I have never used Patagonia gear before, and I was told that this was the best stuff for your money. I have used Hot Chilly's for years, and have been pleased with the warmth to weight ratio. With that said, I was a bit skeptical about the R1, being that it was about double the price of the Hot Chilly's gear.

WOW! What a difference. First of all, I am a tall skier (6'4"), which means that I need my gear to go all the way to the bottom of my legs. The Hot Chilly gear shrunk heavily after heavy usage, but still worked. But let’s face it, when your shirt is riding up all day long, you get sick of pulling it down. I never once had that problem with the Patagonia R1 gear.

My wife and I went skiing at Keystone, Colorado, and Vail Colorado in February of 2006, and it was quite cold (-15 to -20) the first days that we were there. The R1 gear performed flawlessly. We were warm, and when it heated up later in the week, we could wear our fleece shells with the R1 underneath, thus shedding the hardshell weight (it got up to 40 mid week, crazy winter this year).

I would highly recommend the Patagonia R1 gear if you are looking for a quality garment, that will keep you warm, and will make it through your entire day (from the hot runs, to your cold sits on the lift). ONE IMPORTANT NOTE - Make sure to wash the gear before you wear it. I did not wash my gear, and it left a funky brown residue on the inside of my Arc’teryx Minuteman Bib pants. I was not happy about that. Other than that, you will be happy that you made the purchase. Money well spent!

Great piece, it’s lightweight yet warm. Great for cool days or as a layer on cold ones.

This is an excellent piece of clothing for the outdoors. I wore it while winter backpacking on Mt LeConte in the Smokey’s and it performed wonderfully. I love Patagonia gear. This is another quality addition to their lineup and my outdoor clothing.

The Patagonia R1 is simply the best insulation layer. Depending on the conditions, I will wear a wicking T-shirt (Patagonia Silk weight, or R.5), then the R1 Flash Pullover. Depending on the activity, I will wear the proper shell. 90% of the time I will wear a soft-shell, i.e. Cloudveil’s Serendipity jacket for ice climbing, or for heinous conditions, I go with a Gore-Tex shell. Either way, the R1 is key.