Review: Patagonia Torrentshell Jacket

An eco-friendly and versatile rain jacket for everyday adventures

Made from recycled and durable ripstop nylon, the Patagonia Torrentshell Jacket is one in a long line of Patagonia products taking their commitment to a more sustainable industry very seriously. The jacket offers decent waterproofness for basic adventurers with a very suitable price tag attached to it, especially for an eco-friendly option. It’s highly packable, lightweight, has an excellent hood and looks great too. Does it stand up to the rough and tumble of outdoor life, though? Read on to find out.

Patagonia Torrentshell Jacket: The stats

Features of the Patagonia Torrentshell Jacket

Fabric

Patagonia have created their own version of GoreTex: H2No. This is a breathable and waterproof membrane that layers with 100% recycled nylon to create a 2.5-layer shell. The 50 denier nylon fabric is treated with a DWR (durable water repellent) finish. See below for more information on the waterproofness and breathability of the jacket.

Hood

The peaked hood is highly adjustable. There is a drawcord at the back to pull in the fabric around the back of your head, and two draw cords at the front to cinch in the hood around your face. The toggles are easy to access, tighten and loosen.

Neck

The neck features a couple of nice added extras. Firstly, there is a small fleece section at the back of the neck to provide comfort when the jacket touches bare skin. Secondly, the hood rolls down and stows at the neck with a simplified cord-and-hook design – great for cycling.

Pit vents

I love jackets with pit vents. They instantly increase the versatility of a jacket. The Torrentshell pit vents have two-way zippers to adjust the breeze to your needs!

Hem

The hem of the jacket has a simple elasticated drawcord that is adjustable with toggles on both hips.

Cuffs

There’s nothing fancy about the cuffs. But the simple Velcro tabs do a perfectly good job at customising the fit of the cuffs around thick gloves or a thin base layer alike.

Packable pocket

There are two zippered hand pockets. One pocket is also disguised as a stuff sack! The whole jacket packs away into the pocket and can be zipped up.

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Patagonia Torrentshell Jacket review

The Torrentshell has been a long standing favourite in the Patagonia rain jacket range. This most recent Torrentshell is much the same as previous versions, other than the fabric. Patagonia have ditched virgin materials and instead use nylon that is recycled to create a fabric that is bluesign approved. It’s up there with the best eco-friendly rain jacket options on the market and offers an excellent combination of style, functionality, practicality and sustainability that is accessible to everyday adventurers.

Fit

The fit of the Torrentshell is true to size with enough room to wear thick mid layers underneath. I can just fit my Rab Microlight Summit underneath in really cold, wet weather. However, it certainly fits less snugly with a fleece underneath instead. The general fit is relaxed with plenty of space for movement during higher intensity activities. My one gripe with the fit is that I’d prefer a little extra length at the hem so that when it’s cinched in it doesn’t creep up to far.

Weather protection

If you’re after a jacket that you can wear for hours and hours in pouring rain without a hint of moisture on the inside of your jacket then you’ll need to up your budget. Though the Torrentshell deals very well with showers and short spells of heavy rain, the fabric starts to become saturated after prolonged exposure, like many rain jackets in this price range. I’ve also been a little disappointed with the DWR coating which doesn’t bead as well as it should, even from the get-go.

I’ve had no issues at all with the windproofness, however. Even the storm flap on the front zipper (which tends to blow open in very gusty conditions) doesn’t compromise the overall protection against the wind.

Breathability

For casual walks, short hikes on cool days, and everyday wear, the breathability is perfectly fine. However, for more high energy activities: running, steep ascents on the trail, mountain biking etc, the breathability could certainly be better. In many scenarios the pit vents come to the rescue to keep air moving in and out of the jacket. But there’s only so much the pit vents can do to prevent the build up of moisture on the inside of the jacket during prolonged activity. This isn’t a massive game-changer for many people as mid layers or base layers tend to mop up the minimal amounts of moisture from lack of breathability. However, it’s certainly something to be aware of.

Versatility

This jacket looks better on than it does on the hanger, making it my go-to waterproof for casual wear in wet weather. It’s also lightweight enough, with just enough stretch, to wear on winter runs and cold weather mountain biking missions.

What I love the most about the Patagonia Torrentshell Jacket

The hood! I’m a big fan of well designed hoods, and this one ticks all the right boxes for me. The draw cords cinch the hood in tightly and securely in all the right places providing waterproof protection even in the most windy conditions.

What I don’t love so much about the Patagonia Torrentshell Jacket

The lack of breathability lets this jacket down somewhat. For short missions and everyday wear it’s barely noticeable. However, on longer, higher intensity adventures it starts to become a bit more of a problem.

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Verdict

The eco-friendly Patagonia Torrentshell Jacket offers good waterproofness, comfort and versatility with a relatively budget-friendly price tag. It’s ideal for everyday adventurers looking for one jacket to wear on basic hiking, biking and running missions. There’s room for improvement when it comes to the breathability and waterproofness of the jacket, pushing hardcore adventurers to look up a price bracket. However, of all the eco-conscious rain jackets I’ve tested in the last year, the Torrentshell ticks the most boxes in terms of performance, fit, versatility and functionality.

Find the latest price at:
Cotswold Outdoor | REI | Patagonia

Disclaimer: Cool of the Wild received this product free in return for an honest review. We only recommend gear that we love from companies we trust and we are under no obligation to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are that of the reviewer and we are in no way influenced by the brand or company.

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