Review Patagonia R1 Full-Zip Hoody
Often called the gold standard of fleece jackets, I have been using the Patagonia R1 as my main layer for climbing, mountaineering and in day to day casual life for over a year now. I will go into the details later but it is seriously good (a 5 out of 5) if you can deal with the high sticker price!
How I use it
For me the jacket does many different jobs and I think that's one of the main benefits and justifies the price.
- The R1 is my day to day garment for most days. In black it is not too garish or technical to be worn out and about or even in a not too fancy restaurant.
- For most outdoor activities it functions as a combined mid and outer shell.
- I combine the fleece with a lightweight hardshell for windy or wet conditions and additionally with a Patagonia Micro Puff Vest for extra warmth if it gets really cold.
Construction and Quality
Besides the structure of the fleece material (sort of a waffle construction) the jacket is fairly straightforward with two hand pockets (without zippers) and one zippered breast pocket. The hood is fairly tight and fits well under a helmet. The front zipper closes higher than most which makes the hood almost balaclava style when fully zipped up.
The quality of the material and sewing work is excellent. No loose threads or other small defects (my significant other is an avid crafter who sews a lot and was pretty impressed).
It is fairly light compared to other fleeces but not in the ultralight territory.
I wear a size medium being 183 cm tall and fairly slim at 65kg. For me the R1 could be a bit tighter but the arm and torso lengths are perfect.
Performance
In almost all cases the garment does its job perfectly and without getting in your way. Not much more to say and that's a good thing!
For me it covers the temperature range for 10 to 20 degrees when moving around casually and quite a bit lower when moving quickly in the mountains or otherwise.
The main thing that might be an issue for some is that it's not windproof at all. Even in light cold wind you need some form of wind breaker or hardshell to counteract this.
Price (and is it worth it)
So 160 Euro or US Dollars. That is quite a bit of money for “just a fleece jacket”. I did think about this purchase for quite some time and only after noticing how much I use my main fleece I decided to shell out the cash.
From my point of view if you are looking for a fleece jacket to lounge on your couch this price is ridiculous but if you use it for outdoor adventures and in day to day life the price is high but fair.