Fleece Jackets

Recently, probably with the effect of warmer weather, I'm getting asked a lot about the best Patagonia fleece. 

Generally speaking, for most common uses, although I'd say this Arc'teryx fleece is the best fleece out there in the entire market, I'll limit the context of this post to Patagonia only. 

Now, first things first: A fleece is mostly used for either of these two reasons: 

• Casual everyday wear, 
• A mid-layer (or in some cases, outer-layer) to fine tune the warmth - breathability balance during outdoor adventures.

Some fleeces lean toward the former and some to the latter. This is why it's impossible to give one-fleece-fits-all. Rather, it makes more sense to lay out best picks for each type of uses (which you'll see in the chart below). 

Now...

• R1 has 5,
• R2 has 6,
• Synchilla has 6,
• Better Sweater has 14 main configurations.

As you see in this Patagonia R1 vs R2 and Patagonia Synchilla vs Better Sweater posts of mine, I reviewed all of their configurations.

Having said that, for this post, I picked out only one piece of each model (which are the best picks in my opinion), and put them together in this post. 

Some Notes 

• When choosing best Patagonia fleece for you, make sure you keep in mind that only the R2 Techface Hoody in this review come with DWR coating. 

If you're planning to use your pick as an outer layer AND possibly under wet weather conditions every now and then... 

Then your only pick is R2 Techface Hoody, which is the perfect fleece for you. 

• If you almost only care about casual use... and don't care about performance at all...

Then I probably wouldn't get R1 or R2 Techface, and instead get the Synchilla. Or Performance Better Sweater, at the very least, since it's positioned somewhere between Synchilla and R1 in Patagonia's fleece line-up. 

Lastly, if you're looking for an insulated jacket, then check out my warmth chart for all Patagonia and Arc'teryx insulated jackets. 

There are more Synchilla and Better Sweater models thank you think out there.

Plus, some of them are available in men's or women's specific models only.

I contacted Patagonia Customer Service and shared the screenshots of my chat with them here in this post (scroll down to see it).

Let's start with laying them out here first.

Links are directed to the related products in Patagonia's own site.

• Synchilla Classic Fleece Jacket [Men's - Women's]
• Synchilla Lightweight Snap-T Fleece Pullover [Men's - Women's]
• Synchilla Snap-T Fleece Pullover [Men's]
• Synchilla Classic Marsupial Pullover [Men's]

Better Sweater:

• Better Sweater Jacket [Men's - Women's]
• Better Sweater Hoody [Women's]
• Better Sweater 1/4 Zip [Men's - Women's]
• Better Sweater Rib Knit 1/4 Zip [Men's]
• Better Sweater Fleece Henley Pullover [Men's]
• Better Sweater Fleece Shirt Jacket [Men's]
• Better Sweater Marsupial Pullover [Men's]
• Performance Better Sweater Hoody [Men's - Women's]
• Performance Better Sweater Jacket [Men's - Women's]
• Performance Better Sweater 1/4 Zip [Men's]

So how to choose? 

Honestly probably looks above all else. This Industrial Green color of Better Sweater is loved by many, including me, so that's what I'd personally prefer. 

• Fit

Canberk is 5'11" and 165 pounds, with an athletic build. Size Medium fits him perfectly across almost all brands and product lines. 

• Arc'teryx's 2024 men's fit revision

Here's what Arc'teryx says about its most recent fit revision: 

Source: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/help/sizing/mens/tops/new

Not all jackets come with the revised fit - only the ones with following statement: 

They're all pretty close in warmth, all durable pieces, and none offer substantial breathability for athletic use, except maybe the Performance for low-intensity use (or maybe moderate intensity use if you tend to run substantially colder than the average person).

• Synchilla - classic collegiate look, timeless.
• Better Sweater - family photo look, classically classy, can be dressed up or down.
• Performance - Athletic leisure, aka "athleisure"

None of them are DWR coated.

Here's what the rep told me:

My full convo with Patagonia's awesome rep

James (24.12.2019 20:59:18): Hello! My name is James. How may I help you today?

Me (24.12.2019 21:00:14): Hi James, hope you're having a good day. I was wondering about the differences between the Synchilla and Better Sweater products, in terms of warmth, breathability, comfort, weather resistance and durability. Could you help me with that?

James (24.12.2019 21:00:31): Yeah of course!

James (24.12.2019 21:01:11): Sounds like you might have a somewhat specific idea of what you're looking for, can you rank those qualities you listed in order of importance?

