#Note: For temperature ratings, check out the charts at the bottom of this post.
Patagonia is my second favorite brand, coming right after Arc'teryx - which is why I published tens of post in the last few years (see full list at the bottom).
I also published a guide to top Arc'teryx jackets a few months ago, and it's getting quite a bit of attention.
I noticed that most of you guys also search for Best Patagonia Jackets using the search button located at the top of sidebar. So I thought that this could be a helpful post.
Compared to Arc'teryx, Patagonia does not only reveal less information about their products, but they also focus more on the "looks" end of the line rather than "performance".
Not to even mention that they offer less number of products compared to Arc'teryx.
This is why, it's a little bit more difficult to recommend a suitable Patagonia jacket for each type of use, which is basically what I did with the Arc'teryx jackets.
But I still did my best.
Summary
Let's get the short answers covered first.
To fill in most unclear parts, I contacted Patagonia Customer Service myself and shared the chat screenshots in each individual related post.
I've been studying Patagonia jackets for years now. These are all solid picks, which I think it's pretty unlikely to go wrong with either one of them.
| Insulated Jackets | Rain Jackets | Wind Jackets | Parkas | Fleeces | Ski Jackets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cell | Top Down Insulated Pick (for stationary use) | Top pick for day hiking and casual purposes | Top weather resistance focused pick | Overall Top Pick | Top pick for high output activities | Top warmth focused pick |
Cell |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Cell | Top Synthetic Insulated Pick (for high output activities) | Top pick for high output activities | Top breathability focused pick | Top Alternative | Top pick for casual stationary use | Top breathability focused pick |
Cell |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Read my related reviews: | Cell |
A few notes:
Micro Puff can be a good option for traveling purposes. It's compressible, light and comes with its own stuff sack. But I'm not that fond of its somewhat "wrinkled" looks.
- Lightweight Synchilla Snap-T Fleece Pullover (Men's - Women's) and Performance Better Sweater Hoody (Men's - Women's) are perfect casual pieces with family photo looks. Visit this post of mine to see how they compare to each other.
- If you're looking for a rain jacket during mountain biking and/or trail running, I'd recommend the Storm Racer (Men's - Women's - read my review) over the Rainshadow (Men's - Women's - read my review) recommended in the chart above.
- If you're looking for a synthetic insulated piece for stationary use (not during high output activities), then I'd recommend you to check out the Micro Puff (Men's - Women's) and Nano Puff (Men's - Women's). Visit this post of mine to read how they compare to each other.
Lastly, I'd like to remind you the importance of reading the round-up posts of all product types.
Now let's get to some user intent based recommendations.
Multi-use
If you're going to be using your jacket with multiple purposes, then check out below versatility focused recommendations.
Click on image to enlarge. Nano Air handles it all: Skiing, backpacking, bouldering, fishing, climbing, mountain biking. Extreme versatility.
- Insulated (for high output activities)
- If I had to choose one Patagonia piece I love the most, that would probably be the Nano Air (Men's - Women's - read my review). As some of you already know, it's my top synthetic insulated pick for high output activities. It's extremely breathable and surprisingly weather resistant. Being out there for years now, it's a time-tested, proven pick that is loved by many users including myself. Two almost equally versatile, non-insulated alternatives can be listed as the Houdini (Men's - Women's - read my review) and the Houdini Air (Men's - Women's - read my review). My second and third favorite picks.
- If you're looking for a fleece, then R1 Fleece Pullover Hoody (Men's - read my review) can be a great alternative here. Unfortunately Patagonia doesn't offer a women's specific counterpart, but this full zip adaptation can be a good option for women.
- Insulated (stationary use): For little to no activity level, Nano Puff (Men's - Women's) would probably be your best bet. A good, packable alternative to it can be its sister Micro Puff (Men's - Women's) which can mostly be a pretty good option for traveling purposes (great warmth to weight ratio). Read their reviews and comparisons to one another in this post of mine.
I wouldn't really recommend down products for multi-use. The main reason for this is the fact that they lose their insulating capability when they get wet (either from your sweat or from weather conditions).
Casual Purposes
I'll assume...
- Very little to no output activities,
- Power walks at most,
- That the style is almost as important as capabilities of the jacket,
- That layering is an option but not preferred since it's a pain in the butt because I'm assuming a warm indoors.
City Storm Parka comes with a noticeably longer hem line than the Frozen Range Parka.
Extreme Cold
- Insulated: Frozen Range Parka (Men's - Women's - read my review). City Storm Parka (Men's - Women's - read my review) can be a good alternative to it.
Cold Temperature & Foul Weather
- Top Synthetic Insulated Jacket: Macro Puff (Men's - Women's). If packability is one of your concerns, Micro Puff (Men's - Women's - read my review) can be a good alternative to it.
- Top Down Jacket: This is where it gets tricky. You have two options, of which I have gripes for either of them. First one is Tres 3-in-1 Parka (Men's - Women's - read my review), although I'm not fond of 3 in 1 jackets and parkas that much. Jackson Glacier (Men's - Women's) is your second option - but I don't like it very much as you can see in this post of mine.
