Patagonia Scythe Jacket

Great jacket. Great fabric. Great ideas. Sizing is wrong, or at least not good for a Tall person. The sleeves are acceptable, but the torso is barely as long as a denim jean jacket. Raise your arms a bit and your mid section is exposed (the back is a few inches longer).

I can't understand why Patagonia would create such a waterproof and water resistant jacket and not include a hood. They make such a big deal of the waterproof double layers on the shoulders, then why not a hood? I mean, if I want waterproof/resistant jacket to wear in the rain, why not a hood to keep your head dry?

The sleeve zippers are the greatest idea to come along in years (leather motorcycle jackets have used the idea for years). I use a lot of wool products and velcro tends to shred wool. I will be removing the only piece of velcro on the jacket, it is on the collar, so there will be no wool shredding, if I keep it.

The fleece lining seemed weird at first, but as you wear it a while you realize it is really substaintial, and thicker than you expect. I bought it for cool/cold weather mountian bike riding, not skiing. For me, the mini storm skirt is not necessary, but maybe I'll find a use for it if I keep my arms down and the jacket doesn't rise up to my rib cage.

I think if I think of it as a warm, wind and water resistant jean jacket, I might keep it. The short torso and the lack of a hood has me inclined to return it. I think maybe Patagonia is discontinuing the jacket, as they have it on sale from $275 for $110. If only the torso were a bit longer, the sleeves a bit longer, and it had a hood...

While I love the material of the jacket, on a couple of fronts I think Patagonia has missed the mark.

I've used the jacket for both casual wear as well as alpine skiing and really like the breathability, comfort and overall fit. The issues I have pertain to some of the 'minor' elements that I think Patagonia has really missed the mark on.

First, the sleeves have a zipper that is meant to enable adjustment for gloves or just really large wrists. However the zipper doesn't function smoothly and worse the small strap hanging from the zipper is constantly banging into your hand. I end up tucking the strap into the jacket--acceptable compromise yes, but overall this setup is not worth the effort Patagonia went to. A normal elastic or velcro setup would be much better--that's why every other jacket does it that way!!

Also I do not like the way the smaller zippers operate--much harder to open or close the various pockets than Mtn Hardwear, North Face, Arcteryz gear. Makes it a pain to get at stuff.

So with a couple of really minor tweaks (which might be cheaper to manufacture) this could be a great jacket.

This is a jacket that needs some fine tuning. The collar isn't quite tight enough to the chin which allows a draft to get in, and the front chinf lap is for decoration. The hand pockets are set at a good height, but the chest pocket is very hard to close (it is curved) with one hand.

I like the inclusion of a storm skirt, and it is very warm and durable, but for me, the fit was off the mark. The cut is too wide in the chest and short in the arms for me, however everyone is different and it may suit you :)

Overall I felt that the waterproof panels in the shoulders restricted movement. Panels in the forearms are great, and more in the lower back would be appreciated.

It is a good softshell, but a little stiff feeling.

As it stands, I prefer the Gamma SV hands down!