Me (24.12.2019 21:01:46): Actually I'm gathering information for a quite a bit wide range of buyers

James (24.12.2019 21:02:44): Is there a general clientele you're buying for? Friends, family, employees?

Me (24.12.2019 21:03:06): Let's say a large group of friends 🙂

Me (24.12.2019 21:03:33): But all for possibly different types of purposes

James (24.12.2019 21:04:54): Hmm, alright. Let's see, I'll try to hit most of the points for each product here.

Me (24.12.2019 21:05:13): That'd be perfect!

James (24.12.2019 21:05:38): (To be transparent, I'm working with someone else simultaneously and want to be able to give you my full attention when responding, just in case there's a delay in my response)

Me (24.12.2019 21:06:01): Thank you James, sure, I totally understand

James (24.12.2019 21:08:07): Alright, so...

James (24.12.2019 21:11:32): Synchilla;

• Fuzzier texture,
• Warm but not 100% windproof, recommend getting the Lightweight over regular
• Dense fleece, durability holds up well over time

Better Sweater;

• Great professional look,
• Flatter soft texture inside,
• Windproof fabric is warm but,
• Durability can be an issue if not cared for well.

Breathability not great in either of these for active pursuits, but there is a Performance version of the Better Sweater that has meshed jersey-like material in key areas and makes it versatile enough for low to moderate effort pursuits.

Me (24.12.2019 21:13:50): Wow, that's an amazing answer, thank you James 

James (24.12.2019 21:14:24): Yeah of course! That's why I wanted the time to type out a proper reply haha. 

Me (24.12.2019 21:14:25): What would you say about their intended uses? 

James (24.12.2019 21:15:08): Both are firmly in the category of casual pieces. Even the Performance Better Sweater is more casual than technical. 

James (24.12.2019 21:15:33): If you're looking for technical athletic pieces, tell me a little bit about what you're looking for and I can make some recommendations. 

Me (24.12.2019 21:16:41): So what would be your main focus when deciding between Synchilla, Better Sweater and Performance Better Sweater? I guess durability, breathability and looks? 

Me (24.12.2019 21:17:05): From what I understand they're comparable in terms of warmth and weather resistance capabilities 

James (24.12.2019 21:19:16): Honestly probably looks above all else. They're all pretty close in warmth, all durable pieces, and none offer substantial breathability for athletic use, except maybe the Performance for low-intensity use.

• Synchilla - classic collegiate look, timeless.
• Better Sweater - family photo look, classically classy, can be dressed up or down.
• Performance - Athletic leisure, aka "athleisure" 

Me (24.12.2019 21:20:51): Perfect. That's all I needed. Thank you for the hand James! 

Me (24.12.2019 21:20:53): Have a great day! 

James (24.12.2019 21:21:09): You too, my pleasure to help! 

If you have a moment, I'd really appreciate it if you would take this quick survey: "link"

James (24.12.2019 21:21:13): And Happy Holidays~ 

Me (24.12.2019 21:21:27): Sure, I'll give the highest points. 

Me (24.12.2019 21:21:31): To you too! Happy holidays! 

Me (24.12.2019 21:21:32): Goodbye!

Beware: I'll limit the context of this post to fleeces (NOT going to be covering the suits, shorts or janes).

There's perpetually confusion (or at least curiosity) between Patagonia's R1 and R2 fleece jackets because there are SO many of them - 18 in total at our last count. I've contacted a Patagonia Rep about all this and laid out everything, including the chat screenshots in this post.

In summary, this R1 model is probably your best bet for high-output activities because of its superior breathability at a fairly warm level. This R2 adaptation, on the other hand, is the warmest, most durable and most weather resistant; and hence is probably the best one for casual use when it's cold. 

Although most Patagonia R1 and R2 fleece models are available in men's and women's gender-specific designs, some R1 models are available for only men or only women. Let's take a look at all of them:

Main R1 models:

• R1 Pullover [Men's - Women's]: MSRP $139 - $129
• R1 TechFace Jacket [Men's - Women's]: MSRP $169
• R1 TechFace Hoody [Men's - Women's]: MSRP $189 - $179
• R1 Daily Jacket [Men's - Women's]: $149

Here's how Patagonia compares the R1 Pullover Hoody, R1 Daily Jacket, R1 TechFace Hoody, and R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody to one another: https://patagonia.com/compare

Gender-specific R1 models:

• R1 Pullover Hoody [Men's]: MSRP $159. For high-output activities, this well-balanced midlayer is our top recommendation and is also the most popular. We're not sure why Patagonia doesn't offer a women's-specific counterpart. The R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody [Women's] is a good alternative.
• R1 TechFace Pullover [Men's]: MSRP $139
• R1 Long-Sleeved Fitz Roy 1/4-Zip [Men's]
• R1 Crew [Women's]: MSRP $99

R2 Models:

• R2 Jacket [Men's - Women's]: MSRP $169
• R2 Techface Jacket [Men's - Women's]: MSRP $169
• R2 Techface Hoody [Men's - Women's]: MSRP $189. My top outer-layer pick for static use when it's cold, windy and/or rainy.