My Other Helpful Patagonia Guides & Data Sets
Patagonia Down Jackets Fill Information and Temperature Ratings
Patagonia down jackets fill weights, fill powers, outer shell fabric designs and temperature ratings:
Approximate lowest temperatures you can wear each down jacket in the market without feeling uncomfortably cold are...
| °F / °C | Fill Power | Fill Weight (grams) | FP x FW | Face Fabric |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arc'teryx Ceres SV (Men's) | -15/-26 | 850 | 240 | 204,000 | Arato 30 | |
-10/-23 | 850 | 225 | 191,250 | Arato 7 & 10 | ||
-5/-20 | 800 | 227 | 181,600 | Perfex Quantum Pro |
| |
-5/-20 | 850 | 162 | 137,700 | Arato 7 & 10 | ||
-2/-19 | 700 | 280 | 196,000 | Drilite Loft 40D |
| |
3/-16 | 800 | 182 | 145,600 | Perfex Quantum Pro |
| |
5/-15 | 700 | 179 | 125,300 | Drilite Loft 20D |
| |
7/-14 | 750 | 140 | 105,000 | Perfex Quantum |
| |
8/-13 | 900 | 105 | 94,500 | Perfex Quantum |
| |
8/-13 | 750 | 130 | 97,500 | Arato 30 | ||
12/-11 | 700 | 141 | 98,700 | 3.6 oz 50D polyester | ||
14/-10 | 600 | 177 | 106,200 | 1.4 oz 30D polyester | ||
14/-10 | 850 | 120 | 102,000 | Pertex mini ripstop nylon |
| |
16/-9 | 700 | 133 | 93,100 | 30D Ripstop Nylon |
| |
17/-8 | 850 | 102 | 86,700 | Arato 10 | ||
19/-7 | 800 | 104 | 83,200 | 1.4 oz 20x30D polyester | ||
26/-3 | 700 | 109 | 76,300 | 2.2 oz polyester | ||
26/-3 | 650 | 116 | 75,400 | 20D ripstop nylon |
| |
28/-2 | 800 | 85 | 68,000 | 10D ripstop nylon |
| |
30/-1 | 800 | 81 | 64,800 | 10D nylon |
| |
Marmot Ares (Men's) | 32/0 | 600 | 102 | 61,200 | 1.2 & 1.8 oz polyester |
|
40/5 | 850 | 52 | 44,200 | Arato 7 |
As you see, there's a strong correlation between FP x FW and temperature ratings, but not more than, say, 80%. I explained why this happens here in this post of mine.
These are only approximate values assuming:
- you only have a shirt under and no shell over,
- during daily use (strolls, power walks etc at most - no high output activities),
- with enough wind to cause an umbrella to twist in your hand,
- and when it's dry out.
If you think you run warmer or colder than the average person, then shift temperature ranges accordingly.
Temperature Ratings of Patagonia's All Insulated Jackets
How the temperature ratings of both synthetic and down insulated Patagonia jackets compare to those of Arc'teryx's:
| °F / °C | Insulation |
|
|---|---|---|---|
Arc'teryx LEAF Cold WX Parka SVX (Men's) | -40/-40 | Down |
|
Arc'teryx Ceres SV (Men's) | -15/-26 | Down | |
-10/-23 | Down | ||
Arc'teryx Dually Belay Parka (Men's) | -7/-22 | Synthetic |
|
Arc'teryx Thorsen Parka (Men's) | -7/-22 | Down | |
-6/-21 | Down | ||
Arc'teryx Centrale (Women's) | -5/-20 | Down | |
-5/-20 | Down | ||
Arc'teryx Therme Parka (Men's) | -2/-19 | Down | |
0/-18 | Down | ||
Arc'teryx Camosun Parka (Men's) | 0/-18 | Down | |
3/-16 | Synthetic |
| |
3/-16 | Down | ||
Arc'teryx Patera Parka (Women's) | 5/-15 | Down | |
Arc'teryx Kappa (Men's) | 7/-14 | Synthetic |
|
8/-13 | Synthetic |
| |
8/-13 | Down | ||
10/-12 | Synthetic | ||
Patagonia Vosque 3-in-1 Parka (Women's) | 10/-12 | Down | |
12/-11 | Down | ||
14/-10 | Down | ||
Arc'teryx Magnus Coat (Men's) | 14/-10 | Down |
|
17/-8 | Down | ||
19/-7 | Down | ||
19/-7 | Synthetic | ||
23/-5 | Synthetic | ||
24/-4 | Synthetic | ||
24/-4 | Synthetic | ||
26/-3 | Down |
| |
28/-2 | Synthetic | ||
32/0 | Synthetic | ||
40/5 | Down | ||
43/6 | Synthetic | ||
50/10 | Synthetic |
Read more about this chart here in my Insulated Outerwear Temperature Ratings Guide.
These are only approximate values assuming:
- you only have a shirt under and no shell over,
- during daily use (strolls, power walks etc at most - no high output activities),
- with enough wind to cause an umbrella to twist in your hand,
- and when it's dry out.
If you think you run warmer or colder than the average person, then shift temperature ranges accordingly.
Also check out my Arc'teryx Favorites and my Patagonia Favorites.
If you're interested in down jackets only, see my Best Down Jackets post.
Round-up lists:
- Best Patagonia Down Jackets: https://outdoorcrunch.com/best-patagonia-down-jacket/
- Best Patagonia Winter Jackets: https://outdoorcrunch.com/best-patagonia-jacket-for-winter/
- Best Patagonia Ski Jackets: https://outdoorcrunch.com/best-patagonia-jacket-for-skiing/
- Best Patagonia Rain Jackets: https://outdoorcrunch.com/best-patagonia-rain-jacket/
- Best Patagonia Fleeces: https://outdoorcrunch.com/best-patagonia-fleece/
Check out the bottom of this post for full post list.
Lastly, here's a good video about Patagonia picks:
I hope this post was helpful for you to learn more about the jacket(s) in your mind.
Feel free to ask me any questions or provide feedback and I'll be happy to respond in the comment section below.
Guide: Insulated & Shell Jackets
Start here:
Complete list:
Thank you for reading!
How would you compare the Micro Puff warmth to a Decathlon Trek 100 synthetic jacket?
Weight is not my primary concern, but durability and warmth is.
Thanks!