![]() The Patagonia Alpine Houdini is a thoughtful revamp of the legendary original. The Alpine Houdini is basically the same as the original Houdini jacket, but with the added benefit of a waterproof/breathable membrane, and seam taping added to the interior of the nylon shell. I've had one kind of wind shirt or another for 5 years now, and it's one of my most trusted and relied upon layers for climbing. It is incredibly lightweight, blocks wind better than you would expect such a thin layer to, packs down tiny into its own pocket, and can even be clipped to a carabiner. For mountain athletes, this layer has been a game changer like none other. Like the magician himself, the Houdini offers a powerful punch in a tiny size, and when you’re not using, it hides away so well that you may be convinced that it’s totally disappeared.Nearly ten years ago, Patagonia released their lightweight wind shell, the Houdini jacket. Its tiny size and impressive reliability allows it to adapt to nearly any condition that spring and summer have in their arsenal, while its clean colorblocked look and reflective Patagonia logos (on the front and back) provide just the right amount of style. And even better, during the day, whenever it’s hot and sunny and I don’t need a jacket, I can pack my Houdini jacket into its stuff sack (which makes it a bit smaller than my fist) and stash it right in my back pocket.Īfter a few months with my Houdini Pullover, I’ve found that it’s the jacket that I bring everywhere. So it’s really lightweight, but what else can it do? On cold evenings spent waiting for a hatch of bugs, I’ve used this jacket as an outer layer with a fleece underneath, and this system has kept the cold air from chilling my core quite well. With a set of abilities like that, you may think that this jacket would carry the weight of your standard softshell or some other equivalent, but thankfully, a 15 denier thread pares the weight of this piece down to an almost indescribable amount. This pullover accomplishes all of this thanks to a DWR finish that repels a sudden rain and also blocks wind like you wouldn’t believe. Although, I’ve found that this jacket serves me from the trout stream, my morning commute to work, and everywhere in between (including a muddy trail in the middle of Bald Eagle State Forest). To break this jacket down, it was designed for the trailrunner who is serious about shedding weight. But leave it to Patagonia to make a jacket that weighs only one ounce more than a Clif Bar, and can take a beating and stand up to a sudden burst of inclement weather. Boom! Shopping mission accomplished.īefore receiving my Houdini Pullover, I was pretty skeptical of its design honestly, I wasn’t entirely convinced that I could rely on a jacket that weighs a mere three and a half ounces. Quite luckily, I then found out that Patagonia actually makes their Houdini, sans the hood and zipper. The Houdini seemed to be just what I was looking for, however, I’m not always a huge fan of hoods, and for that, I continued my search. It didn’t take long before I came across Patagonia’s Houdini Jacket. With that criteria in mind, I began shopping. And knowing that State College is so well-known for this type of brisk morning/evening climate, I decided to put myself on the hunt for a very lightweight and packable jacket that could break the chill of a sudden wind gust, all while providing a sense of overall versatility. Although it seems like State College’s spring may have taken an unpredictable route this year, I’ve certainly been encountering a slight chill to the mornings that calls for a thin, reliable jacket.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |