REI Newcastle Travel Coat - Men's

Comments about REI Newcastle Travel Coat - Men's:

this jacket keeps you warm and dry, and is fairly breathable. one nice feature is the knitted wrist dealio inside the sleeve - this definitely helps to insulate and keep warm. great coverage and multi-use ability.

Comments about REI Newcastle Travel Coat - Men's:

This was exactly the type of jacket I was looking for and really wanted it to work; however, the fit was awful! First off, I am 5' 9"/170 lbs. and typically wear a 40 or 42R suit jacket and shirts with 33" sleeves. Most suits fit me perfectly off the rack so I'm a pretty good example of a medium fit. This jacket in small would have been perfect except the arm holes dug in. The medium's sleeves were so long that they ballooned, especially around the shoulders and had the look of a puffy down jacket. Also, the chest size was a bit wide, adding to the poor fit and look. I ended up going with REI's Ultra Light jacket, which fit me much better, looks stylish and was $50 less! That said, I'd definitely recommend it to a friend if it fit them well.

Comments about REI Newcastle Travel Coat - Men's:

I'm as big a gearhead as any, but I also live in a major city and work in an office. So occasionally it's nice to be able to pull something out of the closet that doesn't make me look like an extra in Tron, but still has the weather protection of my more technical outdoor pieces. The Newcastle Travel Coat functions well in that regard, as its simple good looks and slightly textured appearance give it a more professional, city-appropriate air than your average tech jacket.

The sizing is a little off from standard - it fits larger than most jackets I've tested. I normally wear a medium, but I fit perfectly into a small in this coat. This is definitely a jacket to try on before you buy, if you can.

In response to other commenters who have questioned the quality of the zipper, I have not noticed any apparent deficiency in it. It's a pretty solid YKK zipper, sturdier than most standard zippers from that brand, though perhaps not quite as tough as the zippers you'll find on high-end outdoor performance apparel.

Also, I find that the colors are different in person than they appear on the website. The brown color is more saturated and gold-ish, while the blue (which I got) is very, very dark, almost black (in fact I had convinced myself it really WAS black until I walked around in daylight today).

Comments about REI Newcastle Travel Coat - Men's:

When I bought this jacket, I was looking to replace a great REI thinsulate-lined, hooded parka that I had purchased some time in the late 1970s. Unfortunately, I had ripped that one beyond repair. It was loaded with pockets; it had a long torso; it came in a tall size.

Unfortunately, REI is not offering a lot of Tall sizes anymore. This jacket is a prime candidate for a Tall size, in my opinion. The XL fit me, although the torso is just a little too large for me, although there is plenty of room for a fleece sweater underneath. I usually go for the Large-Tall size. In this case, the Large size had sleeves that were way too short for me. The XL's sleeves were fine. I'm 6'4" and 240lb. I generally wear a shirt with a 16-1/2 neck and 36" arms to give you an idea about my sleeve length.

The zipper is kind of finicky. If I don't watch the zipper all the time when I'm zipping up, it tends not to catch--leaving you with a zipper-puller that is unzipping the coat as you pull it up. It would be nice to have a more substantial set of zipper teeth and a larger puller.

Since I just bought the jacket in early Sept 07, I've only had one day that was cool enough to wear it, so I cannot speak to how well it works in cool or, especially, damp weather.

The colors were great; the coat feels good; I just wish the zipper was better.

Comments about REI Newcastle Travel Coat - Men's:

I actually own 2 of these jackets. I have a Large one to wear over layers when traveling in cold environments and I decided to buy a medium one to wear over light sweaters. I love the jacket. It has plenty of pockets and I can even fit a kindle in the inside left mesh sleeve. The only 2 problems I found are that when I wear short sleeve shirts the sleeves of the jacket tend to get cool when it's windy, due to the nylon like material. This though is a minor almost non important concern, but it should be know. The other one could be potentially major both cosmetically and structurally. After a few weeks of use (with both the jackets) I noticed a weird wear patch on the right shoulder, I initially though it was from the shoulder bag I have but doubted it since my bag is always on the left shoulder and that shoulder looks like new. I recently discovered that the sharp side of the Velcro used to keep the collar closed to stop wind from entering, when wearing the coat not zipped all the way, the velcro tends to grab onto the coat on the right shoulder. Over time the velcro has started to pull up the fibers of the coat in that spot. I bought the medium coat on 4/2/10 and it's now 4/20/10 and the wear spot is noticeable when the coat is zipped up all the way. The large one I've had since Nov. '09 and the damage is a bit worse. I've attached a picture of the coat bought in April for reference. Aside from that I love the coat, I'll just probably have to exchange it at some point due to this defect.

