New purchase! Detailed review of CMFR Gormley men's parka with photos.

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REVIEW: CMFR (Cold Manufactured) Gormley men's parka

This review is cross-referenced in the excellent thread that compiles jacket reviews: http://forums.redflagdeals.com/outerwear-jacket-reviews-cg-cmfr-mk-nobis-etc-1129381/

Today I received my order from http://www.dwndclothing.com for the CMFR Gormley men's parka, black, in size extra small.

http://cmfrcanada.com/products-cmfr-mens-parka.php

The photos of the various products on the CMFR website are not flattering. In this review I am posting dozens of photos to attempt to flatter the Gormley but it still didn't happen until I put it on. Then it flatters the wearer.

FIT
-Modern sizing and fully insulated from XS – XXL.

FABRICS
-Shell – Light weight, 320gsm, DINTEX Soft Shell 100% Polyester, DWR finish with membrane backing and Thermoplastic Polyurethane.
-Lining – Nylon plain weave and down proof.
-Contrast – 320gsm, Italian made 60% Linen / 40% Cotton Biosoftal waxed finished.

FILL
-Duck Down with 550+ fill power.

ZIPPERS
-RiRi AQUAzip made in Switzerland. Heavy duty, waterproof tape with 8mm cold resistant teeth and pull.

FEATURES
-Slim and versatile 3/4 length cut.
-Heavy 3-ply pill-free RIB at waist, cuff and collar for durability, softness and wind resistance.
-Six exterior pockets with fleece interior for comfort and warmth.
-Two interior pockets for easy storage and access.
-Red Canadian Coyote FUR removable from hood with zipper.
-Interior clip for hanging gloves or hat.
-Front zipper flap with snaps for full wind protection.

COLOURS
-Black and Grey.

There is a small error with the above product description on their website. There are four exterior pockets, not six. Also, there is no heavy 3-ply pill-free rib-knit material at the waist, which was copied over from their description of their Oxton bomber which does have it.

This jacket is an example of the first real production run by CMFR. Last season, the company debuted with a limited production run as exemplified by the CMFR Oxton men's bomber owned and reviewed by BananaWeed and the branding and logo design have since changed. There is talk of how CMFR may change the logos each season so that any particular jacket's year of manufacture can be easily identified. Only time will tell since the company is still very new. BananaWeed also happened to obtain his jacket for much less than mine.

Based on the sample run last season, I was under the impression that CMFR fit true-to-size, so I originally ordered a size small on Sunday January 8. However, as soon as I placed my order, I came on RFD and read that CMFR seems to fit one size too large this season. I immediately phoned DWNDclothing to obtain a second opinion but their store was closed for the evening so I left a detailed message and with instructions to call me back before shipping out my order. On Monday January 9, one of the male staff with a chest measurement of 38" reported that a size small fit him fine, and given that I have a 36" chest, I decided to change my order from a small to an extra small. The order arrived today, Wednesday January 11. I had chosen the free shipping option to keep costs down and it looks like the order still arrived at my door very quickly.

The original price was $745.00. I purchased it with a coupon code for 15% off, and then 13% harmonized sales tax was applied, for a final total of $715.27 (with free shipping). Included in the shopping bag inside the shipping box was a thank you card with a code for 10% off my next purchase.

I will begin this in-depth review. There are lots of photos, so links are provided instead of the images themselves since I am trying to save bandwidth.

Here is the jacket hung up.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley01.jpg

Here is an external front shot of the jacket unzipped and including the hood and fur.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley02.jpg

Here is an external front shot of the jacket zipped up with the detachable hood removed.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley20.jpg

Here is an internal front shot of the jacket.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley24.jpg

Here is an external back shot of the jacket with the detachable hood removed.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley30.jpg

Hood with collar open:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley03.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley07.jpg

Red Canadian coyote fur:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley04.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley05.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley06.jpg

Zipped up but the hood remains unbuttoned:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley08.jpg

Zipped up and with the hood fastened up:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley09.jpg

Revealing details of the hood adjustment drawstrings and snap buttons:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley10.jpg

Collar with hood removed:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley11.jpg

The hood removed. The hood is attached via snap buttons that are very secure and take some effort to remove.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley12.jpg

CMFR uses RiRi zippers EXCEPT for their detachable coyote fur ruff, interestingly enough. It's a YKK brand zipper:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley13.jpg

Inside view of hood, and the detached fur ruff "snake". It is like a "tube" of fur since fur lines both the outside and inside edges of the rim of the hood. Thus, when you wear the hood, fur exists on the outside and inside.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley14.jpg

Same thing as the above, except showing the back/outside view of the hood. As you can see, the hood is not a 2-way adjustable tunnel hood design that competitors such as Canada Goose tend to use as a default feature.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley15.jpg

Here are the two fleece-lined handwarmer pockets per side. This is a design feature reminiscent of Moose Knuckles. This post outlines how a CMFR company member Mark may have once been with Moose Knuckles, and if so, this design may have been carried forward with him to CMFR. The upper positions feel slightly higher than the standard chest-level pockets available on a typical Canada Goose, while the lower positions are abdomen level. Fit pics demonstrating the pockets' relative height are posted way below.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley16.jpg

