DadCentric Review: Land's End SnowSystem™ Jacket

So the FTC won't let me be / or get somethin' free, so let me see / They try to shut me down on ol' DC / But it feels so nice to talk 'bout somethin' free.

A couple of weeks ago, Jason sent me a message from Land's End that could really only apply to those of us who have seasons: Winter, Not Quite Winter, Summer, and Almost Winter. Don't know what I'm talking about? Ask TwoBusy or Kevin. Anyway, it was an offer to review the Land's End SnowSystem™ Jacket. Huh, a winter jacket you say? And free? Dude, sign me up. Little bit of a sidenote here: I have a jacket fetish- I lurv me some coats. Ask my wife, she'll tell you that it might even be a very unhealthy love of outerwear. Hi, I'm Warren and I have a problem with mainlining Polar-Tec and rip-stop outer shells.

But I digress.

So, I sent Jason a reply e-mail indicating I wanted this (free - courtesy of Land's End) jacket in Canyon Orange and in XL (because I'm still carrying around some holiday weight, from 2001). And, lo and behold, my lovely (free) package from Land's End arrived only a few days later. Now, I have to say that after 40+ years of wearing coats of one style or another: from snorkel coats and puffy down jackets to the cold weather parka w/hood (one each) that I wear now to clear the driveway, winter coat technology has come a long way. They are no longer bulky and immobilizing, but lightweight, flexible and adaptable. Land's End describes it thusly: The (free) "SnowSystem™ Jacket wears three ways, to take on any weather. The outer shell and inside liner are designed to wear separately or zip together for maximum protection. The outer shell features our exclusive AquaCheck® laminate, to give you waterproof protection that's breathable. It also comes with pit zips to vent off excess heat, a zip-out powder skirt to keep the snow out on those epic ski runs and an adjustable hood with welded visor." Now, while it's been several years since I've had any epic ski runs, I imagine that with three kids there will be some epic snow fun in the near future, so it's important to keep the snow out of the drawers - no need to literally freeze my ass off or add a new meaning to blue b...well, you get the picture.

Other nice features: interior, mesh sunglass, goggle and cell phone pockets, as well as a zip-close MP3 player pocket with cord port - a huge plus when you're trying to maintain your sanity as you push that snowblower for the ninth time in as many days. The jacket comes in four colors: Gray, Black, Dark Lupine and the aforementioned Canyon Orange, and retails for $169.50.

It won't be long before I'll find myself knee deep in the white stuff - we had a taste last week of what's to come. And although I've only had one occasion to wear this fine (free) jacket, I know that it will provide more than adequate protection against the elements. In short, two mitten-clad thumbs up.