Best Patagonia Rain Jackets of May 2020 [Complete Guide]

Calcite Jacket. My top pick for casual outgoings and recreational hiking purposes.

As some of you already know, I've been reviewing high quality clothing pieces for the last few years now. Especially from my most liked two brands: Arc'teryx and Patagonia (find full list at the bottom of this post).

Recently, I'm getting asked about my Best Patagonia Rain Jacket Picks, so here you go.

Attention: You will not see any insulated pieces in this review. I'll rather focus on waterproofing and general weather resistance.

If you're looking for an insulated jacket, on the other hand, then I'd recommend you to check out my Arc'teryx and Patagonia warmth chart post.

Summary

If you're looking for a short answer, here it is:

Storm Racer Jacket comes forward with its superior breathability, fit and comfort capabilities. This is why it's my top pick for high output activities. Having said that, it still offers impressive weather resistance, especially in the water beading department thanks to its quality DWR.

For casual outgoings & recreational hiking purposes (waterproofing over breathability), I'd recommend you the Calcite Jacket. Quandary Jacket can mostly work as a cheaper alternative to it, although neither are packable.
- Get the Torrentshell 3L if you absolutely need it packed, or the Rainshadow if you can sacrifice weather resistance with more breathability in return.
For high output activities (breathability over weather resistance), this Storm Racer Jacket is a state-of-the-art, handsome, unique killer - especially for trail running and mountain biking. If you'd rather getting a more time tested, proven piece, then this Rainshadow can be a great pick. They're both packed super small into their own stuff sacks.

A few more notes:

Patagonia discontinued the Cloud Ridge Jacket by 2020, and hence it isn't included in this review.
Rainshadow and Torrentshell saw complete revisions in 2020, so disregard any comments and reviews put forward before then.
Quandary and Torrentshell also offer insulated adaptations: Insulated Quandary and Torrentshell Insulated (discontinued as of 2020).

Overview

Click on images to enlarge.

I wouldn't really recommend Triolet Jacket or Hose-Down Slicker Jacket. I'd simply get either one of other 6 options - especially one of the first 4 picks.

	Calcite Jacket	Storm Racer Jacket	Quandary Jacket	Rain-shadow Jacket	Light Storm Jacket	Torrent-shell 3L Jacket	Triolet Jacket	Hose-Down Slicker Jacket
MSRP	249 USD	249 USD	199 USD	199 USD	249 USD	149 USD	399 USD	179 USD
Overall score	90	88	84	84	80	80	74	68
Best uses	Day hiking & casual	High output activities - especially trail running & mountain biking	Top alternative to Calcite	A more common looking alternative to Storm Racer Jacket	Perfect for commuting	Casual. Impressive for its price!	Intention is all-round alpine use, but a fail IMO	Wet and dirty industrial work. Or maybe fishing...
Cell	Calcite Jacket	Storm Racer Jacket	Quandary Jacket	Rain-shadow Jacket	Light Storm Jacket	Torrent-shell 3L Jacket	Triolet Jacket	Hose-Down Slicker Jacket
Weather Resistance Comfort Breath-ability Packed Size Weight Versatility Style & Looks	9/10 9/10 7/10 N/A 8/10 9/10 9/10	7/10 9/10 9/10 10/10 10/10 4/10 9/10	8/10 8/10 6/10 N/A 5/10 7/10 8/10	7/10 8/10 8/10 9/10 8/10 8/10 7/10	8/10 6/10 6/10 N/A 5/10 5/10 8/10	8/10 6/10 5/10 6/10 8/10 6/10 6/10	9/10 7/10 8/10 N/A 6/10 8/10 8/10	10/10 5/10 4/10 N/A 5/10 4/10 5/10
Cell	Calcite Jacket	Storm Racer Jacket	Quandary Jacket	Rain-shadow Jacket	Light Storm Jacket	Torrent-shell 3L Jacket	Triolet Jacket	Hose-Down Slicker Jacket
Pros	Great weather protection and DWR, comfy, looks good	Incredibly breath-able, ultralight, comfy, great packed size	Great fit, comfy, durable	Great weather protection and durability for its weight, packed small	More classic, parka-like look; useful hood	Thicker outer fabric indirectly offers warmth, amazing jacket for its price	Durable, versatile, highly water-proof	Extreme water resistance, looks weird unless you are Kanye West
Cons	Average breath-ability, not packable	Niche design is hard to get used to, average water-proofing	Very heavy, not packable	Twice as heavy as Storm Racer	Jury is still out in terms of durability, very heavy	Clunky look, not breath-able at all	Heavy, baggy, price doesn't pay off	Unisex design causes poor fit, too "pro looking", hood too large
Cell	Calcite Jacket	Storm Racer Jacket	Quandary Jacket	Rain-shadow Jacket	Light Storm Jacket	Torrent-shell 3L Jacket	Triolet Jacket	Hose-Down Slicker Jacket
Packable?	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
Water-proofing	2.5-layer Goretex Paclite Plus	3-layer H2No	2-layer H2No	3-layer H2No	2-layer Polyester	3-layer H2No	3-layer Goretex	Cell
Weight	411 g (14.5 oz)	198 g (7 oz)	714 g (25.2 oz)	397 g (14 oz)	695 g (24.5 oz)	394 g (13.9 oz)	550 g (19.4 oz)	655 g (23.1 oz)
Women's specific counter-parts	Women's Calcite Jacket	Women's Storm Racer Jacket	Women's Quandary Jacket	Women's Rain-shadow Jacket	Women's Light Storm Jacket	Women's Torrent-shell 3L Jacket	Women's Triolet Jacket	Hose-Down is unisex.

Additional notes

Yes, Torrentshell is packed into its own size - despite what you might see/read on other blogs. I've shared its images here: https://outdoorcrunch.com/patagonia-houdini-vs-torrentshell/

Speaking of which, the larger the packed size score in the chart, the smaller the size.

Also, all these jackets are DWR coated - which is the number 1 thing you should look for in a rain jacket.

What's DWR by the way?

DWR is a coating. It's basically sprayed on to the surface of these jackets as a finish. It stands for Durable Water Repellent - which means that water will be repelled under wet conditions instead of soaking into the fabric. DWR also decreases dry time.

It's a good thing Techface jackets are coated in DWR, but pay attention to the fact that DWR is a coating - meaning that it will wear off over time.

Which is why you might want to invest in a DWR spray such as the Grangers recommended by Patagonia themselves.

Lastly...

If you're reading this, then you're looking to get a Patagonia jacket specifically (duh). Patagonia is a fantastic brand and it's almost impossible to go wrong with the jackets I recommended above.

Having said that, I'd still probably take a look at my Arc'teryx's Zeta and Beta Series review here: https://outdoorcrunch.com/arcteryx-zeta-vs-beta/

...especially the Zeta SL.