Before I discuss the Chateau I just want to say it's awesome that Amazon is now carrying this line. In my research, Canada Goose unfortunately has become a prime target for counterfeiters and if you search online you'll see the web is infested with fake Canada Goose coats. I won't go into the signs of fake Canada Goose websites but the short answer is that if the price seems too good to be true, it absolutely is. Amazon is an authorized Canada Goose retailer (the company does not directly sell their clothing).
The Chateau is a stunning coat that looks very stylish and slim. This coat is deemed a 'slim fit' by Canada Goose, and that's the case here. Canada Goose also offers coats with relaxed and regular fits, however those coats are boxy in shape so be careful. The slim cuts are especially great because they keep you warm without making you look like you are wearing a huge coat.
Some highlights of the Chateau include the outer shell which feels, to my touch, to be very durable. The two side pockets are lined with fleece (nice touch) along with the chest pocket (interior chest pocket too). I'm not crazy about the red/white/blue Canada Goose logo on the side of the sleeve but it's not a huge deal either. The coat zips up far past my mouth when completely zipped which is great. The hood is insulated (important) and features a nice genuine coyote fur pelt on the hood. The fur can be pushed forward or back to your liking. (Very cool.) You can also zip the fur off the hood if desired. Real fur provides serious protection from the cold and does not freeze unlike faux fur. The ribbed wrist cuffs are a great feature too.
The coat does not have a wind skirt or waist drawcord however if you purchase your proper size you should not need one. I'm 6', 180 lbs, 31" waist, and find a Large to be perfect. Keep in mind I'm also someone who wears a sweater in the winter. If you are similar in size to me and don't plan on wearing much more than a flannel shirt or something like that, you might be able to pull off a Medium. I recommend you take a look at the official Canada Goose size chart on their website (canada-goose.com) to see their recommendations.
Now the big question, how warm is this coat? In my testing, the Chateau (625 fill duck down) is plenty warm for anything down to 10 degrees Fahrenheit as long as I'm wearing a t-shirt, warm sweater, and scarf under my coat (and wool hat on my head). At colder temps, I felt cold in my Chateau. My simple and obvious solution was to simply add an additional layer under my coat. (I went with a very warm fleece vest.) Another option would have been a down vest or thermal underwear top under my sweater. So for my needs, I'm all set. If you plan on being outside in temps below 10 degrees Fahrenheit you might want to look into some of Canada Goose's other offerings which I'm told are even warmer than the Chateau. (The Expedition and Ontario come to mind.)
This is a pricey coat, in part because Canada Goose has exploded in popularity the past few years (specifically in Canada). There are cheaper options for parkas but few with real fur (if that's something you desire) and few that will be as well crafted as this brand (and their made in Canada to boot). I love this coat, it keeps me warm, and I'm confident it will last me 10 years and more if I treat it well. 5 stars for sure.
UPDATE: I've decided to knock down the rating on this coat from 5 stars to 3. Look, I still love the Chateau but someone needs to acknowledge what is going on right now with Canada Goose pricing. They have increased the pricing of their coats (across the board) over the past four seasons. The Chateau debuted in 2009 at the price of $495 retail in Canada and USA. This coat is now $695 for the 2012 season. This is absurd. This is the exact same coat but $200 more now. Canada Goose has become very popular in Canada and somewhat less so in America in the past few years. So while it's good business to increase your prices when demand raises, it also makes the value of your items take a huge nosedive. You can find equally warm parkas with real coyote fur trim hoods from Penfield and the Duluth Trading Company for much lower prices at retail. If you must purchase a Canada Goose coat, then I suggest waiting until after Xmas. Many online retailers put their CG gear on sale at that time. (American retail sites. Canadian ones usually do not.) You should also be able to find discounted CG gear for sure in the Spring and Summer online.
Save your money and stop supporting a company that is starting to gouge their customers when it comes to value.
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I was looking for a Jacket for my frequent travels to (the European part of) Russia, Ukraine. You can expect temperature from about 0 to -35 Celsius there, medium winds possible. Furthermore when travelling in the country you often use old buses (the Bulgarian IKARUS) in winter lot's of dirt, some edges where you can ruin your clothes. Finally in Russia as a foreigner it is helpful to look like the rest of the people (in particular outside the cities) plain stuff, dark colours, black Adidas hat...I took in consideration: Down jackets for mountaineering e.g. Mountain Equipment, Leather/ fur combination (what many man in Russia were) and Canada Goose. Never saw a Canada Goose Jacket before as they are not too common in Europe reviews etc. sound promising.
To the jacket itself:
1) It is very slim cut. I am 181 and weight some 80 kilos. You could wear a L when you have not too wide hips. I took the XL and it is just perfect. Should not be a bit smaller. So consider buying at least one size bigger unless you are extremely slim.
2) The outer of the jacket feels robust. Not sturdy just as something that will last. And it looks good not too shiny. Just decent. This jacket overall looks good.
3) Length of the arms is very good. A little bit longer but not too long. Good cuffs so wind, snow will not come in. Well done.
4) Length of the Jacket. Somewhere in the middle of upper part of the leg. I think it could be 1-2 inch longer. No cord to close the lower part -> wind comes through. Could be done better. But: The lowest seem looks like you could insert a string yourself. Not tested yet.
5) Pockets: Two good pockets for the hands with some fleece. Very comfortable. Pockets are quite small you can have your hands in it and small thing. No more.
Two pockets with zip, one inside, one outside over the place where you heart is. So you can enter easily with right hand. The inside one is good for a wallet, passport. Finally there another pocket inside but this one can not be closed by a zipper but there is some overlap so things should remain inside. Again rather small pocket.
6) Warmth. I was a little bit puzzled when the jacket came. From mountaineering down jackets you get the feeling of the thickness of insulation. This jacket seems not too thick to me. I write to Canada Goose and got a reply quickly (good after sales service) there are three levels of insulation but they do not state that explicitly. So it depends on the fit slim insulated has lowest insulation of the Arctic line as I understood. They said they do not provide more detailed information on weight, weight of filling because of fraught. That is an argument but not a compelling one. I assume if I would like to make fraught I would buy some of their jackets and measure but not take infos from the website.
As I had no -35 yet I can not say sure but my impression is that this jacket will not be warm enough for that. But that is my guess not tested. Will write when I know. So far I had -7 and a T-Shirt and the Jacket was enough.
7) The hood with the fur. I found that many people in Russia have a fur had. I assume these people know why. I found out too. One day -7 and strong wind. No problem. You sink in this hood (actually enough space that half of the head of my girlfriend fits in too) and then it will not matter what happens outside...
8) The Downs. I am wondering why they use 625 fill power. Most mountaineering jackets of superior quality use 700 or more (see. e.g. RAB, PhD, Mountain Equipment). However, hard to say how much better say 750 is compared to 625 and which of the downs will last longer'.
9) DWR. Water is a problem for down Jackets. You could say usually it will be that cold when you were such Jackets so it is no issue. However, it may become an issue e.g. start off in Munich with rain (as I did) and land at Moscow with snow. The DWR works good. Crucial question will be how long it works good. Nikwax is an option to refresh in case but in my experience does not match the performance of a good DWR from the factory.
10) Price. I am unsure. But 625 Euro is a lot. I appreciate work made in Canada, US or Europe rather than China (and you see all seams are made very well). But 625 seems a little too much. 525 would sound reasonable to me.
So in shorter good balance between style and function, looks like it would last for some ten years, no test for extreme temperature yet (will write), finish (seams etc) is convincing but price seems a little to high.
Hope that rather long review helps. I found details from Canada Goose site not very helpful.
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