Columbia Lhotse II Interchange Jacket

This is a quality jacket. The versatility of it is incredible and it is very comfortable and very warm. This jacket has many features to keep you comfortable and warm in some harsh elements.

I really really enjoy this jacket. I just retired a Mountain Hardwear 3-in-1 jacket that I have had since 2006 because it is now too small for me. I hated to retire that jacket because I loved it so much, so I spent A LOT of time looking at and reading about new jackets. I landed on this Columbia and I am so glad that I did.

It is a quality jacket that is very versatile and very comfortable. I have not gotten cold in it yet. Even the liner of the jacket looks really great by itself (which seems to not be the case with a lot of 3-in-1 jackets). It's also relatively cheap compared to a lot of jackets of the same nature. 

There are so many different features and things that I like about the jacket, that I'm just going to bullet point the things I like and explain why, and then I'll bullet point the things I don't like.

Things I Like:

• Omniheat - the Omniheat technology actually does seem to work in this jacket (I was skeptical). The silver dots on the inside are supposed to help reflect body heat back to you to keep you warm. 
• Pit zips - The underarm of the jacket has zippers to help keep your temperature regulated (although they're only on the shell, which is odd to me)
  
• Fleece lined pockets - Both the shell and the liner have fleece lined pockets which are comfortable and help to keep your hands warm
  
• Removable hood - The hood zips off of the jacket and a flap conceals the zipper on the jacket
  
• Billed/adjustable hood - The hood has a good bill on it that helps to keep rain out of your face and the hood is also adjustable to keep it in the right place when the weather just isn't cooperating with you. It is also very easy to adjust
  
• Waterproof - This shell of this jacket is waterproof, and it will keep you dry in even the heaviest rains
  
• Chest pocket - I've come to really love having a chest pocket on all of my jackets. This one has a great chest pocket that it quite roomy
  
• Cuffs - On the shell, the cuffs are velcro adjustable. On the liner, the cuff has a stretchy piece of wonderfulness that is super comfortable and soft and keep the draft out. (see pic below)
  
• High Collar - The collar of the jacket comes up high and keeps the neck really warm. (No slouching down into your jacket to try and keep the wind off of your neck)
  
• Neck/Chin Guard - the neck of the jacket and the chin guard are both fleece lined which is very comfortable and warm. 
  
• Interior Pockets - on the inside of the liner there is a chest pocket and on the inside of the shell there is a storage pocket (good for goggles)
  
• Breathable - As warm as this jacket is, it is breathable and keeps you comfortable
  
• Powder Skirt - it has a powder skirt that is adjustable for comfort or you can leave it unsnapped and it still will not get in your way
  
• Drop Tail - this jacket has a drop tail which I love for wet conditions because you don't have to worry about where you sit down
  

Things I don't like:

• Front Velcro - the velcro on the front does help when it is super windy or really rainy, but it is kind of annoying sometimes when you want to get the coat off quick and have to undo the velcro

Things to note: 

• Sizing - When I read some reviews on this jacket before buying, a lot of them said that it fits small. I normally wear a size large and I actually think it fits kind of big. On columbia.com it even says that most ratings say that it fits small.
• Pockets - The hand pockets on the shell are higher up than most jackets. I have seen some reviews that view this as a negative. It did take me a couple of days to get use to them being high, but I like their positioning a lot now. I like it because it's easier to "hunker down" in high winds and it also kind of serves as an arm rest. 

Here's a 'Selfie' just to let you get a look at the jacket on me.

Front of Jacket

Back of Jacket

This is a picture of the inside cuff of the liner. It forms to the wrist but is not restricting. It is very comfortable.


The liner

Here you can see the powder skirt.

Here you can see the liner zipped into the shell and you can see the Omniheat material on the inside.
 

Warm as toast and fits great, with good ventilation, and waterproof outer shell.

I really like this jacket and bought it for winter cycling. Therefore it had to be a bright color, and red was was my first choice. It also needed to be waterproof and rest assured that it is very waterproof, and the outer shell is very durable.  

I had an older Columbia and it was a large tall, so that is what I ordered and the fit was great. I am six foot tall and it covers my lower back and the sleeves were the perfect length. The hood is not large enough to go over my helmet, which is a snowboard Giro helmet. But this was all right as I did not plan on using it anyway.

I am pleased that the jacket covers my neck very nicely. No scarfs are needed.  It is very warm, and I have ridden in subzero temps down to -15° below and this is on a bike where I am always in a windchill scenario. If you warm up too much you can easily vent it with the long side pit-zippers. I feel that standing still in cold weather it may be markedly colder as physical activity warms you up.  

The liner is very warm and can be worn down to the low teens very easily. However, my liner had a flaw in the way it was sewn and I needed to fix that. It was minor and easily repaired with a needle and thread.

The side pockets are hard to open and close, and as another reviewer noted, they sit a little high which could be the reason for the operation. There is a small clip for gloves that hangs out of the pocket and I am always grabbing that.  I will cut it off.  

The jacket is great though, and I highly recommend it.

A good winter coat.

This is a warm and attractive winter coat. I am 6'0", 185 lbs, 43.5" chest, 34" sleeve, and the large fits me perfectly. The liner comes out and can be used for a jacket.  It seems to be well made, and is quite comfortable. I got it for skiing, and although I haven't gone yet, I think it will do quite well.

I'm not a huge fan of the velcro that seals the front zipper, snaps probably work better. Also, the side pockets are strangely too high, which makes no sense. But those two complaints are minor.