Patagonia Houdini Review: Three Ounces of Almost Enough

A windshell is an insurance policy, and the premium is what it weighs in your pack when you do not need it. At 3.7 ounces the Houdini charges almost nothing.

Our verdict

Patagonia Houdini

Patagonia

The right answer for a windshell you will carry every day and use twice a trip. Do not confuse it with a rain jacket.

$109

Check price at Backcountry· $109

What worked

• 3.7 oz and stuffs into its own chest pocket
• Blocks wind far better than the weight suggests
• Breathes well enough to hike in

What didn't

• Snags and tears on rock
• DWR wets out in ten minutes of real rain
• Hood is minimal

Weight

3.7 oz (M)

Fabric

15-denier recycled nylon ripstop

Packed size

Fist

Hood

Adjustable, not helmet-compatible

Wind

Fifteen-denier nylon should not stop a 25 mph headwind on an exposed ridge, and yet the difference between wearing it and not is the difference between a pleasant traverse and a cold one. It is the single highest warmth-per-ounce item most hikers own.

Breathability

You can hike uphill in it in cool air without soaking through, which is not true of a hardshell. That is the whole point of owning both.

Durability and water

Two honest weaknesses. Ours picked up a two-inch tear brushing a granite flake, repaired with tape. And the DWR handles spitting rain for about ten minutes before the fabric wets out — after that you are wearing a cold, clinging membrane.

Verdict

Buy it as a windshell and it is close to perfect. Buy it as a rain jacket and you will be miserable.