Columbia’s Bugaboo Reskin Parka is like having three jackets in one, making it a great value.
When you’re on the slopes, you want a snow parka that keeps you warm and looks great. Fortunately, the Columbia Bugaboo Reskin Parka does both extremely well. The parka is redesigned from the very popular original Bugaboo parka, but with many improvements. These include the use of Columbia’s Omni-Tech™ waterproof and breathable technology which works well to keep out moisture but allows the jacket to breathe so you don’t get sweaty while your on trail runs all day.
Columbia also included a great media pocket that allows you to store your MP3 player or iPod, and securely route your earphones along the inside. An adjustable storm hood works great to fit around either a baseball cap or your helmet. While there’s a chest and two hand pockets outside the Bugaboo Reskin Parka, there are also some large pockets inside as well. Deep pockets with elastic tops, allow you to easily store gloves and goggles without them falling out. Small details such as clips for your gloves and keys are great to make sure you don’t loose those items. Adjustable wrist sleeve collars and waist also help minimize powdery snow from getting into the jacket.
But one of the best features of the Bugaboo Reskin Parka is that it incorporates a removable fleece liner. The fleece jacket that lines the parka can be worn by itself or can be easily zipped into the parka shell, (even with gloves on) to make an incredibly soft and warm layering system. This worked great during the day when we had to remove the liner when the sun came out, but zipped it back in once the clouds rolled in during the evening and the temperatures dropped to 17 degrees F. The fleece inner liner also features a design that blends in with the Bugaboo’s distressed denim-looking nylon outer fabric, and is incredibly plush and soft to the touch, making you want to wear it by itself at the lodge. The 100 percent polyester micro fleece liner also stays in place, thanks to small details that include elastic sleeve retainers and Velcro-lined neck tabs that keep the liner from bunching up or moving around within the shell.
Although the Bugaboo Reskin Parka is perfect for snowboarding, it was also great when we wore it alpine skiing and was especially warm during several snowmobile treks into the Oregon backcountry, where we really put the parka through its test. The shell is made from 100 percent nylon with Twill strips and is lightweight.
With the liner installed, the parka gets heavier, but it’s not overly cumbersome. With a suggested retail price around $230, the Bugaboo Reskin Parka is a great value for a snowboarding, ski parka that ends up being three jackets in one. Our test jacket was black/denim, but it’s also available in tusk, petrol, neon green/raspberry, neon green/gray and orange/black/blue.
By Dan Sanchez
