I needed a new jacket to wear on my trip to Italy, so the week before I left I spent a couple of hours in Marks Work Wearhouse in Charlottetown; I ended up buying a WindRiver Microfleece Windproof Softshell Jacket.

The jacket is basically the same general idea as the Polarfleece jackets from REI that I’ve been wearing for the past several years, but it’s got a wind-proof lining which means that I can wear it almost year-round.

It’s well-equipped with pockets, sized just right, and it’s comfortable. What more could I want?

Well, perhaps for it to not start falling apart after three days.

The inside pocket zippers were the first to go — they simply came off the rails because their “zipper ends” weren’t properly stitched into place. Then the main zipper started to come off the rails too, and the fabric inside the outer pockets started to fray.

I might understand this if I was driving the jacket hard — climbing mountains, running the Iditarod, etc. — but I was simply moving about my regular everyday life.

Now I know that I shouldn’t expect the world for $49.99. But three days of use out of a jacket isn’t acceptable wear at any price.

The jacket’s going back to Mark’s this afternoon. I’ve got an email into MEC looking for suggestions about a replacement.