Patagonia Rain Shadow Review

Likes
We really liked the way this jacket looks. As far as rain jackets go this one is as attractive as they come. We thought that because the zippers lacked any type of storm flap the jacket has a cleaner look than its competitors whose zippers have a flap of fabric covering them. The best thing about the zippers is that they are coated with a waterproof coating that actually keeps all the water out. The cut and fit of the jacket are also spot on. We could wear the jacket comfortably with a layer or two underneath, and it still looked good when thrown quickly over a t-shirt. The Rain Shadow is also pretty darn comfortable for a rain shell. It’s got a little bit of micro-fleece along the collar making it slightly cozy and it just flat out fits well.

We found the Rain Shadow to be totally waterproof. We tested the jacket in everything from Bay Area misty foggy nastiness, to warmer Southern California downpours, to Truckee autumn almost frozen miserableness and the jacket kept all moisture at bay. We never felt any seepage or leakage, even at potential problem areas such as the zippers and along the seams. The waterproof zipper coating is effective and all the seams are taped up tight. Simply put, Patagonia’s 2.5 layer H2No fabric does the trick.

The jacket is really light; the lightest jacket we tested in fact. At about 11.4 oz. it would be your best bet if you need a super light rain shell. We liked the design of the hood and the way that it fit our head. Fitting a helmet in there would be a super tight squeeze and would likely alter the effectiveness of the hood. The cinches for the waist are right in front, and straightforward, making it super easy to tighten up the bottom of the jacket. The cuffs tighten with simple Velcro, and do a good job of sealing up tight.

Dislikes
One of the coolest features on the jacket is also one of the biggest problems with it: the zippers. The waterproof coating on the zippers makes them look totally cool and eliminates extra fabric on the coat, but also makes the zippers really hard to operate, particularly on the pit zips. We found the pit zips almost impossible to operate with one hand … so basically impossible to use. The only thing that we noticed was that the zippers did start to loosen up after a lot of use, so maybe they will break in well.

We also found that, while we liked the design of the hood itself, the hood tightening system left something to be desired. Let me explain: the loose ends of the elastic tightening cord inside the hood are located inside the collar. This means that to tighten the hood up you have to unzip the collar. Kind of a pain if you are putting the hood on in the rain and have to let some water in/heat out to tighten up the hood.

In an effort to craft the lightest possible rain jacket, Patagonia eliminated the need for more than two pockets on the Rain Shadow. While the pockets themselves are pretty cool (they’re made of the waterproof material that the jacket is so that whatever is in the pocket doesn’t get wet from you condensation) Patagonia also eliminated the ability for the Rain Shadow to pack inside one of its own pockets. We found this strange as it is one of the only rain jackets we’ve ever seen that doesn’t pack up small inside its own pocket. What’s the point of making such a light jacket if it doesn’t pack down small?

A Note on Breathability:
None of the rain jackets that we tested proved to be very breathable. Almost all of the jackets boast a “waterproof breathable technology” of some kind, but please interpret these claims loosely. We found that when we wore the jackets for any kind of high exertion activity (and we pointedly took at least one hard 1 hour run in each jacket… in the rain, In addition to climbing in them, hiking in them, walking in them and biking in them) we found that we were promptly creating our own weather inside the jacket. The only thing that saved us from our self-made monsoon was the fact that each jacket we tested had pit zips to let out some of moisture.

Some of the jackets also had larger mesh-lined pockets that can be left open and, when coupled with the pit zips, significantly helped with the jacket’s breathability. The Rain Shadow is not one of these jackets. As mentioned above, the pockets of the Rain Shadow are made of the same “waterproof breathable” fabric that the rest of the jacket is. As such, the Rain Shadow jacket was one of the least breathable jackets we tested.

Best Application
Any activity in wet or rainy conditions; around town use. Can also cross over as a shell for skiing or other winter activities, but layer up. As with all rain jackets, breathability is poor so layer with a synthetic base layer in high intensity adventures or suffer the clammy consequences.

Value
At $180 this is most expensive jacket we tested. Considering the bare bones design, and lack of convenient features such as packing down small, we wouldn’t call it a good deal.

Other Versions
Patgonia Torrenthell – Slightly heavier, $60 less