Patagonia Houdini Review

Hands-On Review

The Houdini is best known as an incredibly lightweight and packable wind jacket. It also features one of the best DWR coatings that we tested, giving you the confidence to go with it as your only layer, knowing that this versatile jacket will keep you dry enough to keep going in all but the worst of downpours. We liked this jacket for climbing because of its durability — it can take a beating hanging off the back of your harness.

In terms of the most important attributes of a wind jacket — wind resistance and breathability --, the Houdini sets a category standard. It is stout enough to hold up against a chilly wind on a ski tour but is also breathable enough that it makes a fantastic running shell. This jacket truly impresses with its ability to balance these two characteristics that might seem mutually exclusive. Regardless of your activity, there is hardly a better option than the Houdini.

Performance Comparison

Testing side-by-side with the KUHL Parajax, the Patagonia Houdini is less expensive and performs better in every category - earning our Editor's Choice award.

Wind Resistance

The Houdini is made of a super-thin, lightweight nylon-Ripstop that is far less air permeable than the Arc'teryx Squamish Hoody. It is downright difficult to force air through this material with one's mouth, and this simple test is definitely backed up by our field tests. In a side-by-side test riding a bike down a long hill, we found that this jacket is on-par with the Black Diamond Distance Wind Shell, and outperforms other lightweight options like The North Face Flyweight Hoodie or KUHL Parajax.

While this jacket is not at the top of our wind resistance ratings, it balances certain qualities that make it superior to other jackets in this review. For instance, the Houdini is not as wind resistant as the Rab Vital Windshell, but it is significantly more breathable. Having worn this jacket in the mountains for countless days over the course of many years, our head tester knows without a doubt that this jacket is a bombproof shelter from the wind.

Trying to make sure the tent is as secure as our tester felt in this jacket - on a windy night camping in the Rio Grande Gorge.

Breathability and Venting

For a jacket that is so tightly woven, the Houdini is surprisingly breathable. During extended, high-output activities like ski touring, the jacket never felt heavy with heat. This jacket also has a magical quality, where it seems to dry off on your body — both in a constant wind, or when you are in motion, like on a ski descent. Even on trail runs through the desert, the Houdini does a great job of managing body temperature. We scored it among others at the top of our test group, where it certainly performed better than the slightly more wind resistant Vital Windshell.

One thing that we were a bit disappointed with is the Houdini's lack of venting capability. With no pockets or underarm venting, there is really no way for trapped air to escape except through the fabric itself, which sometimes results in the arms feeling clammy with perspiration. The front zipper is the primary venting tool, or pushing up the sleeves — but we found this to be uncomfortable on trail runs due to the tightness of the half-elastic wrist cuff around our forearms. However, this slight criticism is not enough to knock any points off the Houdini's breathability and venting rating.

Trail running in the desert can be hot - this jacket protects you from the elements while doing a fantastic job of regulating heat.

Weight and Packability

Our size large Houdini weighed 3.9 ounces, the second lightest jacket in the review, behind only the Distance Wind Shell.

The Houdini receives high marks for its remarkably low weight and superb packability. It is actually tough to say whether this jacket or the Distance packs down smaller, but either option is great for hanging off the back of a climbing harness.

With a chest pocket that still doubles as a stuff sack, this update increases the pocket's size to better accept most smartphones. Shown here in comparison to the Black Diamond Distance, to keep their packed sizes tiny neither pocket is very big.

Fit and Functionality

Our head tester is often on the edge of sizing in Patagonia clothing. After testing a size medium Houdini in the past, we decided to try out the large instead for this round. We are happy we did, as the large afforded a nearly perfect fit — and a fit very similar to a medium in the Distance Wind Shell. This jacket is well-mapped and fits like an athletic layer, but still affords ample room for movement in the arms and shoulders, which is particularly important when it comes to rock climbing other alpine sports. This jacket is not quite as slim as previous versions and does allow for some layering underneath. But is better suited to be worn over a fleece like a Patagonia R1, rather than a bulkier synthetic midlayer.

