We always knew Flylow was a cool company with excellent products, but this year we were convinced by the Billie Coat. Its new bi-colored design and relaxed, stylish cut make us feel like we own the slopes. We love how stylish the Billie Coat is! It keeps us high functioning at the resort and on our game at apres ski.
Performance Comparison
You'll look steezy no matter what you're doing in the Billie Coat.
Weather Resistance
The Billie Coat's fabric has changed this year to a smoother, more supple shell material, which feels a bit thinner and possibly less durable than the old canvas-like material.
It has 20k/20k waterproof breathable membrane with DWR. It held up well to moisture, but we suspect it may be less effective than the 3-layer Gore-Tex of the Arc'teryx Sentinel - Women's. We like the fit of the Billie Coat's hood because it moves with the head and fits over a helmet. Its hood toggles are easy to adjust with gloves on.
We love the Billie Coat's hood and drawcord system.
The Billie Coat's zippers didn't allow any noticeable drafts through. Like all the shell jackets we tested in this review, including the Arc'teryx Sentinel and the Patagonia Untracked, the Billie Coat is uninsulated, so it isn't as warm, but we feel like shell jackets are a great option to protect you from the elements, especially when dealing with a lot of precipitation. They allow you to tailor your layers and have maximum ventilation when working hard in the powder or on the skin track.
The Billie Coat has a new softer shell material this year.
Ventilation
The Billie Coat has great ventilation and large, gaping pit-zips. Because the shell has no insulation, it vents easily.
The Patagonia Untracked Jacket - Women's has even larger pit-zips for greater ventilation.It's hard to tell how well the shell fabric will vent but think it is at least as breathable as the Orage Nina's materials. Jackets like the Patagonia Primo Down that have mesh lined pit-zips do not vent as well because of that material blocks maximum air flow. We prefer the Billie Coat's non-mesh, wide open pit-zips.
The Billie Coat has great, large pit-zips.
Warmth
The Billie Coat will help you shred with style and ease, and protect you from drafts.
We will say however that the thick shell material did not let any wind pass through the material itself or through the front zipper when traveling at high velocities down the mountain.
Ski Features
We love how many interior pockets this jacket has! It has two inner zip pockets, one of which is large enough to fit goggles or gloves and the other is an RFID pocket to shield your credit cards from getting scammed.
The Billie Coat has nice taped seams and great pockets.
It also has a media pocket with headphone gaskets to listen to your tunes without having to unzip your jacket to fiddle with your device. The Orage Nina also has lots of similarly awesome ski features. The Billie Coat also has a conveniently removable powder skirt.
We like the Billie Coat's RFID pocket.
We love this feature for when we want to wear the Billie Coat around town and don't need the powder skirt. The Editors' Choice Award winner the Patagonia Primo Down - Women's also has a removable snow skirt. We think that Flylow has the best ski features of all the shells we tested.
The Billie Coat's pass pocket.
Another favorite feature of this jacket is the hood's drawcords. The toggles are placed on the outside of the collar, near your collar bones and make it super easy to cinch down your hood when things get windy sitting on the chairlift. The Arc'teryx Tiya's hood drawcords are located inside the collar and are almost impossible to operate without undoing your jacket and taking off your gloves. All three of the shells we tested have this great feature.
The Billie Coat has a removable snow skirt and lots of stash pockets!
Style
The Billie Coat is the most stylish jackets in this review and the most stylish of the shell jackets. Our testers all wanted to be the one wearing this jacket for our photos.
We like its long hemline, two-color style, and how it tapers at the waist and flares at the hips. Our testers received many compliments when they wore this jacket. It comes in some appealing colors.
The Billie Coat is the most stylish jacket we tested this year!
Flylow is at the front edge of stylish ski clothes and this one is no exception. We also like the bright and steezy Orage Nina and the simple and elegant style of the Tiya. But, we felt like we had the most "mountain cred" in the Billie Coat. As Flylow says: "We're not making any promises, but the Billie Coat might just make you a better skier. Or at least, it'll help you look the part."
Comfort and Fit
This jacket fits true to size, and we were able to layer up underneath it easily. It is even more comfortable than last years model with its softer shell material that moves more easily with us, has more stretch and a softer hand overall.
We like the lightweight GORE-TEX materials of the Sentinel as well. We like the fit of the articulated hood; it moves well with us when we look around and doesn't block our view when we turn our head. The Orage Nina's stretchy fabrics are also extremely comfortable, as is the baggy fitting Patagonia Snowbelle. The removable snow skirt allows for extra comfort by reducing bulk when you take it off as well.
We like the long cut and tapered fit of the Billie Coat.
Best Application
This is a great jacket to wear to the ski resort in any weather, but you'll need to layer up on cold days. We think this could also be a decent choice for sidecountry and backcountry forays but think the Arc'teryx Sentinel - Women's may be a better choice for longer backcountry missions because it is slightly lighter than the Billie Coat. You could also choose to wear this jacket around town and to apres ski - it is stylish enough for anything.
The Billie Coat is the most stylish jacket we tested this year!
Value
We were pleasantly surprised at this low price tag, especially compared to the other shell jackets in this review, including the expensive Patagonia Untracked Jacket and the Sentinel that retail for $600 and $625 respectively!
We like the Billie Coat's bi-colored design this year.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a stylish, inexpensive shell jacket that will help you rip around the mountain, and look like a pro doing it, look no further than the Billie Coat. Our testers received many compliments in this jacket and reached for it when they were hitting the town as well as the slopes. We love its awesome ski features, new soft and comfortable fabric and the colors it is available in this year.
