Patagonia Stretch Ascent Jacket - Men's - 2009 BCS

hi there, thanks for the question. The Patagonia Stretch Ascent Jacket here is designed specifically for Alpine Climbing, and to be used with a harness. the arms are gusseted to keep the jacket from riding up when reaching. The pockets are raised so they can be accessed above a pack strap or a harness, and the waist itself contours in a bit to minimize bulk when strapped in. Hope that helps!

VV,

A Medium should fit you very well and give enough room for your other layers.

Happy trails!

The Arcteryx Beta AR has a more generous cut while the Stretch Ascent is more of an athletic fit. I'd also generally advise you put the Rab Xenon on top of the patagonia jacket for when you're not moving. Of course, if you are using it, its probably when its cold enough that precipitation is in the form of snow, so you shouldn't have to worry about it getting too wet.

Its a great piece for downhill skiing, I have used it for 20+ days already this season. It is very light weight so plan on layering appropriately

The Stretch Ascent is a great piece for downhill skiing for sure! Totally windproof, and totally waterproof as well.

This jacket is definitely burlier, and much stretchier than the alpha sl. Also, I'd say that the fit is quite similar to other Arc'teryx products. Its a great shell. My go to for everything. Hope that helps!

I'm 6'1 and 170 and I wear a medium, using this primarily as a warmer months rain shell. If you are planning on using it for the winter month over heavier layers, the medium might be a little constricting and you may want to size up to a Large. It is cut pretty slim, which you may find great for your build, depending on your intended use.

Thanks a lot, medium it is!

You sound like you are built very similar to my climbing partner, and he wears a medium in this jacket. Also for further reference, I am about 6'1 190, and I wear a large in this jacket. This is both of ours shell of choice. I'm sure you will love it! Hope that helps.

I'm 6'1 190 lbs, and I wear a large with plenty of room for a down midlayer and fleece underneath. My climbing partner is nearly the same size that you are (6' 145 lbs), and he wears the small with plenty of room. If I was you I would definitely not go larger than a medium. Its a great jacket! I'm sure you'll love it!

The fit is pretty standard in the chest and arms. It narrows quite a bit in the waist. If you are not wearing a tremendous amount of insulation I would probably stick with the medium. I am 5'9" 210 and wear a sweater underneath.

You might bump one size up from your normal Patagonia size if you want to get an R4 under the Stretch Ascent. It is cut pretty slim, and the R4 is a bulky jacket. At 6'1 and 170 I wear a medium in the Stretch Ascent and start to feel a little claustrophobic with my R2 underneath. I would move to a Large if this were my primary winter months shell. Hope that helps.

It might be a little snug, but you should be just fine layering your R4 with the Stretch Ascent here. It'll be a very warm combo for sure!

Hey there, The Stretch Ascent would be great climbing jacket. Lightweight, packable, and good wind and water protection. Hope this helps! good luck on the climbs as well.

Nick, the Stretch Ascent here or the Patagonia Stretch Element would be great choices. If you're going to be in heavy rain I might go with the Stretch Element since it's a 3 layer jacket. The Stretch Ascent might be a bit better for mountaineering and Snowboarding as it's a little more breathable and the fabric has more stretch to it

The stretch ascent large fits beautifully over the same size down sweater. I would caution about using the right temp mid-layer though - I use the R4, R3, Down Shirt, and Down Sweater at various temps to avoid collecting perspiration inside the shell. The powder bowl jacket has a mesh inner layer that helps to avoid the thermal bridging that happens with this coat sometimes due to its lack of a liner as a capillary break. That said, when you are looking at the powder bowl expect a much heavier outer layer that is not really suited for much beyond resort skiing/snowboarding. Hope that helps.

I had to go up a size to get mine to fit over my down sweater with a layer under that. If you went the same size, it'll probably be a bit tight, restricting movement.

Stretch Ascent is going to have more stretch, and a slightly different cut (more roomy) than the MHW. Also, the material is different (GTX Paclite vs H2NO). In my extensive experience with both materials, both are just as waterproof, yet I found that the Paclite breathes better (for me).

For me the Stretch Ascent will be more comfy (stretch), has an internal pocket (a must have) and is cut slightly longer.

Don't get me wrong, my dedicated rain/techinical shell remains my MHW Xenon (now Amalgam), but for something a bit less technical, the Stretch Ascent is the bomb-diggity.

Either way, I don't think you can go wrong. Just see which fits best in the arms, torso and hood.

the Ascentionist and the Stretch Ascent offer similar stretch for mobility, and a similar fit. The Stretch Ascent is going to perform better in wet weather conditions since it's a hardshell with H2No waterproofing, and the Ascentionist is going to be more breathable since it's a soft shell, but does have a great DWR coating and does well in snowy conditions.

The Stretch Ascent sheds water with the best (the Deluge DWR coating is THE best DWR I've ever seen) but its breathability comes in below Gore Pro-Shell and Event. It does breathe ALMOST that well, though, and there is a good amount of venting to be had with the mesh lined pockets and pit zips. The fabric is good and tough if you are tangling with trees and it packs down small. An event jacket should have the edge in fabric breathability and the waterproofing is about the same, unless you are in a test lab torturing the fabrics. Hope that helps, or at least sheds a little extra light.

It sounds like the Stretch Ascent is just what you're looking for. It's going to block out moisture much better than anything from event, and breathe just as well -- perfect for backcountry skiing in wet conditions.

This is just a shell, similar to the eVent. You're probably interested in the insulated jackets here: http://www.backcountry.com/store/group/100000115/Mens-Synthetic-Insulation-Jackets.html

hey there, I'd recommend you check out the Patagonia Stretch Element, it's a more comparable jacket the the beryllium in features, design, and intended use.

The shelter stone is a 3-layer shell, Patagonia's burliest all-mountain jacket. The Stretch Ascent is a 2-layer (2.5 including the printed on .5 layer) minimalist climbing and alpinist jacket. The shelter stone has got more pockets, a zipper storm flap and more room for layers and is heavier at 22+ ounces. The Stretch ascent is slim fitting jacket with two external and one internal pocket, and not a whole lot else, coming in at 16 ounces. BOTTOM LINE: for packability and freedom of movement over light layers --Stretch Ascent. For a heavy duty jacket that will handle the worst weather and allow for heavier layers -- the Selter Stone is your jacket. Hope that helps.

both jackets would work great for the climbs up Rainier and Shasta. The Shelter Stone is a little burlier shell and would provide a little more protection when it's super wet and nasty out, and the Stretch Ascent is lighter weight, more packable, and has a little more stretch to accomodate movement. Both are completely waterproof and breathable.