5.11 Tactical Men's Responder's High Visibility Performance Parka, Style# 48073, Dark Navy, Large

As a tow-truck driver in Vermont/New Hampshire, I was looking for a hi-viz jacket that could stand up to the rigors of being around a loot of equipment/machinery, having to lay down on asphalt, dirt, & mud 20 times a day & of course keep keep me warm & dry in the New England weather. And as I said, most importantly, I wanted something reflective with outstanding visibility. My research into jackets has been going on for the past month & with snow coming soon, I had to decide. This was one of the 1st jackets I'd seen & no doubt was perfect in every detail minus cost, it was without a doubt the most expensive. I'd found several other jackets in the $50-$100 range that seemed decent but from what i heard from colleague, they wern't very water proof & would become wet & soggy in no time. A long story short, I took the plunge & splurged on the 5.11. I only had 2 main concerns with my purchase, color & size. The file photo of the jacket "looked" like it was BLACK & yellow which is what I wanted. But the description said navy blue & yellow. I so much wanted the black over the blue. Anyway, now that I have the jacket, it totally looks black to me. You would have to see it in just the right light to identify it being a dark blue. This was made me quite pleased as I wanted to maintain the look of a tow-truck operator & NOT an EMT wannabe!. So the sizing: I'd read every review possible on this jacket & the most common issue was that the jacket came "too big" & most people advised ordering a size down for proper fit. i ordered the XL & figured I'd rather it be too big than too small, & also figured I'd be wearing layers anyway so that would work out. I was quite pleased to find that this jacket fits 100% PERFECT! Not too big at all, it's the best fit i could have asked for. Obviously, the fitting issue might vary from person to person, but for me, it was right on the money. Everything else about the jacket speaks for itself. It is of the highest quality, everything about it is set-up just right. Although not a GoreTex, I cant hesitate to say that the jacket is right up there with a NorthFace product. The fleece liner is super nice, makes it 2 jackets in 1, & just make's it that much more versatile. I can say with confidence that this jacket will do everything that I could ever ask for, & will more than likely withstand everything that I'm going to out it through! But with that said, the jacket is still new to me & I have yet too put it through the paces, so the rest remains to be seen. But I will no doubt check back in this winter & provide another report on it, because that is what matters & likely is what prospective buyer's will want to know. But as of now, I am thoroughly impressed, quite content with what I see, & totally pleased with my purchase. So for those who want a high quality jacket of the type but cant justify spending $300 on it, I say take the chance & I doubt you'd regret it!

I own a ton of 5.11 gear, and this parka is just like everything else 5.11 makes. Just before they reach the full potential of a product, they quit. You end up with high quality overpriced gear that's "almost" everything you're willing to pay a little extra for, but always seems to fall just short. This parka is no exception. Reviews were saying this parka runs large. I usually wear a large, so I ordered a medium. The medium fit PERFECT in the chest and shoulders, but the mid section was WAY too small. I'm not a big guy, 5'10, 180, I don't have a large midsection, so I returned the medium, and ordered a size large. The large fits WAY too big in the chest, and shoulders, I'm lost in there, but the mid section fits PERFECTLY. This is not the first parka I've ever worn in my lifetime, it fits funky, but it is so GREAT, I kept it anyway.I wore only a long sleeved cotton t-shirt under the parka in 7°F outside temperature. The fleece liner is "grippy" inside. I have to wrestle, fight, and battle my way into the parka with fleece liner. Trying to get in, and get comfortable WILL wear you out. It's stupid. This could have been entirely avoided if they would have lined the "entire" inside of the fleece with the same material they used to line "just the bottom" inside of the fleece, around the waist... once AGAIN... they took it "almost there", then quit on ya.So the fleece grabs your clothing as you move, and twists it all up around you until after 15 minutes inside the parka my t-shirt was choking me, my sleeves were all twisted up, and pushed half way up my forearms. I was physically irritated enough to remove the fleece lining, and put it in my truck in favor of being very cold, but MUCH less cranky. Without the fleece lining, the shell slips on and off the way you would expect of a $289.00 parka, (imagine that). I'll have to take the fleece liner to a tailor, and spend another $150.00 to have him sew a nylon liner into it, to make this parka actually "functional". Hey 5.11 tactical? You STARTED to line the fleece inside, to keep this from happening around the waist, why on earth didn't you FINISH the job in the shoulders, back, and sleeves? This parka is my last interest in anything more from 5.11 tactical. I've paid them a lot through the years. Now, they owe me one.Awesome quality material and workmanship, with the exception of stray threads all over it (burn them flat) no big deal. Functional pockets everywhere, holds most of my EMT/Rescue gear, and my radio, this ROCKS! Bright hi-vis colors, and reflective tape, burns your retinas. It was extremely warm in 7° F, until it became so constricting it was non-functional, then it wasn't warm at all. It bothers me that I paid so much for another unfinished product from 5.11 Tactical, only to pay even MORE for someone else to make the product what it should have been to begin with. I "almost" got what I payed for, but not quite. I absolutely LOVE this parka, and I absolutely HATE this parka. If you don't mind battling something as simple as putting your jacket on, EVERY TIME you put it on, and you don't mind your clothing being all twisted and bunched up inside your jacket, then this is the parka for you, because every bit of the rest this parka has to offer is OUTSTANDING.

I liked it

Very good quality.