this jacket feels comfortable at a varied and extensive temperature range. it's very light and airy and compressible. breathes terribly well, and in a freezing windy 29degrees this jacket coupled with a capilene base layer and a fleece r3 hat, should keep you very warm.
(the first negative comment on Patagonia--a co. i love for its core values activism and gear: on certain gear (size small were my samples)there seems to be little attention to detail. Patagonia may say that this is because their gear is for rugged lifetime wear and it doesn't affect the function of the jacket for instance; plus, the quality material and construction are guaranteed for a lifetime... however, as i was saying, it seems that some of the m's light weight r4's have a visibly crooked chest zipper stitching, flack fleece, asymetrical seam unions, and zipper teeth of that are the wrong color... unfortunately i found this to be the case in a stainless and royal lwr4 in size small.

Currently, I have several R2s and an R4 as well as several similar Arc'teryx jackets. The cut on the lightweight R4 is similar to the R4 and provide plenty of room. If you're looking for a trimmer fit, buy Arc'teryx.
The LW R4 is not as warm as the regular R4 and stretches better (just like the folks at Patagonia said) and worked great under a shell snowboarding two weeks ago (28 degrees w/ 40mph gusts). It's embarrassing how many Patagonia items I own but this has already proven to be one more outstanding addition to the collection.

I've had an R2 jacket for almost four years now and it keeps me just as warm now as the day I bought it, but it wasn't meant to be worn without a shell in windy conditions, and I wanted a jacket that would cut the wind. I found a winner when I bought my Lightweight R4. The jacket looks great and is extremely functional. It weighs a little more than a traditional fleece because of the Windstopper lamination, but it's worth it when the wind starts to bite - plus it weighs less than a fleece and a shell together. The DWR coating plus the jacket's wicking abilities keep you dry if it starts to sprinkle, but don't push your luck with it...take a shell if you know it's going to rain. When you start to warm up the mesh lined pockets provide excellent ventilation without unzipping the main zipper and dumping all of your heat. The jacket will keep you warm above 45 degrees if you're not moving much, and keep you toasty down past freezing if you get moving - without the bulk and weight of the original R4. It's priced competitively, so like every other technical windproof fleece, I suggest looking for it on sale. But if you're willing to pay full price to finish filling your closet of fleece jackets it's definitely worth the money.

This jacket is excellent for warmth and wind protection, but becomes wet very easily. Even though it is lighter and more compressible than the original R4, it still takes up as much room as my tent in my pack. The fit is very specific, so try on before thinking about a size. I now use it as an expensive city jacket, but wish it was more versatile.

I bought this piece on the recommendations of my local fly fishing outfitter. I have always liked Patagonian clothing, but have found other brands, Mountain Hardware and Arcteryx to be of equal or better quality. But I am please with the Patagonian Lightweight R4 Jacket. It will work great with my fly fishing waders in meeting my warmth needs in fall and winter. This site, as usual, gave great service and has a decent and navigable site.

This fleece has been great for everyday use. I live in Wisconsin, and I have worn my R4 almost every day from October through April. It blocks the wind in the winter, but doesn't overheat in the fall and spring. One of my favorite things about the jacket is the fit. I'm a fairly small guy, (5'8" 145lb) and I like form fitting clothing, and this jacket fits perfectly, but is not restricting at all. The only potential downfalls of this jacket is that the zippers look flimsy. However, after 8 or 9 months of daily wear, the zippers are showing no signs of wear. Overall, my favorite article of clothing.

Thin and light, there is no way this product is from this planet! It is very, very warm--so warm in fact it might be a bit much for all but the coolest environments. Excellent fitted style and long enough for my 6'2" frame.

Originally I had misgivings as this jacket did not seem warm enough. After 4 months on, I have come to appreciate it when climbing in cold gusty conditions. With underarm stretch panels this jacket breathes under exertion, something that you could never accuse the original R4 of. Even with an additional layer it's less bulky than the R4 and it's more fashionable for round town use. However as soon as the temperature drops, it's back to my trusty R4.

