Equipment Review: Patagonia Houdini Jacket

The Patagonia Houdini Jacket is a windshirt designed primarily for running but which functions well in the mountains. Since I got it over a year ago, it has become a mainstay of my wardrobe--it blocks wind perfectly for those days where ambient temps are comfortable but the winds are blowing fiercely. While not designed as a rainjacket, it will also shed light precipitation for a little while. I've worn this jacket everywhere from Red Rock to Denali and couldn't love it more.

One of the best things about this layer is how compact and light it is--it packs down inside one of its own pockets and weighs just 4oz. I've taken to just always have it in my pack just in case since it's so light. 

The jacket is made of lightweight nylon. It's no-frills with no pockets except for the chest pocket (perfect for chapstick or a small tube of sunscreen) that the jacket also packs in to. The partially elastic cuffs at the wrists do a good job of blocking out wind and light precip, though they can be a pain if you pull your jacket on when you have gloves on because the elastic traps the glove cuffs inside. The jacket body is nice and long to fit underneath a harness.

This jacket works great for everything from desert rock climbing, to glacier slogging to Cascades alpine rock and ice. I'd recommend it to anyone in the market for a nice windshirt--it's so light, you'll hardly know it's there!

-Shelby Carpenter, AAI Instructor and Guide