Patagonia Rain Shadow Jacket - Women's - 2009 BCS

This jacket is truly sweet. Lightweight and waterproof. I just bought the white for my girlfriend, and she really likes it. She has been wearing it non stop, rain or shine. It's perfect for any cooler spring day because it's lightweight yet windproof. All the quality you'd expect from patagonia, and the "off white" color looks REALLY GOOD. Buy this before the sale ends!

This is the 5th rain jacket I've bought, and the only one I'm finally fully satisfied with. I'm finally happy. I am 5'2" and 115 pounds, muscular, solid build.

I started out with the Columbia Kona (size small), which I would have kept had the pockets had zippers.

Next I tried the North Face Venture in XS. It was shorter than I'd like, and also had a sort of exaggerated hourglass shape cut to it, which doesn't work for me.

Then I got the Marmot PreCip in XS. I was very pleased with the fit, but the hood was very... shallow? It didn't hang over my head at all; rather, it ended right at my hairline, which is no good in a rain jacket.

Then I tried the Merrell Venus (size small). I found the fit to be a little bit tighter than the XS Marmot. I would have kept this one, but the inside had a sort of sticky rubbery feel to it, as well as a funky smell. It felt more like a plastic coating and would have been uncomfortable to wear.

Finally, I ordered the Patagonia Rain Shadow in XS (and got a deal on it from another site for $100). It is long enough, fits me well, has zippered pockets, and the hood actually covers all of my head. It's perfect! I won't wear bulky layers underneath it; if it's that cold it's likely to be snowing, in which case I'll wear my winter jacket.

What a great rain jacket!! Love the sleeve length too (I tend to have long arms and these sleeves are perfect!!) Great for layering over a fleece if it's chilly out. Hood is also a nice size. Recommend highly!

I was torn between this jacket and the North Face Venture and Marmot Precip. I decided to go with the Patagonia because it was on sale thus making the price difference negligible. I wasn't expecting much because the North Face and Marmot jackets were made of pretty flimsy material (I was seriously worried that I would rip the jacket if it got caught on a sharp branch), but I was more than pleased with the Patagonia jacket. It just feels more durable than the other two - but then again it is Patagonia and their stuff has always been top notch - and for that reason alone, I probably would have paid full price and not been upset over it. But hey, I won't turn down a sale.

I am 5'6" and 135. I usually get a small in Patagonia and size up to medium in North Face because nothing seems to fit me in the arms and shoulders, but I always seem to be swimming in Patagonia jackets because they seem to be boxy. That being said, the medium fits me almost perfectly; I have enough room to layer up underneath with my R1, and I don't feel like it is too big if I have on just a tshirt. Although Patagonia says it is regular cut, I find it to be a little bit slimmer than my other jackets (but in a good way). My only complaint is that the arm length is a little bit long in the medium, even for me (easily fixed by tightening the sleeve). The jacket zips all the way up past my chin. Some people love that, some people don't. Me? Love it.

Side note (and I think someone mentioned this earlier), but the white is not white white. It is off-white, almost a little grey maybe? It looks great, and it keeps me dry whether I'm running, biking, or just happen to go out on a rainy day.

Bought this jacket (in purple) because our CLEMSON football team had 5 rainy football games in a row and I was tired of getting soaked! So on the 6th rainy game, I stayed completely dry from tailgate to game to tailgate again while wearing this jacket! Definitely recommend it!!!!

This jacket is AWESOME! Fits and looks great over t-shirts or hoodies and keeps me dry no matter what. I highly recommend it!

It says "eat me bears i'm a dlicius lima been"
in seriusness though the hood contor looks good and it would probably be warm and efficiant -and if you had a tragic skiing axident in it they would be abile to see you from the air.

This is a really well made jacket--typical of Patagonia quality. I really wanted it to work, but the sizing was just off for me. I ordered a small, which is my normal size, but this jacket swallowed me. I am 5'4" and 105 lbs. Even with layers underneath it was big. When zipped up, it covered my face all the way to my nose. I sent it back and decided to try the XS. Well unfortunately it was a bit small. If the sizing works for you, it would be a nice jacket. If not, I would recommend the Arcteryx Beta SL and the Mountain Hardwear Epic.

I'm 5'1" 100lbs, chest 32, hips 35. The jacket in XS was MUCH too big overall even with a long sleeve shirt and an Arcteryx fleece underneath. The jacket was very well constructed though and the plum color is gorgeous.