Patagonia Speed Ascent Jacket - Men's - 2009 BCS

No, it's not entirely waterproof, and it's a little on the heavy side, but it's a fantastic jacket. I got it in February of this year and skied in it down to about 10 degrees with just a wool shirt and a Patagonia R1 underneath and it was great. Breathed like a marathon runner on the long hikes and kept me warm in deep pow (regardless of the lack of skirt) and whiteout wind. The hood is big enough to fit over my Variant Brim helmet and still move fairly well, and the rest of the jacket moves really well in twisty jump turns and trees when you need flexibility. My only gripes are that the pockets have no insulation and that the hood blocks out sound TOO well. It's actually irritating when you're walking around town with friends and the hood up and you can't hear anything that's being said. Other than those minor gripes, I wear it whenever I can. Windproof, welded seams, fuzzy and warm inside, why not wear it?

I was looking for a jacket that fit well, warm, could break the wind, and most importantly, not bulky. I am a slim guy and have had trouble finding coats that fit my body type. Patagonia has proven itself trustworthy in fitting well in the slim cataloger. After getting it and trying it on I immediately fell in love with it. The fleece that lines the inside of the coat, that does not zip out, is soft, comfy, and warm. It doesn't bunch up and hinder slipping the coat on and off easily. I bought it as a winter coat, and with a couple of layers including a light long sleeve shirt under the coat kept me warm in the Chicago cold. The shell does very well at breaking the wind, but is a "soft shell". It isn't Gore Tex but does shed the water reasonably well. After wearing it in the rain for a while one day it did begin to soak through the shell, but i did stay dry. My only complaint is that the pockets are not lined with the same comfy, warm fleece that lines the jacket. Over all I am very satisfied with the purchase, and was worth the money that i paid for it.

This jacket is NOT a softshell jacket. I was looking to replace a Arc'teryx gamma SV and have previously owned an Arc'teryx easy rider jacket. I went for this because I always liked the extra fury fleece inside the easy rider and this seemed nice.

It has a VERY thin face material, think wind breaker at best. This is why I say it's not a softshell. The term usually applies to stuff made of powershield or something pretty thick and durable. Don't think this will hold up to any real abuse at all.

Also pretty concerned about when this thing gets wet. It's so thin that as soon as it starts soaking through you will be miserable. At least with a traditional softshell you have a minute before you get really wet.