About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the jacket, which I purchased with my own money in January of 2023.

My take

The Armada Lunara Insulated Jacket is great for price-conscious consumers snowboarding in cold wintery conditions.

About the jacket I own

• Model: 2023 Lunara Insulated Jacket
• Size: Medium
• Fit: Runs very large. I usually wear Medium in most ski jackets, and I was surprised this jacket is huge on me and fits like a large or extra large and is quite long in the arms as well. I typically have difficulty with jackets not being long enough in the arms, and this jacket is very generous in that respect. The powder skirt comes down to mid-thigh. This is a very boxy oversized fit.

About me

• Height: 5’6”
• Weight: 135lbs
• Experience: 38 years of skiing

Test conditions

• When I bought this: January 2023
• Days tested: 1
• Where I’ve used it: Snowriver Mountain Resort, Western U.P., Michigan
• Conditions I’ve used it in: Partly sunny/cloudy day, packed powder. The actual temp was 13 degrees, and with windchill, it was probably below 8 degrees.

How it performs

What I was looking for

I’m always on the hunt for new gear that is fashionable and stylish. I work for our ski resort in the alpine race department and have kids who ski race. Whether I’m skiing, volunteering, or working on the hill, I like to wear ski jackets that are warm, functional, and look cute. It’s nice for me to have flexibility with the material while I’m skiing. I tend to run cold, and this jacket is well-insulated. The hood fits very well over my helmet when cinched tightly. It was a windy test day.

Why I chose this gear

I chose this jacket because it looked warm, cute, and stylish. I love how the hood fits perfectly over my ski helmet, and the jacket has lots of pockets. It even has a pass pocket on the lower sleeve of the jacket, which is nice for having them scanned. In addition, this jacket is surprisingly very breathable, and the underarm zippers unzip quite easily to allow for airflow mesh vents.

What I love about it

• Range of Motion: There is a lot of range of motion in this jacket as it’s great for a woman with a bigger build and much taller than I am. It comes down to my knees.
• Design: The jacket's design seems nice and functional. The design is very boxy, and I’m petite, so it doesn’t complement my figure and makes me look much larger. Unfortunately, I don’t feel very confident wearing it due to its bulkiness.
• Quality of Materials: The materials are of good quality and feel soft and sleek. The material is almost like a canvas which I think improves the quality of the jacket.
• Durability: The jacket seems to be made with high-quality materials and is durable, although I didn’t put a lot of stress on the jacket the day I first wore it. It seems like the product will last long, but time will only tell. The lower price point may reference a shorter life.
• Pockets: There are lots of nice pockets: one internal zippered pocket, two external front pockets that close with Velcro, and behind those, there are two deep zippered pockets. I find the pockets to be somewhat useful but big and bulky.
• Waterproofing: I wasn’t in precipitation while testing, but if I had to guess, it would be water-repellant.
• Breathability: This jacket is very well-ventilated. It has two ventilation zippers under each arm area that unzipped quite a bit to a mesh-like material.
• Warmth: The jacket was plenty warm for my body temperature on the day of testing. I wore two base layers and a heated vest and felt warm. The conditions were windy and cold, and I felt this jacket could withstand a storm day with no problem.
• Features: There are not many enhanced features on this particular jacket, most likely due to the lower price point. The jacket has an adjustable cord to tighten the hood around my helmet. Also, there is a nice powder skirt, but because the jacket ran quite large, it was more or less at my mid-thigh height instead of my waist, where it should be. The zippered airflow vents under the arms are another nice feature and offer great airflow when overheating. The hood was nice and large and easily cinched down over my helmet.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Fit: The fit of this jacket runs extremely large in the arms, chest, waist, and cuff. I typically always wear a women’s Medium, but the jacket felt like it could have been an XL. Unfortunately, this is very unflattering to my shape. I am sad about this because I really wanted the jacket to work well for my body shape and type. I wish this jacket were slightly slimming instead of so boxy and straight. Sadly, it felt very masculine to me and made me look huge.
• Style: I don’t love the camo design with lots of white dots or the color of this jacket for someone in my age demographic. It’s probably more suited to the 18-26-year-old age demographic and snowboarder-type jacket. I’m a skier. It seems like it’s more of a grunge look, which is not my style, and/or hanging out in the terrain park.
• Weight: The jacket is very heavy for a functional ski/board jacket. I am surprised by how heavy this jacket is. It would be difficult to pack it down if traveling.

Favorite moment with this gear

Overall, this jacket was very warm and breathable while I was skiing all day long at Snowriver Mountain Resort in the Western U.P. of Michigan in chilly conditions. It’s great for a storm day.

Value for the money vs. other options

The Armada Lunara Insulated Jacket is an excellent value for the money due to its price. However, I think Roxy’s Stated Insulated Snow Jacket and Roxy’s Meade Insulated Snow Jacket would be competitive options at a similar price point.

Final verdict

If someone is between 18-26 and very price-conscious, I think this is the perfect jacket for them. It leans more towards a snowboard jacket than a ski jacket because it is quite bulky and not a slim fit. It’s extremely warm and can withstand windy storm days and cold temps. It is very comfortable and allows for multiple layers underneath. Overall, this is an excellent quality jacket with lots of functionality and pockets.