My favorite Patagonia rain jacket on sale at REI

Hi Lola,

We are going to Edinburgh the first week of May. I am struggling with what type of jacket to take. I tend to be more of a cold person unless I am hiking of course. I thought about getting a 3-1 that way I can just take out the inner lining. I am just not sure that this will be too much for May weather. Just not sure what to get!

You never know about Scotland in May. We had sunshine 6 of our 7 days there, with day rain in Glasgow. But it was never what I would call "cold"; daytime lows maybe 60 degrees. I would not a zip-out liner to lug around for those temperatures. ( I do always carry a lightweight Fleece to layer.) But it could be different ( colder) this year of course.

From my Scotland experience (and, would like a lot more of them!) - I found that a zip-up fleece vest combined with a loose fitting, packable, good quality, raincoat with a hood to be the best option. I visited Scotland during end of June/early July years ago. I recommend this approach to outerwear to everyone going to the UK. Just make sure the raincoat is loose enough to easily fit over the fleece vest. I personally like Men's raincoats better, because of the broader cut. Many times - ladies jackets will have a "tapered" "form-fitting" cut which is not as practical; only works for small, slim ladies which I (unfortunately) am not.

Lola,

I seen this Columbia on the REI outlet as well. It is a rain jacket but appears to have some insulation. What do you think?
https://www.rei.com/rei-garage/product/172516/columbia-arcadia-insulated-jacket-womens

Thanks for the heads up - this weekend I realized I needed to replace my very old REI jacket and this is perfect. I don't expect for $129 bucks it's really completely rainproof more like rain resistant but I like that your experience is contradictory to my belief.

Many times - ladies jackets will have a "tapered" "form-fitting" cut which is not as practical; only works for small, slim ladies
which I (unfortunately) am not.

I am 5'3 around 135-140. I always feel like the arms are already long in the women's clothing so the men's section will not work. I prefer sweaters with shirts underneath them and a jacket. Not much of a vest person but I have seen it work for others. I do agree that that the 3-1 may be a little much.

If staying in fashion with the current colors and styles is important to you, avoid Patagonia jackets. They last too long and it is hard to justify a new jacket. Figure on a 20 plus year life unless you are rock climbing every day.

Our only Scotland Highlands trip was in May a number of years ago, During the course of a week plus a half week in Edinburgh we experienced everything from heavy rain and high wind above tree line to sun soaked shirtsleeve days of walking. Layers with your rain/wind shell big enough to not compress your insulating layer.

Edgar, that is so true! I was only able to justify replacement of my original Patagonia Torrentshell (purchased on sale in a color I wasn't crazy about) when I lost weight and needed a smaller size.

Donna, the jacket is rated as "waterproof and breathable", not just water-resistant, and I can vouch for that. In addition to that Tour du Mont Blanc trip where we had to hike two hours in heavy rain to reach our inn, it has kept me dry under similar conditions in Slovenia, New Zealand, and other hiking trips where we had longish treks in the rain. ( On the Milford Track it rained all three days of the hike, but my husband and I both stayed dry in our Torrentshell jackets and rain pants.).

The one thing I would fault is that it is a single layer, with no mesh or other lining. While that makes it very lightweight and packable, it means it can feel clammy against bare skin, because a certain amount of sweat is inevitable even if it is breathable. But these days I hike in a long-sleeved shirt for sun protection anyway, so it isn't a problem.

NurseCyn, that Columbia insulated jacket looks great. Their gear is always a good value ( it was my go-to brand for ski jackets for my boys in their teens, when they outgrew them quickly). While I have no experience with that jacket, I see it gets five stars from the reviewers.

Lola...thanks for the clarification. Mine is on the way!!!

Another vote for the Torrentshell. I only abandoned it after I lost weight.

I combined it with a fleece jacket for really bad weather and it worked great even on the snow. Yes, it is waterPROOF.

Note: I use fleece as an under layer for super rainy areas and Primaloft puff jackets as an under layer for anything else. The puff jackets are lighter and less bulky, making them superior for most trips. But for rain, rain, and more rain the fleece will stay warmer longer.

