Patagonia product reviews

The Patagonia R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody.

Review: Patagonia R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody

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Fleece Hoody
Patagonia R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody
$199, 12.5 oz./354g (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s XS-XXL, women’s XXS-XL, kids XS-XXL
backcountry.com

Here’s an axiom of outdoor layering systems that will never change: No piece of outdoor apparel offers more versatility than a highly breathable, midweight insulation layer. It’s very possible that the only “layer” you will wear more is your skin. Find a highly breathable midweight hoody or jacket that’s soft and fits like it was custom made for your torso and you have something that may spend more time on your body than in your closet—and few compare with Patagonia’s R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody’s versatility for almost any outdoor user, from hard-core backpackers, climbers, and backcountry skiers to the average dayhiker or fitness walker, as I have found time and again wearing it backpacking, dayhiking, various forms or skiing, and camping, as well as countless days around town.

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The Patagonia Terravia 28L.

Review: Patagonia Terravia 28L Daypack

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Daypack
Patagonia Terravia 28L
$169, 28L/1,770 c.i., 1 lb. 10 oz./737.1g (medium)
Sizes: unisex S-L
backcountry.com

On dayhikes from Capitol Reef National Park to bagging Borah Peak, Idaho’s highest, Patagonia’s Terravia 28L stood out for having the capacity for longer outings, along with good access and durability, while weighing just over 1.5 pounds—a level of capacity and versatility not often seen at that weight.

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The Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody.

Review: Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody

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Ultralight Insulated Hooded Jacket
Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody
$345, 10 oz./283.5g (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s XS-3XL, women’s XXS-XXL
backcountry.com

Since getting my first Micro Puff Hoody when Patagonia rolled it out eight years ago, I have zipped into this lightweight, synthetic jacket in countless circumstances that include: sitting at campsites on cool, windy evenings and mornings while backpacking in the Wind River Range and on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim; wind blowing over 40 mph while belaying a climbing partner and in camp at Idaho’s City of Rocks; on winter days (wearing it under a shell) when skiing downhill in the backcountry; and at kids’ soccer games on blustery autumn and spring days.

Most recently, I wore the latest update of the Micro Puff Hoody on three mornings in the 40s Fahrenheit on an August backpacking trip in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains; and three mornings and evenings in the 40s and 50s Fahrenheit, with strong wind at times, on a late March backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon—affirming again that it remains one of the lightest and most versatile insulated jackets on the market, and remarkably warm for its weight.

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The Patagonia Fitz Roy Down Hoody.

Review: Patagonia Fitz Roy Down Hoody

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Down Jacket
Patagonia Fitz Roy Down Hoody
$399, 15 oz./425.2g (women’s small; men’s medium is 17 oz./482g)
Sizes: men’s XS-3XL, women’s 2XS-2XL
backcountry.com

From backpacking trips in the Canadian Rockies and Oregon, hut treks in New Zealand, and spring and summer camping and climbing trips in Idaho’s Sawtooth Valley and Oregon’s Smith Rock State Park, to countless days of resort skiing at Oregon’s Mount Bachelor and in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains, plus days of backcountry ski touring, my college-student daughter has stayed warm in Patagonia’s Fitz Roy Down Hoody in temperatures down to around freezing—while demonstrating this hooded jacket’s versatility.

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The Patagonia Black Hole Pack 32L.

Review: Patagonia Black Hole Pack 32L Travel Pack

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Travel Pack
Patagonia Black Hole Pack 32L
$169, 32L/1,831 c.i., 1 lb. 12.6 oz./810g
One size
backcountry.com

If you’re like me, whenever you’re flying somewhere for a few days, maybe a week or more, you ask yourself the same question: Can I do this without checking luggage? Not only do I loathe paying a luggage fee, but I don’t want to give an airline the opportunity to lose my luggage. Plus, I like the convenience, low expense, and the ethically and morally correct choice (in this age of climate crisis) of using public transportation to and from airports—which is really only feasible when carrying one small, light, portable bag or pack. For me, the carry-on of choice is the Patagonia Black Hole Pack 32L.

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