To keep it feather light, the Houdini has a minimal feature set. The wrist cuffs are half elastic, but do an excellent job of keeping the wind out. We found this half-elastic design to be uncomfortably tight around our forearms when pushed up to help with ventilation on trail runs, especially in comparison to the full-elastic cuffs of the Distance or Parajax Jacket. The hood is adequately tightened from behind with a single drawcord and cinch buckle, but one complaint is that there is no mechanism for stowing away the hood when not in use. We found that the hood readily flaps around in the wind, and can act like a sail with the speed of a ski descent. We would love a way to fasten it tight, like the pull tabs found on the Marmot DriClime Ether or the velcro wrap-around tab on the Vital Windshell.

The best way to improve ventilation when running is to push up this jacket's sleeves. We found that these half-elastic cuffs were much tighter than the full-elastic cuffs found on other jackets.

There are no hand pockets on this jacket. While the historically small chest pocket — which doubles as a stuff sack — has been updated to fit the increasing size of modern smartphones, don't plan on much carrying-capacity. Overall the features are simple and work well for a light, emergency shell that can be easily deployed on a moment's notice.

This jacket has a hood that still fits relatively well over a climbing helmet - but would definitely benefit from some elastic in the hem for a more comfortable fit when zipped up.

Water Resistance

Water resistance is one of the Houdini's strongest traits, surprisingly so because of its lightweight construction. A few years ago, we used this jacket on a week-long backpacking trip in the Weminuche Wilderness of Colorado, comparing it side by side to a burlier jacket sporting a 2.5-layer waterproof/breathable membrane. While the methods the two jackets use to ward off the rain is completely different, we were amazed to find that the DWR coating employed on the Houdini was just as effective.

To back this up, we tested it side-by-side with similarly weighted wind jackets, like the Vital and Distance wind shells, by using a garden hose to simulate a rain shower. Despite the fact that the thin material tends to stick to the body under the weight of falling water, we found that the Houdini's water resistance was far superior to any other ultralight jacket in our review.

The Houdini has a burly DWR coating that gives it impressive water resistance despite its light weight. It performed just behind the front runners - built with significantly more material - in our hose test.

During a day of gardening, we found ourselves caught out in a light rainstorm while wearing the Houdini. With only a t-shirt underneath, this jacket kept us relatively warm, and certainly dry enough to continue work. When the rain began to pick up after about a half-hour, we layered up with an additional rain jacket, and were happy to notice that the Houdini did not feel clammy to wear as a midlayer — even after it had been subjected to a significant amount of precipitation.

Our farmer-tester fixes irrigation lines in a rain storm - getting hit with water from every angle, this versatile jacket puts on full display its impressive ability to shed precipitation.

Best Applications

Patagonia claims that the Houdini is the ultimate layer whether you are running, riding, or climbing, and we would have to agree. We have used it primarily for trail and mountain running for years, but have come to love it as a lightweight shell while ski touring or as an emergency piece to stash in our packs while alpine climbing or peak bagging. Regardless of how you decide to use it, there is not much in the way of outdoor activities that this jacket isn't good for.

Lighter than most other pieces hanging off your harness, why not carry a wind jacket on your next climb? The two smallest and lightest in our review, the Black Diamond Distance (grey) and Patagonia Houdini (red) racked up side-by-side.

Value

The Houdini retails for $99, roughly $20 more than our Best Buy award-winning North Face Flyweight Hoodie. Despite costing a bit more, we think this jacket is one of the best value purchases you could make because of its outstanding weather resistance and lightweight packability. If money is a concern, but you still want a top quality wind jacket, then look no further than the Houdini.

Conclusion

Harry Houdini was once the world's most famous magician — the Patagonia Houdini might make you feel like you are wearing his magic cape. With this jacket stashed away in the corner of your pack, or on your harness, you can be certain that you will be carrying the weather protection you need for almost any adventure. With a wind and water resistance that ranks right up there with the hardiest jackets in our review, but in a package that is both lighter and less costly than much of the competition, we can't help but sing this amazing jacket's praises.

Breathable on the way up, lightweight and mobile for the descent, this jacket is a great companion on evening mountain bike laps.