In summary:

• TechFace adaptations increase the warmth, durability, and wind and water resistance by a good margin compared to the base models, but that comes with a significant sacrifice in breathability.
• R2 is warmer and less breathable than R1. They offer very similar (if not the same) durability and weather resistance capabilities.
• TechFace comes first. So, compared to a non-TechFace R2, any TechFace R1 is actually going to be warmer, more durable, more weather resistant, and less breathable.

You can apply this to all different comparisons such as:

• R1 vs R1 TechFace
• R2 vs R2 TechFace
• R1 vs R2
• R1 TechFace Hoody vs R1 Hoody

You get the picture.

On top of R1 and R2, there were also R3 adaptations of all these, but Patagonia discontinued them in 2018.

Base Models vs TechFace

In short, TechFace adds to the durability and weather (wind and water) resistance of the jacket by a considerable amount. But it comes at a cost: You sacrifice an equally significant amount of breathability and layering capabilities.

Unlike the R1 and R2 base models, TechFace does come with DWR. 

What I mean by layering ability is the baggier cut of TechFace compared to the base models. Combine this fit difference with the performance differences mentioned a paragraph above, and you can figure that:

1. The TechFace is actually intended to work as more of an outer layer where you can under layer with other mid/base-layers more easily,
2. Whereas the base models are intended to be used as true mid-layers which you can pair with shells and some insulated jackets over more easily.

But there's a caveat here.

If you're going to go down this route (layering) AND if you'll be performing high output activities with these jackets, then I'd recommend going for option #2 because, in most cases, you CAN compensate the lost weather and abrasion resistance with shells in option #2 but you CAN'T compensate the lost breathability (which is quite important for these active uses) in option #1.

• Fit

Canberk is 5'11" and 165 pounds, with an athletic build. Size Medium fits him perfectly across almost all brands and product lines. 

• Arc'teryx's 2024 men's fit revision

Here's what Arc'teryx says about its most recent fit revision: 

Source: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/help/sizing/mens/tops/new

Not all jackets come with the revised fit - only the ones with following statement: 

If you'll be wearing the jacket mostly casually though, then the TechFace is probably the better alternative for you.

R1 vs R2

R2 corresponds to 200 wt classic polartec fleece whereas R1 equates to 100 wt.

This notation is so widely accepted by now that it is actually even used by other companies - although the official rights are reserved by Patagonia.

Same goes for R3, R4, R5 and R6 models: They respectively correspond to 300, 400, 500 and 600 wt.

So what does this tell us? Here's what Jenn told me:

So...

Since R2 fleece is thicker and the construction is different, it'll be warmer. But it's equipped with a lesser amount of cross weave power grid technology for breathing (unlike R1's full grid coverage; it's only at the sides, underarms and wrists in R2), so R1 is more breathable.

She's right there: Neither R1 or R2 is wind or water proof (as I already explained before in this post).

An additional R1 vs R2 difference some of you might care about

Another important point is that the thumb holes are available only on the R1 Pullover Hoody [Men's]:

So ... don't fall for the photo of another fleece!

Conclusion

There are A LOT of models out there. I'll lay out the two typical buyer profiles:

• "I'll be active wearing this fleece - so breathability is important but I wouldn't like to compromise any considerable amount of warmth either. Could you tell me which one would work the best as a mid-layer?"

I can pretty confidently recommend you this: Men's R1 Pullover Hoody - but Patagonia didn't release a women's counterpart for that. So if you're a woman, this one can be a pretty good alternative for you.

• "I'll be using it casually, with very little to no activity, as an outer layer. Power walks at most. Warmth, weather resistance and durability are priorities. What's my best option?"

I can pretty confidently recommend the R2 TechFace Hoody [Men's - Women's].

If neither of these profiles is you, then read the entire article and try to figure out which adaptation is best for your own needs and desires.