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Patagonia Houdini or Stoic Wraith
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Aug 16, 2012 at 10:20 am #1293040
If you didn't have a wind shirt currently, what one would you go for and why? I'm currently leaning toward the Patagonia Houdini and the Stoic Wraith.
I've heard the Houdini has superior breathability compared to other wind shirts and the DWR is above par.
The Wraith is obviously the lighter of the two and and is supposed to be relatively more breathable than other similar ultra thin/lightweight wind shirts.
Also open to other suggestions. I have also peeked at the MontBell Tachyon Anorak, but am not a fan of the 1/3 zipper and it doesn't seem too breathable compared to the Stoic Wraith.
TIA!
Aug 16, 2012 at 10:23 am #1903230I'd go for the lighter and cheaper one. Plus the hue of the green on the wrath is less easter egg'ish.
Aug 16, 2012 at 10:33 am #1903233Do you need a hood on your windshirt?
How about pockets?
Aug 16, 2012 at 10:39 am #1903234In my opinion a hood on a windshirt is highly useful. Without it you might as well forget it being much use in light rain. Also considering how much heat you lose through your head, stopping wind from raking your noggin is a good thing.
Aug 16, 2012 at 10:41 am #1903235I do want a hood to keep more heat in. Pockets are not so important to me.
FYI, I'm really factoring in versatility too. If the jackets uses can be stretched enough to save weight elsewhere, that is a plus to me.
Aug 16, 2012 at 10:44 am #1903238Well said Randy. Clearly you're someone that factors in versatility.
Aug 16, 2012 at 11:37 am #1903249So far I've been impressed by the wraith. It has an athletic cut and can fit pretty tight when I layer my FA down shirt underneath. I plan on ordering another size up for when I need to layer.
Aug 16, 2012 at 1:57 pm #1903277+1 on Wraith. I abused the crap out of it on my last trip and it held up great. I mostly used it as mosquito protection. Even when it was hot out it seemed pretty comfortable.
Aug 16, 2012 at 2:03 pm #1903280Am I correct in saying that the Wraith does NOT have elastic cuffs?
Aug 16, 2012 at 2:10 pm #1903283I have both of these jackets. The Houdini is a far superior jacket IMO. It has great fit and features. But of course you pay for it. Issues with Stoic I have. 1) The cut is tight around the chest. I'm 5'9" 155 lbs and wear size M for most everything but the Stoic is a little tight as I mentioned. Sizing up could help but the rest of the jacket fits well so i really think this is design flaw. 2) It's too short, they need to add 2 to 3 additional inches on the length. I know this would add weight but it would be miniscule. The Stoic does has a nice hood. There are no adjustments like the Houdini has but with the collar zipped up it fits really well. I had it is some major wind gusts and it never blew off.
I still plan on keeping the Stoic. It will become part of my backpacking kit, purely for the low weight. For everyday use and day trips I will use the Houdini.
Aug 16, 2012 at 2:31 pm #1903293Yes good point on the wraith. The cuffs don't have elastic, nor does anything else on the jacket. It fits me perfect, so I never had any issues. ;) But I suppose it depends on how it fits you.
Aug 16, 2012 at 11:46 pm #1903443Everyone seems to love the houdini, so there is probably something to that. I recently got the wraith for $40. I'm definitely impressed with the breathability. I like the simplicity of it, and I actually thing the unelasticized wrists helps with breathability. The fit seems made for runners. My only issue (and this is true of everything except for rab for me) is that when reaching high for some climbing moves the the waist rides up (why I didn't pay top $ for a houdini).
I guess this makes me a gram weenie, but I'm much more likely to find a reason to bring a 2.5 oz wind shirt then a 4 + oz windshirt on backpacking trips.
Aug 21, 2012 at 10:03 am #1904534I ended up ordering the Houdini in the new Brown. Not bad and kinda matches the brown of my Granite Gear Blaze A.C. 60. I also ordered the "Paintbrush Red" to compare…but good lord is that a bright red. Borderline neon.
