My Everyday Wear Vest

This is a good vest and I enjoy the heck out of mine. I actually own two in different colours, since I was given another one several years ago for my birthday. There are already a lot of reviews and opinions here so I will not be too redundant.The vest is Polartec fleece (200 mid-weight) so it keeps the core warm and comfortable down to about 40 degrees F. Any colder and I must go to a higher tech solution. It works wet or dry, and drys pretty quickly if soaked.It's a cozy piece of gear and I think a perfect gift item for a loved one since they will think of you in the comfort and warmth of it. I actually LIKE that short fuzzy fibres starts to clump and pill like a snuggly, familiar stuffed teddy bear after only a few washings. I often use it as a throw blanket or a pillow (esp on airline flights). It is also very easy to maintain and as I have two, I often have one in the wash as I'm wearing the other one.I like the roomy sizing as I use this for layering, and this is an intermediate layer. When zipped all the way up, it practically serves as it's own Polartec scarf around the neck. Being a taller/larger human, I appreciate that this vest is available in extended sizes too.The design of the vest is simple with a stand up/fold down collar, 2 zippered side slash pockets at the waist, and the Columbia logo on the chest.Herein lies, my first minor criticism... value. For a simple, unlined vest without any "extras" (like chest pocket, map pocket, interior pockets, drawstring at the bottom or the waist, throat abrasion guard, dbl access zipper, uppers shell, back hook loop, even zipper pulls with whistles, compasses and LED lights) I would expect a basic level price. If you shop around even online you should quickly get a feel for what the no frills model vs. the all the bells and whistles model are comparatively worth.The two pockets that it does have utilizes this elastized sateen material as the interior. Not only is this pocket lining not very warm, but I find that it snags uncomfortably on little dry skin flakes, hangnails, and tiny dry skin spurs on my hands. It might be just me, but it makes it unpleasant to put my hands in the pockets (for warmth). On both of my Columbia vests, I have replaced the pocket liners with nice non-snagging flat mesh (like that found in luggage pockets).Well the world is what you make of it, so of course I have made some heavy mods to my vests, which have made them my favourites and practically daily wear for me.Columbia makes consistently high quality products (overseas) geared toward the outdoor person, so paying a little bit extra for the brand name logo is not that painful I guess.