Comments about REI Newcastle Travel Coat - Men's:

The good:
This raincoat is unique because it is classy-looking and feels like a regular light/medium weight jacket. There is no cold, clingy, clammy, raincoaty feeling that even the expensive high performance raincoats have. I got the Clay color, which is very nice looking and the conservative design goes well with anything from jeans to business casual. It is the perfect weight for central California weather when it is "cold" (30-50ish degrees F) and breathable enough to avoid a serious sweat sauna when I walk/ride the couple miles to university. That being said, it's not breathable enough to replace a fleece or softshell on days that don't require wind/waterproofness. The pockets are nicely placed and sized for casual use or travel. Neck and sleeve collars are comfy. It seems to run a bit big, so there is room for layers.

The not-so-good:
The main complaints that other reviewers seem to have are bad zippers, the Velcro on the collar, and poor fit. I've noticed all of these things to one degree or another. Zippers - I haven't had any real problems yet, but I haven't had the jacket for very long. The zippers do feel more flimsy than I would expect from a coat that is otherwise well built. Just be aware of it I guess. Velcro - again, I haven't had a problem yet. It would probably become a problem if you wear the collar open most of the time. For me, if the day is nice enough to wear my collar wide open for most of the time, I'll probably be wearing a different jacket or fleece anyway. Fit - I definitely recommend going to a store and trying this coat on to see if it's OK. I am a skinny/athletic body type (6-3ish and 185 lbs, wide chest and shoulders but not very "deep") and a Large is the best size for me. Lengths are perfect for me, but there is extra material in the arms and shoulder areas that make it fit a little strangely, even with a sweater layer. I wish I could give the coat a 3.5 rating because of these things.

Couple more comments:
This is more of a casual coat than a high performance coat. I would never use it for backpacking or climbing or anything like that. Pockets aren't designed for high performance, zippers aren't waterproof or heavy duty, the shape isn't right, no pit zips, and the hood wouldn't fit most helmets. Also, if you expect to be in extreme downpours, I wouldn't trust this coat to keep you perfectly dry because none of the zippers are sealed, and the handwarmer pockets are at a slight angle and the welts open upward.

A great coat for the right occasion!

Comments about REI Newcastle Travel Coat - Men's:

The jacket was used on 2 international trips. One to Switzerland and one to Tokyo, both within a 2 month period. The jacket was perfect for both trips as it was very comfortable and professional looking in more formal settings. The jacket has a good amount of ZIPPERED pockets (for travelers security) and they were large enough to store passports. One drawback was the 'hard' side of the velcro on the right collar rubbed against the jacket when flipped outwards and it caused the fabric in the area on the front shoulder/upper chest to scuff, causing a small black fuzzy spot. Now the jacket looks 'worn' when it actually is only a few months old. BUT otherwise a GREAT jacket. I would recommend this to friends and a few people has even commented on how good the jacket looks and where they could get one. Our comment back was, the sizes run 'big' and be careful of the right velcro :)

Comments about REI Newcastle Travel Coat - Men's:

this jacket is great for wet weather, although if you don't live in a snowy or rainy place it is a little to much

Comments about REI Newcastle Travel Coat - Men's:

All my other Medium size jackets fit perfectly on my 5'9" frame, but this Newcastle coat in Medium is way too large. (Just like the other reviewer below) At first I though the coat was on the big side to allow room for extra layers underneath, but the sleeves are just too long and no amount of extra layers is going to fix the sleeve length. I tried the Small, but it was too constricting. The construction quality is great. I like the textured outer fabric that lends a more casual look without looking like typical Goretex jacket. The large pockets on the interior are great. This jacket would have been a keeper if not for the poor fit. Try it on before you buy!

Comments about REI Newcastle Travel Coat - Men's:

Great jacket for wearing around town on snowy and/or rainy days. Looks nice enough to wear out to dinner in Boulder (which isn't saying too much). Not super warm, but with additional layers, is nice and toasty.

One complaint, the main zipper on this coat is of a faulty design. If you are not very careful in zipping the coat up, it will unzip from the bottom requiring you to force the zipper back down and start over. If the jacket seems to be otherwise durable, I will likely take it to a tailor to have a better zipper put in because I do like it otherwise.