2014/15 winter.It's still ticking along as if it's new. Unlike my dog. It likes to use my floor at times as its designated bio disposal location. I have asked him to stop, even offered the four legged thing money to stop. He just sniffs me and farts.Right, back with the coat review: It still looks new, as if I just bought it yesterday. It has not disapointed me. Unlike my laptop, that died a horible tragic death after if fell off my balcony and bounced on the concrete below bounced like 3 times and then landed in the yard, right on top of a rare pile of my dogs magical bio waste. The one time the thing decided to use the outside as it's bathroom destination, my laptop finds it. Fantastic.Summary: Laptop dead, Dog is confused on where it should go. Coat, awesome. Buy the coat.UPDATE: Thanksgiving 2016: The dog says hi. I think. I don't speak Dog. But he just barked when i started to type.Ok, so I bought this coat three years ago. It is still in tip top shape. Still like new, still awesome. I named it Gary. Gary the awesome coat. Don't judge. You probably had an imaginary friend when you were younger. Well my imaginary friend is my coat, Gary.If you are still on the fence about buying this, i have a few words for you. First, get off the fence. That is just awkward. Unless you need to be on it for the free wifi signal you are getting from your neighbor or something. This coat has paid for itself over the many years i have owned it. I can't stress to you enough to just buy it.The fit is good, easy to clean and looks pretty good. Stay warm my fellow internet shoppers!LAST UPDATE! (7/17/2018)It's July of 2018. My coat is sleeping comfortably in the closet waiting for winter to spring upon us once again. While it still has some time to slumber before it is awaken, I am comforted to know that it still is in fact the best coat that has ever been created by mankind. That's right, i went there. I have not had to buy a new one for five years now. Half a decade. I'm pretty sure I can call the coat a good purchase now.Dog is good. Farts a lot. He has faults but i love him.Coat? No. It doesn't fart. It's not alive. Still in perfect condition after five years. So, after half a decade of reviewing the coat, if you still are not unsure, then i would just recommend moving to Arizona. I don't think you have to deal with coats then. This will be my last update of this coat. I am now retiring from this review. I wish you the warmest of winters and a happy and healthy life my fellow amazon shopper!bought for grandson. a little large but served him well on coldest days (-5 to 0 degrees F)The jacket is great for cold weather i was looking for a jacket that could survive winters in canada and so far its looking great. The problem i have with the jacket is that its easy to lose stuff in it. I once put my wallet in one pocket and forgot which pocket it was in and it took a good minute or 2 to search the pockets.I ordered 3 before I got the correct size. Despite having a 2XL from the UK, this comes up extremely large from the US. I would recommend ordering a size smaller than your usual.Apart from this, the jacket is great!Ordered this jacket on Thursday, it arrived the next Tuesday from America. Fits perfectly. This is my third, there just brilliant for work.I love this jacket. It's big but fits snug. It's heavy and thick, I was sweating buckets just trying it on. I love this coat. Can't wait to put it through its paces when winter comes. But I'm already thinking it was well worth the purchase. I like the multiple pockets as well.EDIT: so its Winter now and as i predicted awesome coat. The only parts of me that get cold are the parts not covered by this jacket. There is an Extreme weather alert in the city today, blowing snow and a wind chill. In this coat I FELT NOTHING!!!!!!!! Tell me theres pants to match.The first one of these coats that I ordered had a defect - the right hand warmer pocket was sewed with the opening at the front instead of the back which made it useless. After a quick response from the Amazon community confirmed that this was a defect and not just an incomprehensible design feature, I returned it and requested a replacement. Amazon were very good about the return.As for the coat itself, one of the best features is that is has a very generous pocket arrangement. The two waste pockets are easily big enough to hold your toque on one side and mitts on the other, and the lined hand warmers are welcome on a day that is not quite cold enough for mitts, or when you have to work outside on a cold day with bare hands. There are zipped interior pockets on both sides which are very large and which I find very useful to things like my wallet and cell phone. It has a velcro closed cell phone pocket inside as well, but it is only really big enough for a standard sized smart phone not a plus sized smart phone, but if you use a bigger phone the zipped interior pockets are perfect. Those pockets would be enough, but it also has pockets on the chest and one on the sleeve for good measure. I'm not a fan of hoods, so the zip-off style of the hood with this coat suits me perfectly. The reflective strips on the front and back are also a great safety measure, especially with a black jacket.I've seen a few different opinions about how warm the jacket is. Personally I find it to be a warm comfortable jacket consistent with what you would expect in this style of jacket. Would it be great for working all day in -40 weather with just a t-shirt underneath? probably not. In most of the populated parts of Canada though, -20C or -25C is a pretty cold day, and I think this jacket is adequate for that. It is also fairly roomy which give you an option to be layered up underneath for the few really cold days that you might face outside of the north. I paid $85 for the coat, and it was a great value at that price point.I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars because I am not a fan of the color choices - I prefer red or blue which are not options - and I did get a defective one initially. If you can deal with the color and you need a warm jacket with lots of pocket space, this one is a great choice.