User Review: Patagonia Dimension Jacket

Patagonia Dimension Jacket
Above: The current Dimension Jacket, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed January 22, 2002 by STW

Rating:
Fabric: Stretch-woven 'soft' shell
Price Paid: $229

I've been wearing the Dimension jacket for about three months now; and I love it. I also own a Cloudveil Serendipity Jacket and it has been an outstanding piece as well. I thought it might be useful to compare/contrast the two; since they are both very similar -- and very different.

Patagonia Dimension: Longer cut covers your butt, but isn't so long that it gets in the way -- great for skiing. Hood is nice to have except that it isn't big enough to go over a helmet; and, rolling it down into a collar isn't really very clean. Front of the collar chafes my chin a bit (no fleece chin protector). Overall fabric is a bit stiffer (and louder) than Cloudveil's. Fabric seems to be a bit more water repellent than Cloudveil's. Handwarmer pockets work well with harness, and the vertical stash pocket is helpful.

Cloudveil Serendipity: Shorter cut works better for me in some situations -- especially when climbing. Fleece lined collar is really comfortable and you can snuggle your chin down into it. I don't miss not having a hood since I'm usually wearing a helmet. Fabric is soft and comfy yet has proven amazingly abrasion and abuse resistant; it looks like new after two years of hard use. Fabric repels water a bit; but if it really starts to rain you'll want to get the Gore-Tex out of your pack (put it on right over the Cloudveil -- it works fine as a layering piece). No 'handwarmer' pockets; just two large vertical pockets (one on either side of the main zip).

Patagonia has made a great jacket with the Dimension. Very tough and rugged (much better abrasion resistance than nylon shells), fully windproof, water resistant, much more breathable than Gore-Tex (key!!), and also with some very useful stretch in the fabric.

Note that it is not water 'proof' -- but water 'resistant.' You'll still need a Gore-Tex shell for full-on rainy conditions. However, I'll take these new 'soft' shells for 95 percent of my time outdoors!

Faced with this embarassment of riches (owning both of these great jackets), I've found that I use the Cloudveil primarily for climbing; and, the Patagonia more for hiking and skiing. Either will do either job exceedingly well. But the short length and the sleeve design (very narrow cut at the wrists -- no extra bulk there) on the Cloudveil just work so well for me while climbing that it has become my trusted companion. The fact that there is no hood means that it is more comfortable for me while wearing a climbing helmet. On alpine trips, if nasty weather moves in, I just slip my Gore-Tex shell right over the cloudveil. It works better as an underneath layer than the Patagonia.

You just can't go wrong with either of these two jackets. They are truly awesome pieces. If you are interested in soft shells -- also check out the ArcTeryx Gamma SV jacket. However, note that this is much more of a stretchy soft-shelled fleece jacket. It is quite warm. The Patagonia Dimension and Cloudveil Serendipity are uninsulated shells that you can wear alone or with fleece layered underneath. Much more versatile for year-round use.