I am a terribly frugal individual so it took me a long time to decide to take the leap and invest in this jacket. I finally decided to purchase a older model (the forge grey with rubellite pink lininglove it) being clearanced out from a climbing website. The jacket is incredibly efficient being very thin for a down jacket (I was always reluctant to purchase down jackets because of the whole michelin man awkward bundling effect) and it's incredibly streamlined with a tapered cut, it looks good! It keeps you warm but not overly so, and is light weight. There are two zippered pockets which when left open can provide some ventilation through the jacket. I was very toasty on some blustery windy days as well as some days with moderate rains to light showers (the water beads right off), although I haven't worn the jacket out in pouring rain for any extended period of time so not sure how it will fair then. The hood fits nicely and is large enough to accomodate when I wear my (long) hair up or if I'm layered with a sweatshirt hood. There is a pull tab on the back of the hood to cinch it down to conform to your head. There are also pull tabs underneath the bottom interior of the jacket (although it's incrediby streamlined and you wouldn't see them down there otherwise) so you can cinch it at the waist as well. Inside, there is a mesh pocket which is designed to serve as a stuff sack so you can invert the jacket and pack it down small. Most of me is a petite female at 5' flat, about 125 pounds, size 6 but typically have to size up to a medium for my swimmer's (larger) back. I was surprised that I tried on a small at a local store and it fit beautifully with a taper fit so I could wear a tee comfortably underneath it or pack on some layers. Definitely worth my investment. It's an added bonus that it is made from completely recycled material.
Update: We had some fairly heavy rains come through and I decided to don my patagonia instead of my normal parka to check it out. I was still warm and toasty but after a brisk walk through campus in heavy rain the water wasn't beading anymore, it was definitely starting to penetrate. It survived heavy rain for a short period of time but even though it's typically my first choice of jacket these days, not so much on heavy rain days...She was a little resistant to this purchase, but mine is so nice, I went ahead with it. She loves it!! Light, warm and stylish.
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