Patagonia R2 Techface Softshell Jacket Review

The Patagonia R2 Techface Hooded Softshell Jacket is a full-zip fleece-lined softshell hoody that is great for active use in cold and snowy weather. In addition to being warm and wind-resistant, it has two zippered chest pockets that are easy to access when wearing a backpack hip belt. While the interior of the R2 is a fuzzy grid fleece, the exterior is a calendared polyester and elastane fabric that is stretchy, durable and sheds snow easily rather than sticks to it. If you’re looking for a softshell jacket that can function as a midlayer or outerlayer and is as functional on the hill as it is in town, the Patagonia R2 Techface Jacket is a winner.

• Material: Polyester, Elastane
• Type: Softshell Jacket
• Weight: Men’s XL (17.5 oz / 496g)
• Warmth: Outer layer or Midlayer
• Gender: Men’s
• Pockets: 6 total (2 zippered chest, 2 internal drop pockets, 2 side zippered)
• Cuffs: Elasticated
• Hood: Non-adjustable (over or under helmet)
• Fit: True to Size (size up for layering)
• Hem Adjustment: No

The Patagonia R2 Techface Hooded Jacket is a softshell jacket lined with fuzzy grid-fleece. The thing that makes this jacket a softshell is its calendared polyester and elastane exterior which is smooth and sheds wind and blowing snow. While the jacket makes a good outer layer, it’s also thin enough that it can be used as a midlayer in colder, windier, or wetter conditions when layered under a hardshell.

The feature I like the best about this jacket is the two external zippered chest pockets, which are large enough to hold a smartphone or a map. Chest pockets are precious if you wear a backpack hip belt and can’t access side pockets. This is particularly true in winter when you want all of your critical communication, navigation, and emergency gear close at hand without having to take off your backpack and search for stuff inside. There are also two open drop pockets in the interior, suitable for drying damp glove liners, and two more zippered handwarmer pockets on the side. If you like pockets, this jacket has them!

The rest of the jacket is pretty light on features, unfortunately. The hood is not adjustable but is medium volume, tall, and big enough to fit over a climbing helmet and provide good face coverage but still thin enough to fit inside one (the R1 Techface Softshell Jacket has an adjustable hood). The hem is not cinchable and while the cuffs are elasticated and can be pulled up your arms to vent heat, there aren’t any thumb holes to prevent the sleeves from riding up when wearing under a hardshell. None of these are showstoppers, but nice to haves.

The interior of the jacket, including the hood, is lined with a fuzzy mid-weight grid fleece that’s warm and wicks well, particularly when worn over a thin baselayer. Grid fleece is prized for its breathability and warmth, although that is muted somewhat by the softshell exterior of the R2 Techface since it’s a less porous grid-fleece jacket or hoody without a softshell exterior. The R2 fleece is warm, and the jacket’s full-length zipper makes it easy to regulate your warmth and perspiration level if you get too hot.

Recommendation

The Patagonia R2 Techface Hooded Jacket is a great softshell jacket for use in high-output cold weather activities like winter hiking, snowshoeing, and Nordic or backcountry skiing when warmth and wind resistance are desirable. The combination of R2 grid fleece and the Techface softshell exterior also provides enhanced mobility compared to wearing two separate layers. But the thing we like the best about the R2 are its six pockets, particularly its large chest pockets, which provide highly accessible storage when wearing a backpack hipbelt. That is a rare feature on other softshell jackets and makes the R2 Techface Jacket a winner.