A serious winter coat, beautifully finished construction.
This is the real deal, not some department store coat with a catchy name. Go outside on a bitterly cold day and you will be practically unaware of the cold outside. While other pedestrians rush around you walk serenly in a cocoon of warmth. My area straddles a temperate zone so we rarely see single digit or below zero conditions though tomorrow morning it will hit 4. Those are the rare conditions I take it out and then with just a long sleeve shirt underneath. Above 20 and it is almost uncomfortably warm, I would guess the sweet spot is 0 to -40.
The fit feels very much airtight and the hood is fashioned from real coyote fur. While synthetic fur may be more fashionable it becomes useless (freezes solid) in really cold conditions.
While the price may be steep in the eyes of some it is more than worth the expense. It is a real pleasure in this age of cheap products to own something of quality without compromise (underline that, even luxury houses cut corners today) that is of enduring value.
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Don't get me wrong, this Jacket is built with all of the same excellence of quality and construction Canada Goose (CG) is known for. However, there are some things specific to this Jacket that you should be aware of prior to ordering. Most importantly, this is a "Bomber" Jacket and therefore several design trade-offs between absolute warmth and enhanced mobility have been made.
Length Being a "Bomber" cut, this jacket is shorter than a Parka, thus naturally less coverage.
Pockets a bit on the small side, probably keeping in proportion to the shorter cut.
Fill a few spots, most notably on the front inside elbow areas have reduced down fill. While this no doubt helps enhance mobility, it does produce noticeably colder spots in these areas when the temp gets into the teens and below.
Also, as seems common to all CG jackets, sizing is a bit off (for me at least). 99% of the time I can order clothes in a "Large" size sight unseen from other manufacturers and be just fine. Not the case with CG however. I have a CG Resolute Parka that runs very big. While parkas are naturally supposed be large, when trying on this Parka at the store the "Large" was bigger than a Circus Tent on me, so I ended up with a "Medium", which is still plenty large enough to cover multiple layers of undergarments. The Chilliwack however is the exact opposite. Even the "Large" felt unusually tight on me, so I ended up buying an "Extra Large", though honestly I could have probably even bought a 2XL and been happy. Bottom line is I would not recommend purchasing a CG Jacket or Parka without being able to physically try one on for size first.
Finally, the only other nit pick I could see is that it would have been nice if this jacket had a zippered, removable fur ruff like the Parkas. Oh, and like all CG jackets this one has the funky left handed zipper. I can never get completely used to it, but I can manage. Probably like tying a shoelace, it would have been easier if I started wearing these as a kid! (btw, are most Canadians left handed?) But these are minor points.
Overall, this is an excellent Jacket. But while it's not necessarily a "light weight" jacket, it's not really designed for "extreme cold weather" conditions like the other CG Jackets and Parkas either. Since I already own a big CG Parka, I bought the Chilliwack for this very reason something I could just wear around town when a big Parka is just too much. But this is something to be aware of if the Chilliwack will be your first CG jacket.
Update 12/10/11: I ended up returning this jacket partially for the cold spot issue described previously, and also for a couple other reasons: First, I bought this Bomber Style jacket because I thought the short length would allow me to keep it on while driving. Unfortunately, the hood on this jacket is very bulky so while seated in the car it felt like I had a pillow behind my neck, with the fur sticking out to the sides and actually interfering with my view. If the hood on this jacket were removable, or even if the fur ruff was removable I bet this would have solved this issue. Also, because of the bomber cut not only are the pockets small, but the hand warmers are so far up on the chest area that it felt like I was walking around doing the "chicken strut" thing all of the time. It was even hard to find the hand warmers without looking because they were so high.
Fortunately I have a good brick and mortar retailer that accepted the return. I exchanged it for a Constable Parka that I like much better. Also, about the price issue mentioned in the other review. Yes, the list prices of Canada Goose are quite high. But if anyone ever pays list prices, they aren't shopping around enough. I've never paid more than 80% of list for these jackets, and my last one I paid only around 60%. Buy late in the season when they are on clearance, and watch for specials that lower the price even more. At least here in Alaska, it really helps to have reliable, local stores one can go to.
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I bought this jacket 5 years ago when the price wasn't hiddeously expensive yet (I paid it 300 dollars), now it's over 500. After 5 winters, there is holes in the sleeves, the down is not so lofty anymore though I took great care of my garments. More over :
-the fill power of the down is only 625 (US standard), which is ok but not exceptionnal,
-it's a stitch through construction instead of a baffled construction. This means that it is cheaper to produce and less effective than a baffled construction. Baffled construction eliminate coldspot.
-The outer shell is super heavy and not really durable,
-it is very expensive to clean : about 30 dollars.
Conclusion : Canada Goose down jackets are good but not worth the price.
For such prices, their garments should have 800FP down + a fully baffled constructions+ a more durable outershell.
Honest reviews on Canada Goose Men's Chilliwack Bomber
This is a very popular jacket for Canada Goose and they are very, very warm and pretty stylish. I opted not to get one because I prefer longer jackets but I agree they have a strong appeal and would not dissuade anyone from getting one. Sizing wise, they are in the Regular Fit category of Canada Goose wear. I am 6 feet and 160 pounds and a medium is perfect. You really don't need to layer under Canada Goose jackets, they will be plenty warm. A word about prices though. You REALLY have to be dealing with a legitimate, authorized retailer for these (which you can verify with Canada Goose) as some of the complaints I have seen may have involved fakes sold at lower prices. Also, these never really go on sale (barring a legit retailer cutting some degree of discount on last years stock at some point) So it is a "buyer beware" world where if you are paying much less than suggested retail you may be being sold a fake that will not keep you warm when you need it and will show design failures with time or mold in the down. Canada Goose stuff is a lifetime investment and they are made with significant hand operated work only in Canada. So, they are expensive. The Yorkville or Borden will have a detachable hood if that is what you want. Having worn other CG gear for work in -30 to -45 temperatures I can attest that the fur trim actually does maintain a warmer area around your face and is based on traditional First Nations response to freezing weather. Fake fur will not perform the same. Just FYI as no one really wants to have their breath freeze to their face in really cold weather.
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The other reviewer was right I normally wear large size jackets but the construction and fit of the Chiliwack Bomber means one should go a size up!
In more typical Canada Goose parkas, they run large as opposed to the Chiliwack which is sized small so it makes sense with the former to go a size down from your usual size.
I usually have a pretty good idea how well something fits me and this is a comfortable winter coat. When the temperature plunges to near freezing, this keeps me warm and any colder, my NB3 parka would do the job but that's for another review.
A Canada Goose is expensive but well made and meant to last a lifetime. This is a good purchase if you live at a high altitude like I do or you live up north where severe winters are common. It will keep you warm and happy and as survival gear nothing else beats it.
Every one living in a four season climate should own one whether the bomber or the parka for the cold months and where I live, most of the time a parka is overkill. It doesn't get THAT cold in my neck of the woods that often. And something lighter and slimmer suits my winter wardrobe needs perfectly!
If you like warmth and a less confining wear in the winter, the Chiliwack Bomber is a solid value one of the few products still made in Canada that reflects the Canadian experience with the winter. Highly recommended!
