Customer Reviews Columbia Whirlibird™ IV Interchange Jacket

Great jacket for my son. Nice grey color. I love the arm/wrist pocket.

Nice coat but not as warm as I'd hoped. I'll just wear another liner.

Bought Whirlybird IV Parka to replace older Columbia system jacket. Jacket has durable fabric, and good design and features. Parka and liner worked well together and were comfortable under a range of temperatures and conditions on a recent ski trip. Adjustable powder skirt is simple, but works well to keep drafts out. I normally wear a large (6'2" and 200 lbs) but XL provides room for sweater or a fleece jacket underneath and some additional length in sleeves and body. Pleased with purchase.

I decided I wanted a 3 in 1 jacket so that I could wear it year round; a rain coat in summer, a light spring/fall jacket and really warm in the winter. This jacket is quite light and has some nice features, the upper front pocket and the sturdy hooks at the sleeves and collar to hold the inner jacket in place. Although I haven't taken it out in a proper snow storm yet, it certainly feels very warm. My only complaint is that it is a slightly tighter fit than other medium jackets, but I don't think this should be a big issue.

This is my third Columbia jacket with a zip-in liner in the last 25 years. Previous jackets had fleece liners and that was what I was looking for in a new jacket. I was skeptical of the new heat reflective liner system, but it is warm, without bulk. Possibly not as warm as the previous fleece liners, but OK so far. I do have a major problem with the main outside zipper of the jacket. My previous jackets have both had heavy duty bidirectional YKK plastic toothed zippers. This jacked has a very small and flimsy appearing plastic coil zipper that is one directional. I am also not a fan of the Velcro sleeve adjustments and storm flap closures on the jacket shell. Velcro strips and knit scarfs, hats or gloves mean that the Velcro will soon be filled with fibers from the knit items. The Velcro strips also fall apart quickly if used repeatedly. Metal snaps and knit cuffs would be much better.

Nice material and vibrant color. Love the thermoheat and thermoreflective lining. In the past, the inner jacket also has big pockets on the inside to hold things like goggle, gloves, etc but those features were discontinued. Please bring it back.

The jacket definitely fits nicely and keeps me warm. The one thing they could do to improve the jacket would be to add some webbed pockets on the lower inside of the jacket.

The inner jacket runs a bit large and when you keep the ziper open. Otherwise a nice quality jacket.

Bought this for my son for Christmas.. he already went up on the mountain skiing. Was warm, dry and comfortable the entire day. Lots of room and zero complaints. I expect this to be his go to skiing jacket for a few years.

This is very nice. It replaces a similar coat I've had for many years that finally gave up the ghost. I like the interchange system a lot. It allows you to build the coat you need. It fits well. In my experience, Columbia coats are durable. It's warm! I only have three issues with the coat: (1) The hood is unlined so, even though you have a hood, you always need to carry a stocking cap or something. (2) There is a large inside cargo picket, but it's only inside the outer shell and inaccessible when you have the liner zipped in. In the older model, it was inside the liner, which worked great when it's cold and you have to bring along a cap (see item (1)). (3) The synthetic insulation just isn't as light, not as warm, and not as compactable as the older down insulation. Nevertheless, a good coat overall.

Need tougher shell. I was really hoping to get a shell that's similar to my other ski jackets which is crispy. It's still a very well-made jacket.

Warm winter coat but I would prefer the hood to be removable

This is a great jacket. 2 in one. Can use the outer layer as a rain jacket and the inner as a warmer individual jacket. It runs a bit large. Wish it came in xs size. Hard to find jackets for teens. Too big for kids jackets and too small for adult jackets.

Shell seems to be pretty durable, and zips together well with the inner insulated puffy.

I really like the style and features of the Whirlybird IV Interchange Jacket. It its well, is warm, has a number of handy pockets, and the Interchange system makes it useful for varying types of weather. The only complaint I have is that one of the grommets that hold the sleeve connectors in place was pulled loose from the fabric right out of the package.

This is my third jacket over the last 25 years and have never been to satisfied with the quality.

It's a nice all around jacket. My only drag with it is that the arms are a bit longer then my arms but it is warm, cuts wind and looks nice in person

First the good. Love the style, and the fit is great for me. The 3 in one is something I choose to never live without, as I am constantly using one of the 3, and this is my third 3 in one Zippered underarm vents help when I am doing something vigorous, like cross country skiing, and I like the pockets. The print design is awesome and makes me look 10+ years younger. The bad is the durability of the waterproofing of the Omni-Tech outer jacket. Waterproof/breathable fabrics require an outermost layer with a water shedding material with a high surface energy (yes I am a scientist ...) that will cause liquid water to bead up and roll off the jacket. Over time this layer will get worn and contaminated with lower surface energy molecules that will cause the water to wick into the jacket and lose its waterproofing. The jacket can be restored with cleaners and waxes such as NIKWAX tech wash. When I purchased the jacket, I noticed that water wasn't beading as much as I thought it should. Despite keeping the jacket as clean as possible, after only half a season it is starting to wick water and lose its waterproofing. I haven't been drenched yet after wearing it in the Portland rain, but that day is coming soon. I found the 2 other Columbia jackets I had lost their waterproofing after 2 years. I expect this one to last 1.

Love the style but may return the yellow as it may get dirtier at work.

I liked this jacket especially the interchangeable nature of it. Unfortunately I ordered it too large and needed to return it.

Cons: it's not for a cold winter. Anything below 32 degrees Fahrenheit will have you wearing another layer under this 3 in 1 jacket. The hood has no insulation and the overall material is fairly thin. Pro: fits well and it has many pockets.

The blue is a nice color and it fits true to size. It's better for winter sports than casual wear. You need another layer under than just a T shirt. It's made of an insulated coat that zips into a rain coat. The hood isn't insulated, so I could feel the cold air whipping through the hood and some of the coat itself. I returned it bc it's not what I needed.

Nice Colors - needs a stronger two way zipper - I have had several versions of this jacket withing a jacket system. My Biggest complaint is that the zipper is simply too weak and over time tends to bind and split at the bottom. This could be alleviated if the zipper was beefed up to a stronger version with larger teeth and if it was a two-way (unzip from the bottom so that when you sit there is less stress on the zipper itself).

Jacket fits pretty well. It is very versatil with the 3-1 setup. It has many useful features. I took took out one star because in the pictures it looks true black but instead is like a dark gray. It does not match my black ski pants and it was impossible for me to find "Shark" color pants. I wish it was true black so it could be easier to match colors as well as to enhance the contrast with the orange. Also, orange was less bright than in the pictures.

One of the best deals Columbia, or any quality has to offer! Warm, water and wind proof. Plus you can wear just the Omniheat inner liner or the shell in warm and west weather. This garment is a steal for the price!