Fleece collapses very little when wet. Primaloft collapses slightly. And down ( unless expensive waterproof) collapses a lot. That’s why fleece wins in super rainy environments.

You will only need 2 things to be comfortable in Scotland:

1). A good fleece jacket
2) A good rain shell

This will be your best bet for anytime other than winter. Pay enough to get good ones that will last.

The Patagonia jacket is a great deal; thanks for pointing it out. I am considering one for my 15-year-old daughter who is outside a lot and not growing any more, so I’m willing to invest in some quality for her.

For those of you who have one, can you help me with sizing? My daughter is 5’5” and very slim. She fits width-wise into an XS for nearly everything, but sometimes that size can be too short in the torso and arms. I also want to make sure she can layer underneath. Does the jacket have a boxy fit (if so, I would get XS), or is it more tailored (and therefore I’d be better off with S)?

Thanks for the link.

I will try to help. I am 5'2 and 98 pounds, which is size 0 in most brands. My XS jacket ( bought in 2014) fits perfectly, with enough room in the shoulders to layer a light fleece ( Patagonia R-1) under it. The fit is not boxy; it is contoured a bit at the waist and fits fairly close at the hips. Length on me is not fingertip but about to the top of my hand. In other words, it does not fully cover my bum.

So I would guess she might want a S especially for more length.

However, the fact that they now offer a size XXS makes me wonder if they have changed the sizing recently. They have definitely done that with the R1 fleece, making it longer and larger than they used to. My 2015 fleece is size S but is the same, width-wise, as the XS I bought 2 years ago to have a different color (the new one is however longer in length).

Maybe their size charts would help? They should be current.

https://www.patagonia.com/size-womens-tops.html

Check Patagonia's "fit guides". Product descriptions should tell you it's "fit".

https://www.patagonia.com/fit-mens.html

https://www.patagonia.com/fit-womens.html

Though each Patagonia® product is designed and shaped specifically for
its intended use, we can generalize our fit descriptions in four ways:

Formfitting: Conforms to the body’s contours.

Slim Fit: Closer-fitting. Slim-fitting technical garments may be worn
over baselayers and light midlayers.

Regular Fit: Neither slim nor oversized. Regular-fitting technical
garments may be worn over heavier midlayers.

Relaxed Fit: Drapes loosely on the body.

Thanks much for the details, Lola. My daughter is 5'5" and 100 lbs and in the 00 to 0 size range, so I think she'd probably be an XS. But there's always that length question.....

I realized that we now have our first REI store in Vermont, which opened a few weeks ago (yay! -- although very dangerous for my wallet) and returns are much easier for me now than mailing back to Washington. So..... I went ahead and ordered both sizes so I can have her just try them on to see what works. Should be here by the end of the week. I'll post back in case anyone else is interested in sizing/fit.

Thanks again.

Thanks, Edgar, for the "fit" information. I was looking for this on REI's product description but couldn't find it and didn't think to look at Patagonia's website. Their description says this jacket is a regular fit, so it should be a little on the loose side.

At 100 lbs she is pretty much my size with longer legs, so the XS should be fine.

Just updating in case anyone else is considering a purchase and wondering about fit:
This jacket is indeed a “regular” fit as described by Patagonia. The XS fit my size 0 daughter with plenty of room underneath for a heavy fleece or puffer layer. Sleeves and back are long enough for her 5’5” frame, although the S size was noticeably longer.
This is a nice jacket with a tailored, slim look even though there’s room for layering. My daughter is super happy with the purchase.
Thanks for the original link and additional information.!

I am happy to hear it worked out! What color did she choose?

She has the Mako Blue, which is a nice turquoise-y shade. It looks great!

The Torrentialshell competes with Marmot's Precip Jkt and The North Face's Venture Jkt. Those three are the most popular rain shells in outdoor stores.

I've had a Marmot Precip jacket for 7 years now, through 6 RSteves tours and a myriad of USA/Canada vacations and still love it, still going strong. Highly recommend.