As a college student, I wanted a reliable, lightweight jacket to use when it's raining, when it's windy, and when temperatures are mild. This jacket is perfect for all three. It is completely resistant to rain. My one complaint would be that the hood does not stay on as well as I would like. This problem is easily remedied by bringing along an umbrella as extra protection. I also like using this jacket as an outer layer to my other fleece jackets. It does a great job of keeping in the warmth and blocking out wind. Wearing this jacket over a fleece or other jacket functions well as a winter combination and keeps me very warm in cold/snowy/icy conditions. Finally, I also wear this jacket when I need something light to wear when temperatures are mild (not warm enough to go without a jacket but not cold enough to wear a fleece or something else that's too warm), at night, and going to and from the gym. Sometimes, however, wearing this jacket can get a little too warm. I sometimes find myself starting to sweat, so I guess it's not too breathable. Then again, I have not tried unzipping the underarm/side ventilation slits, which I am sure would remedy this problem! Anyway, this jacket is multifunctional, looks GREAT, works phenomenally, and is a fantastic price! I absolutely love it and would recommend it. The sizing is also good. I am 5'6" and 130 pounds and the medium I bought is perfect, even when layering in the winter.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
This jacket has been great. It keeps the rain out leaving me completely dry. The only complaint I would have to say about this jacket is that towards the waste it's a little bit tighter compared to the rest of the jacket.
Best Deals for Columbia Women's Arcadia Rain Jacket
I bought both the Columbia Arcadia and the North Face Resolve at the same time as gifts for my mom and younger sister, respectively. They are very similar rain jackets. I thought it may be helpful to do some comparisons:
[Fabric & Overall Quality EVEN]
The 2 jackets feel the same in terms of fabric quality and thickness. These are rain jackets and so there is no insulation whatsoever.
[Construction and Attention to Details Advantage: Arcadia]
Both jackets are mesh-lined in the torso area (but not inside the sleeves), both have 2 zipped front pockets and Velcro tabs along the front zipper flap.
Features only the Arcadia has: one zipped and mesh-lined inside pocket to the left, Velcro-adjustable sleeve openings, Velcro-adjustable hood (on the back side of the hood when you are wearing it) and mesh-lined hood.
Features only the Resolve has: double-flapped front zipper (for extra rain protection), stowaway hood (fold and store in a Velcro-lined compartment on the outside of the collar) and fleece-lined inside collar.
[Fit Depends]
The Arcadia has half-inch longer sleeves and three-quarter of an inch longer torso. The Resolve is more of a slim-fit and athletic cut, which should look better on a skinny person. My wife is a petite, 5-3 person and she weighs 110 lbs. The Resolve fits her well without feeling tight at all and still has room for a fleece shirt inside, except that the sleeves are way too long (she said they are good for hiding one's hands if it's too cold!). Length-wise the Resolve is able to cover the whole back pockets of a regular fit denim my wife was wearing. I would expect the Arcadia to be even longer than that. In retrospect I should have gone for an XS with the Arcadia instead. That's the agony for ordering online. One tip: those You Tube product videos showing the height and weight of the models are really helpful to let people make better judgment on which size to order.
[Price and value Advantage: Arcadia]
The Resolve has an MSRP price tag of $ 90 verses the Arcadia of $ 65. I paid full price for neither of them. %) If I were the end-user I would have picked the Arcadia to save a few bucks.
[Color Depends]
I bought the Mojito Green for the Resolve, which is a bright and close to fluorescent color that an active and young person may like. As for the Arcadia I got the Hillside, which has a green/white color-block pattern like the navy/white one Amazon carries. The green color is softer but not too dull (think hunter green).
All of the above comparisons are based on the features. I'm sure most of the reviews you can find for both jackets would tell you that they are superb choices for their water resistance and breathability.
Honest reviews on Columbia Women's Arcadia Rain Jacket
Could this rain jacket get any more perfect? I cycle as my primary mode of transportation and needed a rain jacket that could get me through (also bought the Columbia rainy rescue pants to go on over normal pants in heavy rain). This rain jacket fit the bill.
The best part is that without being too busy, this jacket has a lot of nice little features. I love that if you zip it all the way up, it covers the bottom half of your face. I love the visor on the hood to keep the rain out of my eyes. I love all the zippered pockets ESPECIALLY the one on the inside of the jacket. That is awesome. I love that the sleeves velcro shut (easy on/off) (but still have elastic to keep them comfortable!) whereas the bottom of the jacket and the hood have elastic pulls which stay secure with less hassle. This jacket keeps you DRY -I rode my bike around my city in a downpour and this was perfect. It doesn't keep you too warm, but that's not what it's for -it's for keeping you dry and keeping the wind from blowing right through you. Of course, if you bundle up with sweaters, and keep the wind out with this jacket, you'll stay pretty warm.
The only thing I would say is that I disagree with reviewers who said this ran small. For comparison I am size 6 to 8, 5'6", medium build, and busty (32DD). In shirts I wear mediums (most stores) and sometimes larges (at Target, Urban Outfitters, H&M). I don't like things to fit too tight. Anyway, when people were saying this ran small, I bought a large. When it came, I was swimming in that thing -it was huge on me! I mean, the sleeves were covering my hands. I could have been 9 months pregnant and no one would have known. I returned it and ordered the medium, and it was perfect -enough room to bundle up with sweaters underneath if I want to, with breathing room for summer rains.
I think it may be that the jacket is just really accommodating to larger busts (it seems to have a lot of extra room there, but less extra in the shoulders). So, others who wear medium-sized tops who are wider in the ribcage than me might find the medium too small. For busty gals like me, though, I'd say order your normal size.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Columbia Women's Arcadia Rain Jacket
I work outdoors everyday, and this raincoat has made it through a full year (all four seasons) with me and I still feel like it has years of wear left. I've used this jacket for regular wear, on backpacking trips, during a rainy summer, in addition to wearing it as a shell in the fall/winter paired with a wool or down layer for both regular wear and downhill skiing.
Thinks I like about it:
Bright colors, I own this in "Oceanic," which is a lovely bright mint green like color.
Mesh lining adds breathability to what can sometimes be a sticky situation.
Hood is big enough with a brim that I'm not left in the rain when I wear my hair up.
Large size has long enough sleeves and back panel for my 5'10" self.
Lining on inside of zipper near mouth allows you to comfortably seal out the wet/cold.
On the negative side, I'm hard pressed to come up with something to improve about it. Mine has gotten somewhat dingy over the year I've had it but it has gotten some tough love from me. Overall this is an excellent no frills rain jacket. It performs excellent as a lightweight waterproof shell when you need it and you can fit in some extra uses when you need it.
(On sizing: I am 5'10" and usually feel like I'm awkwardly between sizes M/L in sports wear. I have a size large and it fits loose enough that I still feel comfortable when I pair a heavy wool sweater with it.)
