Patagonia Women's Rain Shadow Jacket

Anonymous - 11/02/2006

Pretty great
A fairly excellent shell in Portland rain--the hood cinches basically any way you want it and over any size of hat, and the schnazzy velcro cuffs work great for people with shorter arms. Patagonia also seems to make outerwear with pretty wide sleeves, so this works well with layers. The raglan-esque shoulder panels also give good flexibility in the amount of layering the jacket allows. The "feminine" cut isn't quite as contoured as some of the company's other pieces, and the long back of the jacket can make cinching it at the waist awkward--but as with hood, the waist is highly adjustable and actually great both ways. I haven't found it that breathable especially when the weather is particularly humid and borderline hot/cold, but it works well in wet and cold conditions. I got this in the summer in a great orange color, and it works much better than the north face shell I used to have and at about the same price.

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Anonymous - 04/19/2006

Nice rain jacket
If your looking for a lightweight convenient rain jacket, thy this out. It has two extra large zippered hand pockets, and the pits zips have two multi-directional zippers so you can open or close it to any size. I don't mind having the zippers that are a little more difficult to pull up or down, because I know that is how waterproof zippers are, and it is really easy to get used to. When the sun comes out I can just stuff it into my daypack. It hardly takes up any room. It's a nice, lightweight, convenient rain jacket.

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Donna - 04/15/2006

Great jacket
Great travel jacket. Easy to pack, easy to wear and protects me from the wind and rain. I've had my jacket since last fall and it has served me well traveling through Europe and for quick trips to the store. Looks great with slacks and jeans, works with casual skirts. It easily stuffs into a day pack and is ready to wear with a quick shake. I've recommended this jacket to friends who are traveling or just enjoy being out in any kind of weather. It's very light weight but does heavy duty work for wind and rain protection.

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Kim - 03/10/2006

Still hunting for good, light-wt, moderately priced rain jacket
Pros: 1. Relatively economical for a waterproof jacket 2. Large front pockets (Storage space runs from bottom hem to clavicle--easily fits big maps w/o bulky folding or a nalgene bottle 3. Love the pit zips for ventilation! 4. Good length coverage--won't ride up/expose lower back when sitting,etc Cons: 1. Main jacket zipper is difficult to zip up (heavy friction w/ water-resistant coating/tape; eventually, ~1mm of the coating peals off from constant contact when zipping. The irony is that it actually makes zipping easier & still prevents water penetration, but I've lost confidence in the quality if it delaminated that fast) 2. After a couple uses, the "polymer matrix pattern" becomes extremely sticky & rubbery, making layering a pain--jacket sleeves stick to everything so I can't easily slide my arms through. I did notice a different pattern for 2006 --mine was early 2005 model w/ "snowflake" pattern--so I don't know how the 2006 version compares. 3. I'm becoming a big fan of outer chest pockets--this one has an interior mesh zip chest pocket so you have to unzip yourself halfway to access it--not pleasant in heavy rain or extreme cold! 4. Not sure how long DWR finish lasts, but I've had rain shadow for 1 yr, rarely in heavy rain, but noticed some minor areas where water no longer beads & sheds off. The jacket's still kept me completely dry inside, but I'm surprised since it hasn't seen much rain.

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Keith O - 01/04/2007

Very impressive - incredibly lightweight
This was a christmas present for my girlfirend - she just got to try this week in a 3 hour downpour on the italian mountains - she wore a light fleece underneath from a warmth perspective, but the jacket kept her incredibly dry - ease of motion was also excellent

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