REASONS TO BUY
Excellent DWR
Good storm protection
Looks sharp
Great fit
Well-designed hood
Stuffs into a reversible zippered pocket
REASONS TO AVOID
Clammier than some
Average performance
Patagonia Rainshadow Review
A step above the most basic options, it's at home on a week-long backpacking trip or on a rainy cruise to the market
Credit: Patagonia
RELATED: Best Rain Jackets for Men of 2024
Our Verdict
The Patagonia Rainshadow is a great all-around rain jacket at a respectable price. With a price just slightly above the most basic options, it offers solid performance when it comes to weather protection and breathability. The Rainshadow will keep you dry on extended backpacking trips and will still provide the style you might be after for a trip to the farmers market. This versatile jacket is ideal for those willing to spend a bit more than the cost of a basic model in exchange for performance that is better, but not on par with a much more expensive model. While there are more functional or higher-performing models, the Rainshadow offers more than enough performance for most adventures.
Our Analysis and Test Results
Performance Comparison
The Rainshadow is a step above most basic 2.5-layer priopriatary models but its cost is also a little more too. It is perfect for those who demand a little more out of their jacket but are willing to pay a little more.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Water Resistance
The Rainshadow uses Patagonia's proprietary H2No in a 3-layer construction that offers some of the better weather protection for its price. Even directly compared to the Patagonia Torrentshell 3L, which in theory is made of the same fabric, this model repeatedly took notably longer to wet out in every single one of our tests. In fact, this model took the cake for weather protection among proprietary fabrics used on a sub $200 shell.
Patagonia's 3-layer H2No fabric is above average for weather protection and vastly outperformed more basic price-oriented 2.5-layer options. All of our testers were impressed by the longevity of this model's DWR.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Its DWR impressed our review team. It provided a like new DWR, even after several months of relatively heavy wear. Its front zipper is watertight and features a full-sized rain gutter that kept the water off our shirt, even during our garden hoses tests.
This model features three points that help it to accommodate a wide range of headwear from a baseball cap to our bare head. While it has a versatile hood, it did not fit very comfortably over a bike or climbing helmet.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Hood Design
The Rainshadow offers a nice, functional hood design, which does a great job of cinching down around our heads — without reducing our peripheral vision. It cinches in three points to accommodate a wide variety of headwear but didn't fit very comfortably over a bike or climbing helmet.
Our review team loved the hood design, which did an excellent job of cinching down without reducing peripheral vision. It moved with our heads as we looked side-to-side.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Breathability and Venting
The Rainshadow offers noticeably better breathability than nearly all the basic, price-oriented 2.5 layer models, but doesn't quite offer the same performance as the higher-end models, which is to be expected.
We aren't sure if it was the tricot liner or its 3-layer construction, but it felt less clammy than many other models in its price range.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
To increase breathability, the Rainshadow feature two pit zips, which are an excellent way to dump heat and moisture. Our testers are impressed with Patagonia's design, as we were able to keep these zips all the way open, with little to no water being allowed inside.
The Rainshadow features two average-sized pit zips; they were positioned in such a way that they allowed very little water to get in from the outside, enabling us to dump heat even while it was raining.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Comfort & Mobility
The Rainshadow checked in average overall compared to the competition and was generally less clammy than most basic 2.5 layer coated models. For those accustomed to basic $100 shells, you will undoubtedly find this to be an upgrade.
A nice upgrade from more basic options, the Rainshadow provides decent but not exceptional freedom of movement. It boasts well-designed articulation and a good fit.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
The Rainhadow's mobility is respectable and above average. Its fabric doesn't really feature much stretch, but it offers nice articulation and an action-focused fit. This model is far from restrictive and will provide enough freedom of movement for all but the most demanding users.
Our testers could reach forward without our sleeves pulling back and raise our arms up without the hem of the jacket lifting too much.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Pocket Design
The Rainshadow offers one Napolean-style chest pocket and two lower handwarmer pockets. The handwarmer pockets aren't really raised and are generally not super useable with a backpack with a hip belt on. They are low enough profile that they didn't pinch us, even if they became pinched under the waistbelt of a loaded pack.
These handwarmer pockets aren't really raised and aren't very useable with a backpack on. We did find that they are low enough profile that they didn't pinch much, even under the waistbelt of a loaded pack.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Weight
This model weighs about 14 ounces, which is pretty middle-of-the-road. It isn't ultralight, but it isn't heavy either, and is plenty light enough for most backpacking, hiking, mountaineering, or other human-powered adventures. It's also still light enough to be considering a “just-in-case” shell, which can live in the bottom of your pack on day hikes, ready for an unexpected thunderstorm. It is lighter than most “heavy-duty” 3-layer jackets and is only a few ounces heavier than the majority of options we tested.
Packed Size
Like many of Patagonia's products, this one stuffs into this model's left-front handwarmer pocket, which doubles as a stuff sack. Unlike many other models that offer a similar design, this Rainshadow's pocket is sized to compress the jacket into a reasonable size. After polling our testing team, 100% of them would rather have a reversible stuff pocket take more energy to compress the jacket if it meant the finished package was more compact in nature. Similar to most Patagonia products, the stuff sack has a carabiner clip-in loop to hang it off your harness or wherever you please.
The Rainshadow packs smaller than average and can be seen here on the far right.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
The Rainshadow offers average compressibility. It packs down plenty small enough to keep most backpackers and hikers satisfied.
The Rainshadow packs down in a reversible zippered pocket. While it took a little more effort to pack it away, we appreciated that the pocket compressed it down nicely.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Durability
This model uses a 30-denier 100% recycled nylon stretch ripstop face with Patagonia's proprietary PU H2No membrane and a tricot backer, which provides for decent durability. It held up to overgrown trails and some alpine rock climbing reasonably well and proved average for tear and abrasion resistance. We were impressed by the longevity of its DWR and ability to bead water, even after extensive use.
Value
The Rainshadow is a slightly more expensive proprietary, non-air-permeable model; however, its performance is above average. It vastly outperforms most basic 2.5 layer models in the $100-$150 price range, and its 3-layer construction and quality materials add to its overall performance and value. While the Rainshadow isn't a screaming deal, it does provide a higher level of performance over the more basic models.
The Rainshadow is a solid, versatile jacket that will work well for all but the most demanding of users.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Conclusion
The Patagonia Rainshadow is a slightly above-average jacket at a slightly above-average price. It's a non-air-permeable proprietary option that offers solid performance and vastly outperforms nearly all 2.5-layer models in the lower-priced range. Our testing team found it quite versatile and note that it will perform well for all but the most demanding users. It's perfect for those who demand a little more performance than the most basic of models and are willing to pay a little more for these attributes.
—
Ian Nicholson
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