This review is for the Patagonia Men's R4 jacket. This is my third Patagonia fleece. I've had 2 Retro-X Fleeces and this R4 makes the third. I love the addition of the drawcord at the hem. Although on my older Retro X's it didn't really need them. The fleece was still very warm. But still the drawcord is a nice new touch. Plus the elastic on my retro is not as fitted as when I first purchased the fleece. But believe me, it’s still plenty warm. Bottom line, Patagonia makes the best fleeces out there. Since I started wearing my Patagonia a few years ago I have not bought any other fleece for the winter. Except my Mountain Hardwear Windstopper Tech jacket. Which is not too warm like the Retro and R4 but just good enough to keep that wind off of you. Really though the R4 is a toasty, warm, snuggly comfortably jacket. PLUS!!! It’s windproof. Which means you’re not warm until a nice wind comes and goes right through the jacket. I live in New York and the winters here aren't too bad but I find myself for most of the winter just being comfortable and warm just wearing my R4 or Retro X. Unless it rains of course. North Face is no competition, Marmot, Lowe Alpine, none of these manufacturers make a fleece like Patagonia. They’re the warmest fleeces next to straight up down insulation.

The only thing I don't like or, I should say, really miss is nylon or taslan on reinforcing areas like the shoulders or elbows and cuffs. But really even though these areas don't have this the jackets really hold up well. And why don't their fleeces have pit zips? A lot of people ask the question as to why Patagonia does this. I think its jus because they don't want to be like everyone else in their looks and styling. Which they’re doing a good job of, because they don't. I'm pretty sure 9 if not 10 out of 10 people will love the R4 jacket and any other Patagonia fleece.

I gave this jacket a 4 because I couldn't give it a 4.5. I didn't give it a 5 cuz nothing is perfect. But hey it's still a very , very, good jacket. A lil expensive, but good.

I bought the Lightweight R4 in Feb 06 because my old The North Face fleece didn't hold off the wind at all. Haven't had a chance to test it in the wild yet, but I've been really impressed how warm/windproof it is for its light weight and thin design. My only concern is the lack of nylon reinforcement for high-wear areas. Hopefully I'm proven wrong, but I can see it wearing out quickly in the elbows and cuffs.

I bought these jackets for our ultralight instructors. All three of us fly nearly every day in an open cockpit aircraft... normal cruising speed is 70mph; outside air temp ranges from 70-85 degrees; wind chill, I'd say, ranges from 50-75 degrees.
All three of us love the jacket. It is well made and definitely blocks the wind and keeps you warm. The only bad point I've heard so far is one of our pilots says he gets a bit cold in his armpits when he sweats while flying. A nice mod to this jacket would be a removable pit liner.... easy enough to add on yourself. We've used Mountain Hardwear's similar jacket, and it's not nearly as warm as Patagonia's.
All in all, well worth the $$. Comes in many colors.... mens and womens.... we like em !!!

Love this jacket. Great for use in town or in the mountains. Wore this over a synthetic turtleneck and under a windbreaker at Breckenridge in -22F wind chill. Kept me warm on the chairlift. It' s bulky to pack, but has the warmth of a lightweight down jacket with the ability to take on some moisture. Liked it so much I bought one for my son.

This is a wonderful jacket; fitted but roomy, great style and plenty of pockets. Haven't needed in the wind yet, but I can imagine it will do the job it needs to do.

My first order on line ever was this Christmas. As usual in my dealings with computers I messed up the order and mistakingly hit medium instead of extra large(this is why I don't usually order on line). When I called they couldn't of been more helpful or kind!! Immediately the correct item was sent and received for Christmas. Unfortunately, it still did not fit, still not a worry, I called they told me exactly what had to be done to give me full credit. I just placed my second order online.