At a glance
Plusses: Three-layer comfort and durability, lightweight, price.
Minuses: Bulky when packed, warm.

Weight: 394g (m), 354g (w) 

Features: Made from Patagonia’s three-layer waterproof/breathable H2No fabric, of which the face fabric is recycled nylon. There’s a roll-down two-way-adjustable hood with a laminated visor. A microfleece-lined neck adds comfort. The large centre zipper has external and internal storm flaps to keep water out. Zippers on the handwarmer pockets and underarm pit-zips are protected by external storm flaps. The jacket stuffs into its pocket. 

Fit: It has a loose tramping-style fit that allows layers to be worn comfortably underneath. The jacket hangs to the top of the thigh, providing decent coverage. 

Comfort: The jacket has none of the clammy feeling you can get with lighter two or 2.5-layer jackets, making that extra layer worth its weight when it comes to next-to-skin comfort. Because it’s heavier, I felt myself warming up inside it more quickly than I might with a lighter jacket. The pit-zips help to alleviate this. 

In use: The jacket feels super durable and it was comforting to haul on my pack and know nothing I was going to do that day would poke holes in it or leave any mark whatsoever.

The roll-down hood has rear and side drawcord adjustment for a customised fit and I liked the soft-touch lining that kept the back of my neck warm.

Crucially for me (because I like to carry a map on my person), the two handwarmer pockets were big enough to accommodate my Topo50.
In heavy downpours, the jacket performed as expected and I stayed completely dry. Where I struggled was in humid conditions where the jacket’s breathability couldn’t match my perspiration rate. The pit-zips helped dump excess heat, but there was no escaping it.

Stuffed into its pocket, the jacket becomes a bulky parcel.

One thing that stands out, even with all the features – pockets, roll down adjustable hood, pit-zips and three-layers – is it’s amazingly light weight. 

Value: A durable three-layer jacket for $250 represents incredible value for money. 

Verdict: Hardwearing and with environmentally-friendly construction, this is a miraculously light jacket considering its rich feature-set.