Patagonia Specter Jacket

[David Bonn]

Wonderfully light. Waterproof. Reasonably breathable. More expensive than my first car (and more waterproof too).

The big pockets help venting a bit, but it doesn’t (in my opinion) vent particularly well. I’d rather see higher chest pockets I could get into while wearing a pack.

Still, the light weight and weatherproofness are awesome.

[Kevin Sawchuk]

The pullover is extremely light for the protection it provides. I use it as a single wind/waterproof piece. I wish it had pit zips to really vent, but the deep chest zipper helps a lot. I stay dry in the heaviest rain with exertion levels below moderate. The hood adjustment works exceptionally well–I don’t use the baseball cap required by many soft shells to keep the *#$%^ hood out of my eyes.

[Carol Corbridge]

Light, comfortable, durable, stays clean, waterproof, nice BIG pockets that double as vents. Only quibble is the waterproof zippers are stiff.

[kevin davidson]

I thought I had reviewed this before, thanks recent reviewers to spurring me to give my 2 kopecks.

Although not offering the same degree of moisture transfer as eVENT or Paclite, Patagonia's proprietary W/B material does a surprisingly decent job of deferring the inevitable sauna, so long as exertion levels are not too high ( pushing hard on a prolonged uphill). I tend to combine this w/ a pertex windshell to cover a full range of wet and/or windy conditions, for a total weight of about 10 oz. for the 2 shells—which is ideal for my usage which tends to often be off trail in nature in alpine environments of the PNW and Sierra and most often in UL style.

The cut of the pullover ( size L, I'm 6'2", 180#) is perfect for me , cut large enough for layering over a softshell, w/ a longer cut rear to cover same. Hood is generous w/ a well designed adjustment system.
Mesh backed kangeroo pocket and fairly deep 1/2 zip allows for some venting—wish it had pit-zips but weight would go up. Waterproof zips started stiff but have loosened up. The material, although light, is robust enough to take some abrasion. I don't feel like I need to baby the jacket overly much–which is nice for UL gear. 186 g. in Size L.

I give the Specter Pullover a 4 1/2 out of 5.

[Anonymous]

Patagonia Specter Jacket

For all the reasons above and the fact it doesn’t just fit the vertically challenged or anorexic: 5 out of 5

[Craig Shelley]

This is a good jacket and I agree with much of what is stated above. However, I still prefer my ID eVent jacket. I wanted to try this highly rated and lighter jacket so I bought one when Patagonia sold them at 50% off. However, it just isn't as breathable as my ID eVent and I seldom use it.

The actual weight of my large is 210 grams whereas the ID eVent is 288 grams for the XLarge (the size I need for the ID jacket).

[Jonathan Ryan]

A great peice for four season storm protection. While sweat will accumulate under high exertion, for the most part I stay pretty comfortable when wearing. I will give it a 4/5 due to the fact that it does not have pit zips.

[Howard Cohen]

I have used this jacket in torential downpours and stayed dry. Base layers of capilene kept me warm. Trail running with this requires more ventilation than the jacket allows. I would prefer pit zips but still appreciate the simplicity and versitility of this jacket. It is a keeper. H

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