Outdoor Research Coze Down Parka Review

The Outdoor Research Coze jacket is one of the longest in our lineup, offering more protection whether you're sitting around the fire or hanging out at the tailgate. It also provides a uniquely protective hood, keeping you comfortable in bitter temps even without a faux fur ruff.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

This jacket is filled with 240 grams of 700-fill power down, which is a good amount of high-quality feathers. That makes sense, given how long it is, reaching mid-calf on our 5-foot, 6-inch tall tester. That means those feathers need to cover more real estate than shorter jackets with a similar amount of down. While it's not the warmest jacket we've ever tested, it's as warm as we ever needed it to be, keeping us comfortable well into negative temperatures.

Even when you're sitting down, the Coze fully covers the back of your legs and thighs. Since you compress the down when you sit on it, it doesn't do much to insulate you from, say, cold metal bleachers. But it is like sitting with a down blanket draped over you.

Thoughtful features extend the cocoon of warmth. Soft cuff gaiters extend far enough to cover your hands and include a convenient thumb loop, only excluding your fingers. The main zipper tops out near your mouth. The collar is wide enough to comfortably hide your face from the cold, and the soft knit interior feels great to snuggle up against. The tall, down-stuffed collar wraps around your neck, keeping out drafts whether your hood is up or down.

The greatest thing about that hood is that it is cavernous. Many winter jackets include a faux fur ruff that circles the hood. They typically extend past your face and do a magnificent job blocking bitter winds or the frosty bite of snow or sleet. This jacket aims to offer the same functionality by extending what Outdoor Research calls a baffle ruff beyond the tip of your nose. It's not as effective at catching snowflakes, but it certainly shelters you from all but head-on wind. Drawstrings let you snug it down as much as you'd like, and it is large enough to wear a beanie underneath.

Two zippered hand-warmer pockets tuck your fingers against your body and under the jacket's downy warmth, the warmest place they could be. The pockets are smaller than we'd like but are plenty big for your paws. An internal zipper pocket will fit any smartphone and keep it warm enough to save your battery. A sizable internal mesh pouch pocket can hold on to gloves or a hat.

Weather Resistance

Outdoor Research calls this jacket water and wind-resistant, and the customer service rep we contacted told us that it does have a durable water-repellant (DWR) coating its nylon shell.

We test all of our winter jackets with a 2-minute test at full water pressure. The Coze faired impressively well. Water beaded and ran off immediately and continued throughout the test. With its deep hood, it kept the water off our faces even when we stood facing the shower head. After the test, many of the jackets felt heavy and waterlogged. This one was still as light as when we started. We shook the water right off, and it dried quickly.

The thing is, when temps are well below freezing, you shouldn't run into too much water anyway. It will be frozen. While it lacks the characteristics of a top-rated women's rain jacket, the water-resistant coating allows this jacket to handle light rain or sloppy mixes.

The Coze also impressed us in the wind. We tested it alongside several other jackets on a North Atlantic beach when 25-knot winds were kicking up whitecaps. We felt nothing through the length of the coat or the zippers. It's a fortress. We actually got too hot.

That deep hood builds a protective cage for our head and face. However, we found the limitations of the down baffle ruff in the ripping wind. When we compared it back-to-back with jackets sporting a super protective fur-ruffed hood, the difference was literally breathtaking. Nothing stops the wind and snow like fur, even when it's artificial. The down ruff does help, though, especially when you cinch it down. It kept us much warmer than the jackets without any ruff at all. It isn't the most weather-resistant jacket we tested, but it's better than other down parkas in this review.

Comfort

This jacket nails comfort, earning one of the highest scores in the test. It feels both snug and incredibly lightweight, with a soft knit covering every point where your skin is likely to brush against it. Even the nylon shell is pleasant in hand.

The generous cut never feels binding in our standard size. We have plenty of room to move, from shoulders to hips to knees, even bundled up with multiple layers. When you zip the jacket from top to bottom, climbing stairs can feel restrictive. A good solution is to unzip the front zipper or the two 9-inch zippers on either side of the hem.

Even the collar is spacious enough that it lets you keep your chin and face out of the cold, a rarity among winter jackets. It's like wearing a light, down sleeping bag, if it were a thoughtfully constructed winter jacket.

Versatility and Style

While the subtle drape of this jacket can feel elegant when it's unzipped, we're not convinced that we look it. This parka is not as put-together as some of the others we tested. It's so long that it can look a little like it's eating you. Our testers are all 5'6" or shorter. Taller folks may not struggle as much with this aspect of the look.

When the jacket is all zipped up, it's hard to argue for any hint of style. It hangs straight up and down with no definition at the waist. It's a piece that seems to put function before form.

That said, our lead tester couldn't care less that it's not particularly flattering. The length, comfort, and lightweight feel give her a little swagger, like a fashionable somebody who doesn't care what you think of her outfit.

That said, we would love to see some buttons or snaps added to this jacket. Not only would they add a flap of warmth to protect the zipper, but they also make it much easier to pull the coat on to step outside in milder weather. You can use the double zipper to get the same effect, but it takes longer.

Construction Quality

This jacket appears to be well-made with solid zippers, which is good since there are six in total, counting the pockets. The only other moving parts are the toggles that tighten the hood's baffle — thin nylon strings tucked into the corners of the collar. Pulling them to batten down the hood is a cinch. Searching around for the buttons hidden under the hood's fabric to release them is not.

The Coze seems robust and likely to last. The thin nylon shell is the most likely weak point we'd worry about over time. They tend to rip, and certainly more easily than the jackets in this test with multi-layered shells. That's why it gets more of an average rating in this metric. Though it's held up for the year and a half that it's been in our testing rotation.

Should You Buy the Outdoor Research Coze Down Parka?

It's not the most fashion-forward option ofthe jackets we've tested, and there are options stuffed with even more fluffy feathers, but this jacket offers excellent coverage and comfort at every contact point. It wraps you in downy insulation from the middle of your shins to the middle of your face, leaving you just enough room to see while shielding your eyes from both sides. We do love it for snuggling up when hanging out by the campfire or around town.

This jacket is also certified to meet the responsible down standard, which indicates that the birds who grew its feathers didn't suffer more than necessary. Outdoor Research provides a tracking number through its down supplier, Allied Feather. Our jacket down comes from grey ducks in China.

The shell is also 100% recycled nylon. If these steps to prevent animal cruelty and increase environmental responsibility fall in line with your values, that adds to your purchase.

What Other Winter Jackets Should You Consider?

We must say, we're impressed. While this jacket may not be a looker, it feels luxurious. We love it when gear that helps keep you outside longer comes in at a more affordable price point. If you are looking for the best combination of warm and comfy, stop here.

If you would like to see a little more style or weatherproofing in your winter coat, there are a few other options to consider. The Fjallraven Nuuk earned a similarly high warmth rating, despite being quite a bit shorter, and it performed excellently in wet and windy conditions.

The Patagonia Tres 3-in-1 Parka and Down With It Parka are not as insulated, but they are both quite stylish.