I'm very happy with the design on the Houdini. The hood can be made to essentially lock onto your head and I really appreciate the cinch-able bottom/back. At 5'9"ish 130lbs., the size small I felt fit me the best. I'm pretty much between a small or medium.
I actually chose the small because I could still squeeze my Marmot Zeus (S) jacket under it without smooshing the down (though the Zeus actually has a bigger torso diameter than the Houdini in Small). The Medium fit better over the Zeus jacket, but left more of a gap under my chin with the hood up and also left "wing outs" of the hood at my ears. Additionally, the cinch at the bottom of the jacket required a LOT of cord to be pulled to get it tight.
It kinda dawned on my that should I be in a weather situation where I would be wearing the Zeus jacket…it's probably too cold for skeeters. So, I sided on the Small for it's tighter fit to better keep me protected from the wind and skeeters due to the tighter fit…also less loose jacket to flap in the wind.
For those that are wondering, the size Small Houdini weighed in at exactly 3.5oz.
Aug 21, 2012 at 5:55 pm #1904704@ Ken
I'm 5'4", 134 pounds. I wear small in other Patagonia tops, but do you think I should go with an extra small? I won't be doing much layering. Maybe just a cap 2 underneath.
Aug 21, 2012 at 6:00 pm #1904706AnonymousInactiveWas back n forth betwwen the Wraith and Houdini, but the Houdini won out for new at $62.. Mine is XL, my digital scale has it at 4 ounces.. I am broad shouldered, 6 ' 195, the XL is a good fit..
Aug 21, 2012 at 9:07 pm #1904782Emil
Hard to say. I could take a picture of my Small on me with just a t-shirt so you could see the length and fit. I am leaning toward saying get the XS just to see that the hood and body aren't too tall. I also have a long torso, so if you are about average the lowered tail on the small might even be a length that could go as far as below your rear. At 5'9" mine is 1/2 way covered. I also find the smalls sleeves just barely the perfect length and feel my arms are on the long side. …So in 5000 too many words, I guess I'm saying…
…I'd lean toward getting the XS.
Aug 22, 2012 at 2:58 am #1904860Thanks a ton Ken, I appreciate it!
Oct 25, 2012 at 11:12 am #1924347Finally got around to ordering the Houdini to find that my size and desired colored are completely out of stock. Patagonia customer service says they are not producing more until next season and that all of their partners are back ordered. I've scoured the internet with no luck. Any suggestions as to where I can find a Houdini in XS suede brown? Thanks.
Oct 25, 2012 at 11:38 am #1924352I'm not so sure you XS is the way to go, the Houdini fits pretty true to size and having just a little extra room is darn handy for layering over a insulating layer (lighter down jacket, vest or mid-layer)
the Houdini is a true 4 season piece of gear- I use mine as much (maybe more?) in the winter than I do in the summer
Oct 25, 2012 at 12:08 pm #1924361Emil, I'm your same height and close to your weight. I've tried a small Houdini and it fits perfectly. I ended up getting a medium because that's what I could find for a good price on ebay. The medium is a relaxed fit that I can wear over a puffy but is still not ridiculously oversized when I'm wearing it with just a t-shirt underneath. So I think you'll be fine with a small.
But obviously fit is a very personal thing.Oct 25, 2012 at 6:36 pm #1924431Thanks for insight on fit. Unfortunately the out of stock situation also applies to small in suede brown as well. M,L,XL are all that is available as far as I can tell.
Oct 25, 2012 at 8:05 pm #1924455try moosejaw
Oct 26, 2012 at 3:04 pm #1924576Yep, there are the new Houdinis in S and XS @ Moosejaw for $99 shipped free.
Oct 27, 2012 at 5:31 am #1924643Thanks for checking around. I've previously posted about the hard to find suede brown color which from the looks of it is completely out of stock. All of the usual web stores and brick and mortars are back ordered, I've scoured the Internet. Patagonia is not making more this season. Any other color is easy to find.
Oct 27, 2012 at 6:19 am #1924645Finally! Found the brown in a small on Appalachian Outdoors web store. Got the last one. Had to pay full price but at this point I don't care.
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