User Review: Patagonia White Smoke Jacket

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

Reviewed February 16, 2007 by Sergio Ortega

Rating: rated 5 of 5 stars
Price Paid: $270

I bought this jacket for downhill skiing last November. I just got back from an extended ski trip...spent over a month skiing in Taos, NM. I skied pretty much every day, all day, in all kinds of weather and temperature conditions. I also used it for around town and at the local hangouts. I bought mine in solid black (light grey lining) and I received lots of compliments; it's a very handsome jacket.

The White Smoke jacket is a very well-made, durable and intelligently-designed piece. It uses a very tough, nicely-textured exterior fabric with just enough stiffness...perhaps a bit more stiffness than most softshell jackets out there. Body length is longer than most softshells, just below the hips and with a bit more length at the rear. It's long enough to protect you on the lifts and on the slopes, yet not so long to hinder movements while skiing.

Moisture-resistance and breathability are both excellent. All seams and zippers are laminated, weathertight and lay flat; I had no problems whatsoever in this respect. I did not encounter any really wet conditions or snow, so I cannot say how waterproof the exterior fabric will be in these conditions, but I never experienced any hint of exterior or interior dampness or wetness even when covered with snow for long periods. The body/sleeves interior lining has a very nice, soft feel to it, and seems to add a bit to the insulating qualities of the jacket.

The sleeves are long and have a non-restrictive cut. The cuff closures use velcro straps that allow infinite adjustability and hold well. The fit of the sleeves is neither too loose or too tight; they seemed to work well with a variety of insulating garments.

The easily removable hood...it attaches with a hidden zipper along the back and two snap-on tabs at the two front corners...is sized quite large for use with ski helmets, and is very adjustable with three properly-placed drawcords. When not in use the hood lays pretty flat and out of the way, and the substantial hood fabric does not flap around in the wind like other hoods I've used.

The very tall and stiff collar protects the neck and face very effectively and stands up extremely well to wind and snow. It is fully lined with some sort of soft, fleecy fabric, and has an outstanding, rear-mounted, drawcord snugging gasket device that really works to seal out the weather when necessary; all jackets should have this feature. The tall and stiff collar can be a bit restrictive when zippered-up fully while wearing a helmet, but it really comes in handy when riding the lifts in high winds and inclement weather. The hood and collar are independently adjustable and work well together. With the hood removed the jacket looks very stylish and sleek.

The well-placed elastic powder skirt has a fully adjustable drawcord and lays flat and is completely unobtrusive when not in use, unlike some other ski jackets I've used. The drawcord at the hem is also very functional, easy to adjust and seals well.

Interior pockets include a music-device mesh pocket and a very large "skins" mesh pouch. Exterior pockets include a large breast pocket and two side hand/ventilation pockets; there are no pit zips. All exterior pockets use laminated zippers with good pulls and seal very well.

Fit of the jacket is large and full through the shoulders tapering down to a more trim fit around the torso and waist. It fits very well with excellent range of motion, without looking overly-baggy like many jackets on the market today. It seems to follow the Arc'Teryx style of fit through the body with more fully-sized shoulders.

I used a variety of insulating pieces with this jacket, depending on the temperatures and conditions, and it seemed to work well with all of them. In the coldest temperatures (below -10 degrees in the AM), I used a Patagonia Down Sweater (this is a wonderful down insulating garment!) and some Hot Chillys layered under the White Smoke; I was toasty warm without being too much so by mid morning. On warmer days a light fleece was all I needed underneath. And on the warmest days on the hill, and for around town use, the jacket alone was sufficient. This jacket really works well with a variety of layers for all types of conditions. In all situations, breathability was outstanding.

All in all, this is one heck of a jacket for skiing, and any active cold weather use. It is a bit heavier than most softshells I tried, but not too much so. For really active pursuits it will probably be too much jacket. It's also very good looking and quite stylish, nice enough to wear anywhere. I tried several Arc'Teryx softshells before buying the White Smoke, and I preferred both the price and the features of the Patagonia jacket.

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