Columbia Sportswear Men's Lhotse Mountain II Parka Review

Features:

Columbia Sportswear's Lhotse Mountain™ II Parka for men is a durable feature packed addition to Columbia's Titanium lineup. This fully seam sealed parka is breathable and waterproof. The shell features a removable hood, underarm venting, adjustable powder skirt, and pockets inside and out. The Omni-Heat® zip-in liner completes the system by helping retain more body heat when at rest or shed excess body heat during activity.

Specifications:

Fabric: Nylon & Polyester
Insulation: Omni-Heat® & Polyester, 100 g
Waterproof: Yes > Omni-Tech®
Liner Weight (sz M): 17 oz.
Shell Weight (sz M): 32 oz.

In The Field:

The Columbia Lhotse Mountain II Parka looks and feels as indestructible as it is. However, the fit can be a little peculiar at first. I initially tried on the complete system with the shell and liner zipped together. The underarm area felt odd, if not a little tight or bunched up. When I wore the shell alone the bunched feeling in the underarm region was still there, but to a lesser degree. The Omni-Heat liner by itself felt perfect. It is actually the most comfortable jacket I have ever worn. Fortunately, after a few trips, the bunched feeling in the underarms has vanished. I believe it was due to the way the jacket had been folded for storage and shipping prior to me receiving it. The Lhotse Parka now feels great whether the components are worn individually or together. I normally wear medium sized clothing and the Lhotse in medium fits me well.

I am a warm hiker, so I normally hike in a long sleeve shirt and only the shell of the parka. The zippered underarm vents in the Columbia Lhotse work very well for regulating body temperature in combination with unzipping the front of the parka. In mild weather (30-40&degF) the shell is enough to keep me warm while relatively stationary. The Omni-Tech breathable waterproof membrane excels at keeping water out like on all my other Columbia jackets. On my warmer winter camping trips where the snow has been wet, the parka has kept me completely dry. The removable storm hood works great for keeping snow off my face and trapping heat in.

When the temperature dips, it is very easy to zip in the Omni-Heat liner. I normally just wear the shell on top of the liner without zipping them together. In drier climates the Omni-Heat liner of the Lohtse parka can be worn alone (it is not designed to be waterproof). During my trip to Twin Lakes I remained warm with the liner and shell combination while it was 5-10°F. The liner is also comfortable enough to sleep in and provide extra warmth on cold nights.

I have found a couple quirks with the Columbia Lhotse Mountain II Parka that don't allow me to give it a perfect 5 star rating. For one, the main parka zipper is small and did not come with a zipper pull. Secondly the main pockets on the front open from the top down. Since they are very tall pockets nearly running the length of the jacket, snow and rain can get in easily if you have them open. If they opened from the bottom, one could simply unzip part way to put their hands in and avoid letting the weather in. Luckily these are only minor annoyances that are easily fixed (in the case of the missing zipper pull) or tolerated.

See "Snow Camping At Twin Lakes" and "Snow Camping in Upper Clackamas"adventure where this jacket was used.

Final Thoughts:

Overall the Columbia Sportswear Lhotse Mountain II Parka is a great winter jacket system. It protects the wearer from the elements and does a great job of regulating temperature. I recommend this jacket for any winter sport. Available from amazon.com.