This is a really nice piece, and the colors are fantastic. Topo describes it as a shirt jacket, and I'd say that's pretty accurate. It's thick, and has some heft to it.
Speaking of, as far as weight goes (like actual heaviness in terms of ounces and pounds), it's definitely on the heavier side, because it's made of cotton. Because of this, I
...Read MoreRead more about This is a really nice piece, and thewouldn't use it for hiking, and I'd probably think twice about packing it for air travel, unless I was wearing it on the plane.
However, what you get for that weight is quality. It almost has a timeless, vintage feel -- like finding a really cool jacket in your grandfather's closet, because they "just don't make them like they used to. "
Useful things to know:
- While it feels pretty heavy, I'd be reluctant to describe it as warm. Because it's cotton, air passes through pretty easily. This can be a good or a bad thing: It means you can wear it on warmer days (in the 50s-60s) without overheating, but I would probably want extra layers if it was going to be any colder than that.
- The pockets are fantastic. There are two chest pockets that snap shut, and two hidden pockets in the side seams. PLUS, there are two huge inside pockets. I'm thinking of taking mine to a tailor to have them add snaps to the inner pockets, because I use them so much. I'd say the inner pockets are like 2-3x the area of the rear pockets on men's jeans, with more depth.
- The color I have is called black/multi-plaid. The base color is not actually black, it's more like very dark teal, and it looks really nice. However, if you're looking for true black, you might be disappointed. The colors are the main thing that attracted me to the jacket in the first place, and I think they're a really interesting and sophisticated combination. Plus, there are bright red seams on the inside of the jacket which are a very nice touch.
- I'm 6' tall and have an athletic build, and I tend to be between a medium and a large with things like this. I tried on both sizes in the store, and they both fit well with enough length. The biggest differences between the sizes were that the large had slightly more room for layering, and a bit more space in the shoulders. I ended up going with the large, because I have broad shoulders, and to have the layering flexibility, which I think is important given what I mentioned above about warmth. Read LessRead less about This is a really nice piece, and the