Another shot of the lower position pockets:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley19.jpg

On the left shoulder is the CMFR "crescent moon" logo, for lack of a proper term. It's very minimalistic and doesn't even have the company name. Perhaps this brand hopes to become successful enough to have its logo become iconic and instantly recognizable like the Nike swoosh and McDonald's golden arches that similarly don't necessarily need to have the company name with the graphic.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley17.jpg

A shot of the sleeves and cuffs. The cuffs' rib-knit material is the thickest I have seen/worn so far. It's comfortable and soft to boot. The overall design is recessed but not telescopic/retractable like the typical Canada Goose which is recessed AND extendable. Fortunately the sleeve length is fine and I credit this to choosing the right size jacket.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley18.jpg

Here are some shots of the RiRi zipper and note the interior storm flap uses the "contrast" material as detailed in the product description at the beginning of this review. The zipper is easy to operate, not quite as "lubricated" feeling or lightning-quick to zip up as the YKK zippers found on the typical Canada Goose, but glides much easier than the YKK zippers used on Moose Knuckles. The quality of the zipper track/teeth, handle, and overall mechanism are solid and hefty. This is my first RiRi zipper and my initial impressions based on this one example are excellent.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley21.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley22.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley23.jpg

Let's look at the interior logo. The size tag is so small at the top of the second photo below that I actually missed it when I was inspecting the jacket AND photographing it. I only later found it when looking closer and then snapped that photo.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley25.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley26.jpg

Here are the garment/material/care tags from back-to-front order. I feel like if CMFR is ever going to be counterfeited, these tags are going to be very easily replicated. Unlike their competitors Canada Goose and Nobis, they are not listed as members of the Down Association of Canada. As indicated on the tags, the outer shell material is 100% polyester (competitors Canada Goose, Nobis, and Moose Knuckles use various blends of cotton, polyester, and/or nylon so I have not seen 100% polyester used until now) backed with a membrane and treated with DWR (as described in the product description at the beginning of this review), which actually feels quite soft and smooth to the touch and confers a very respectable degree of water protection to the jacket.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley27.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley28.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley29.jpg

The inside left of the jacket has an interior clip for hanging gloves or hat, as mentioned in the product description at the beginning of this review. Unfortunately neither my gloves nor hat have anything that can hook on to this. Anyway, there is also a small mesh pocket held closed by velcro, and a deep pocket accessible by RiRi zipper.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley35.jpg

Here's some of the mesh pocket and the RiRi zipper pocket:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley36.jpg

Here is that clip:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley37.jpg

The inside right of the jacket has a pocket held closed by a snap button:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley38.jpg

The back of the jacket has a red stripe. I am indifferent about it; I figure it is simply a visible stylistic "signature" that the company wished to use to flourish their line because of the severe lack of obvious branding, as evidenced by the simple "crescent moon" logo on the left shoulder described above. I am a fan of minimalism and not necessarily wearing logos so this is absolutely my most discreet expensive winter jacket that I currently own.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley31.jpg

This is a closeup of the elbow patch which uses the "contrast" material described in the product description at the beginning of this review.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley32.jpg

Finally, two closeups showing details and workmanship, not that all the other photos don't show the quality put into this product. The button snaps are similar, if not identical, to the familiar ones on Canada Goose.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley33.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley34.jpg

I am 5'10", 148lbs, 36" chest, 31" waist, with a slim/athletic/toned build. I took some measurements of the jacket:

-34" length between the neck crease (anatomically where the neck "ends" and the back "begins") and the bottom rear of the jacket
-21" from armpit to armpit
-20.5" sleeve length

I am also wearing a 100% cotton thermal longsleeve shirt and jeans. The jacket is slim and flattering. Again, I am very glad that I was able to change my size after placing my order. On the inside, it fits very much the same as the Canada Goose Manitoba jacket (posted with its own fit pictures).

Below is the series of pictures showing how the CMFR Gormley fits on me in various configurations.

Without hood, unzipped:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit01.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit02.jpg

Without hood, zipped up:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit03.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit04.jpg

Without hood, zipped up, and demonstrating the heights of the two available handwarmer pockets:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit05.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit06.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit07.jpg

With hood attached, no fur attached, unzipped:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit08.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit09.jpg

With hood attached, no fur attached, zipped up:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit10.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit11.jpg

Wearing versus not wearing the attached hood, no fur attached, zipped up:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit12.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit13.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit14.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit15.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit16.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit17.jpg

With hood and fur attached, unzipped:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit18.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit19.jpg

With hood and fur attached, zipped up:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit20.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit21.jpg

Wearing versus not wearing the fur-lined hood in various configurations, zipped up:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit22.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit23.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit24.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit25.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit26.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormleyfit27.jpg

Here is a video showing the water repulsion abilities of the 100% polyester shell backed by a membrane and also coated with a DWR: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/?action=view&current=gormley_water_resistance.mp4

Here is the water beading on the jacket:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley_water_resistance01.jpg

After shaking off the water, it's like it wasn't there in the first place:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/notp1/cmfr/gormley_water_resistance02.jpg

For interest's sake, here is my post showing the water resistant properties of my other jackets:
http://forums.redflagdeals.com/merged-official-canada-goose-authenticity-legit-check-thread-1080867/16/#post14031965

Now that the objective analysis is out of the way, I'll move on to the more subjective part where I give my personal feelings about this product.

