Patagonia Houdini - Men's Review
Our Verdict
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Patagonia Houdini - Men's | |||||
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Awards | ![]() | ![]() | |||
Price | $65.40 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $129 List Check Price at REI | $118.95 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $85 List $84.95 at Amazon | $59.97 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers |
Overall Score ![]() |
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Star Rating | |||||
Pros | Low price, simple and effective design, tiny packed-size, impressive DWR coating | Superlight, tiny packed size, unique perforated back for improved breathability | Abrasion resistant, ample room for layering, underarm ventilation | Affordable, PFC-free DWR, elastic hood | Breathable, surprising water repellency, stylish and comfortable |
Cons | No feature to stow away the hood, thin material can feel clammy during high-output activity | Short cut torso, perforations allow water in during rainstorms | Poor water resistance, lack of articulation | Stuff sack instead of zippered stuff pocket | Wind cuts through elastane mesh, no storage pocket, specific fit |
Bottom Line | The best overall value and performance in a lightweight package that sets the category standard | An impressively packable, highly-technical jacket that is perfectly designed for light and fast missions | Despite its flashy appearance, this is a technical windbreaker and is further reinforced with abrasion-resistant fabric | A lightweight, versatile, DWR-coated nylon shell, all at an affordable price | This running-focused shell isn’t the most wind resistant, but features an appealing balance of breathability and water resistance |
Rating Categories | Patagonia Houdini -... | The North Face Flig... | Outdoor Research He... | Rab Vital Hoody - M... | Salomon Agile Full-... |
Wind Resistance (30%) | |||||
Breathability and Venting (30%) | |||||
Weight and Packability (20%) | |||||
Fit and Functionality (10%) | |||||
Water Resistance (10%) | |||||
Specs | Patagonia Houdini -... | The North Face Flig... | Outdoor Research He... | Rab Vital Hoody - M... | Salomon Agile Full-... |
Measured Weight (size M) | 3.9 oz (size L) | 3.7 oz | 5.0 oz | 4.8 oz | 5.6 oz |
Material | 100% nylon ripstop, DWR finish | 94% recycled nylon, 6% recycled polyester with non-PFC DWR finish | 100% Pertex Diamond Fuse (100% nylon ripstop) | 20D Atmos woven nylon with fluorocarbon-free DWR | 100% polyester upper, 88% polyester / 12% elastane lower |
Pockets | 1 zip chest | None | 1 zip chest | 2 zip hand | 2 zip hand |
Safety Reflective Material? | No (company states reflective logo on left chest, too small to really be visible) | Reflective logo on chest and back | Yes, reflective logo | Yes, reflective logo on chest | Yes, reflective inserts |
Stowable Pocket? | Yes: chest pocket | Yes: collar pocket | Yes: chest pocket | No; included stuff sack | No |
Cuff Style | Half Elastic | Quarter Elastic | Half Elastic | Half Elastic | Half Elastic |
Hood Fits Over Helmet? | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Patagonia Houdini is best known as an incredibly lightweight and packable wind jacket. It also features one of the best DWR coatings of any jacket 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 love this jacket for climbing because it is so light you will hardly notice it 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 also breathable enough to make 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 Patagonia Houdini.
Performance Comparison
Wind Resistance
The Houdini is made of a super-thin, lightweight nylon ripstop that is impressively wind resistant. It is downright difficult to force air through this material with one's mouth, and our field time definitely backs up this simple test. In a side-by-side test riding a bike down a long hill, we found that this jacket is on-par with other nylon ripstop layers, and only slightly more air permeable than insulated options.
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 might not be as wind resistant as other nylon builds, but it is much more breathable. We have worn this jacket in the mountains for countless days over many years, and our head tester will vouch that this jacket is a bombproof shelter from the wind.
Breathability and Venting
For a jacket that is so tightly woven, the Houdini is surprisingly breathable. The jacket never felt heavy with heat during extended, high-output activities like ski touring. 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 were a bit disappointed with the Houdini's lack of venting capability. With no pockets or underarm venting, there is no way for trapped air to escape except through the fabric itself, which sometimes makes the arms clammy with perspiration. The front zipper is the primary venting tool, or you can push up the sleeves. But this is often uncomfortable on trail runs due to the tightness of the half-elastic wrist cuff around our forearms. However, this slight criticism is still insufficient to knock any points off the Houdini's breathability and venting rating.
Weight and Packability
Our size large Houdini weighed 3.9 ounces. This is one of the lightest jackets in the review, despite its larger size — the majority of jackets in our lineup are mediums.
The Houdini receives high marks for its remarkably low weight and superb packability. It is actually tough to say which of the other lightest jackets packs up the smallest, but all are great options for hanging off the back of a climbing harness.
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. We are happy we did, as the large afforded a nearly perfect fit. This jacket is well-mapped and fits like an athletic layer, but still affords ample room for movement in the arms and shoulders. A fit like this is particularly important when it comes to rock climbing and other alpine sports. This jacket is not quite as slim as previous versions and does allow for some layering underneath. But it is better suited to be worn over a fleece like a Patagonia R1, rather than a bulkier synthetic midlayer.
The Houdini has a minimal feature set to keep it feather-light. The wrist cuffs are half elastic, but do an excellent job of keeping the wind out. When you push the arms up to help out with ventilation, the half-elastic design can be uncomfortably tight around your forearms. The hood is 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. 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 so that it isn't as prone to billowing.
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 you can easily deploy on a moment's notice.
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. During that trip, we traded off this jacket with a burlier jacket sporting a 2.5-layer waterproof-breathable membrane. While the methods the two jackets use to ward off the rain are 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 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.
Should You Buy the Patagonia Houdini?
Harry Houdini was once the world's most famous magician, and the Patagonia Houdini might make you feel like you are wearing his magic cape. Patagonia claims that the Houdini is the ultimate layer whether you are running, riding, or climbing, and we absolutely agree. This jacket is one of the best value purchases you could make thanks to its outstanding weather resistance and lightweight packability — it is perfect as an emergency piece to stash in your pack for almost any adventure. The best part is that you don't have to pay top dollar for a top-quality wind jacket.
What Other Windbreakers Should You Consider?
The Houdini is lighter and less costly than much of the competition, and offers weather resistance that ranks right up there with the hardiest jackets in our review. We can't help but sing this jacket's praises, but there are still specialty pieces that outpace the Houdini in certain aspects.
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