Thread: Jacket input/help

Hey all,

I'm new to these boards (although I've been lurking for a bit) and snow sports in general. I just started snowboarding this past season, but I can tell I like it already! Anyway, I've been in the market for a good jacket since I now live in an area that snows (Wisconsin). I want it to be good for snowboarding as well as just moving about town and possibly double as a rain jacket (although this isn't a huge factor). My research has narrowed down the list to a few and as I'm not very experienced, I was hoping to get input from people familiar with the gear. Also, any suggestions for jackets I hadn't considered are welcome.

I am looking for a jacket that is absolutely waterproof/windproof and HIGHLY breathable (eVent, NeoShell, etc. - no Gore-Tex). I sweat like a pig. I would prefer if the jacket came with wrist gaiters, a good powder skirt (pant interface is a plus) and pit zips. I MUST have two hand-warmer pockets and strongly prefer to also have an exterior chest/Napoleon pocket. An few inner pockets and/or forearm/bicep pockets would be great too. A hood is absolutely necessary with helmet compatibility a plus.

Westcomb (i)Mirage
Westcomb Vapor FX
Helly Hansen 3L Odin - I don't know anything about this fabric/material, but HikingTheOzarks' reviewer said it was top 2 of all the jackets he's tried and that's a long list of great jackets (includes Westcomb Revenant which I considered for a while)
Loki Alpinist or Meta - I like the features of the Meta, but the Alpinist is made from eVent

I've already excluded Rab for the most part since their pocket placement wasn't ideal for me and they're based in the UK I think so warranty would be a bit of a pain. I feel like I've done a lot of research and I just can't make a decision. I'd appreciate people's input. TIA!

Freeride systems. Micol is a maggot and can style you out with what you need.