Immediately after taking those fit pictures, I went outside for a half hour walk. During that time, the temperature was -11°C, but with the 20km/h wind factored in, it felt more like -19°C. I wore what I wore during those fit pictures (no hat, no scarf, no gloves, no other layers, nothing except running shoes and socks added), had the jacket zipped up completely, all the snap buttons fastened on the storm flap, wore the hood, fastened the hood's snap buttons, and tightened the fur ruff using the hood drawstrings.

For what is advertised as ONLY a 550+ fill power down coat, versus the 625 fill power found in Canada Goose and I think 650 found in Nobis, I felt none of the chill. I was not sweating or overheating (which can be deadly anyway) but I was not shivering or yearning to return to the warmth of home. Strangely enough, I wasn't overheating when taking those fit pictures indoors either. I suppose that speaks to the breathability of this jacket. I generally find that my Canada Goose Manitoba jacket performs similarly.

As I have never been a fan of high chest-level handwarmer pockets, my hands naturally found their home in the lower position (abdomen-level) ones, which pleased me greatly. Competitors seem to enjoy implementing high ones for some reason and I have always had a gripe about this. After a few minutes walking around, my hands started feeling warm. I had an idea to let my bare hands dangle freely outside the jacket until I could no longer tolerate the biting breeze sapping the warmth and strength out of my hands, then I would plunge them back into the pockets. It only took a few minutes at the maximum for my hands to return to being warm and comfortable again. I repeated this experiment several more times throughout the entire walk and experienced the same results repeatedly.

This is my longest winter jacket. I was afraid the length of the parka was going to affect mobility and access to my pants pockets. Both were laid to rest as I simulated a mad dash to the bus stop to catch the morning bus (I frequently oversleep and need to scramble) without mobility restrictions, and I discovered a trick to access my pants pockets easily. With my hands still in the jacket pockets, I can lift my hands which raises the jacket enough to expose the pants pockets. When I'm done, I simply pull the parka back down to its full coverage (which reaches the middle of my thighs).

The comfort is exactly what I have come to expect out of an expensive parka. It’s very comfortable and the appropriate level of snugness that I like. No complaints here and nothing new. The rib-knit material around the inside of the collar is soft and welcoming.

I have two negatives about this product. As many of you are aware, I am not the biggest fan of having any fur ruff brushing my face. The Gormley lacks a 2-way adjustable tunnel hood design that normally allows sizing the "depth" of the hood (and subsequently how far the ruff is located away from the face). I knew this when I bought the jacket and was ready to evaluate how bad it was going to be. With the hood fastened completely during the entirety of my walk, yes, the fur did touch my face but it did not bother me as much as I had initially feared. After a while I stopped noticing it was touching me. I think we've made our peace with each other now.

The other negative is that I am accustomed to winter jackets (even my cheapest and non-fancy ones) having dual zippers. I honestly only have one use for them, but it's a handy one for when I need to urinate as soon as I arrive inside a public place (such as my workplace), where I normally don't have to unzip the whole jacket and can partially unzip the bottom zipper to access just the front of my pants. I will have to unzip the Gormley completely (due to its mid-thigh coverage/length) since CMFR uses a single zipper design.

There is nothing extremely groundbreaking or revolutionary on the Gormley. It just happens to have most or nearly all of the features I would like to see in an ideal winter jacket. As highlighted by the dozens of photos I have posted, the construction and materials are solid and well-chosen. I would not say they are better than their competitors in this respect, because honestly, once you reach a certain price point, the quality cannot rise any further. All of these companies have pretty much hit their ceiling, so any DECLINE in quality will be noticed.

For the price of $715.27 with free shipping, the Gormley is practically twice as costly as my next most expensive winter jacket, the Canada Goose Manitoba that I snagged off eBay for $380 with free shipping. I broke my promise to myself to never exceed that, and even then, that was a nearly 2x cost increase over the $200 Canada Goose Chilliwack I obtained prior to that. Is the Gormley worth that premium? So far I have been quite impressed with it, so in the long run it better live up to the challenge based solely on its staggering price, because my Manitoba also performs admirably for half the cost. I better end up liking the Gormley a lot.

Note: The price is only staggering because I am accustomed to finding insanely cheap jackets on the secondhand market and this is the first time buying one at "retail" cost. Here are some current 2011-2012 season prices for some long parkas from its competitors, disregarding performance/warmth:

-Canada Goose Chateau = $625 at the Sporting Life online store (authorized dealer of Canada Goose)
-Nobis Yatesy = $800 at the Nobis web store
-Moose Knuckles Stirling = $790 at the Moose Knuckles web store
-Outdoor Survival Canada Atka (mid-length parka) = $812 at the Downtown Down online store

I will be giving the Gormley as much wear as possible to see if my initial impressions change.