Patigonia Houdini at Shoebuy today only $ 81.25

Only Clementine (rust orange) and Gecko green colors. Sigh…

I ordered one last week in the orange since I had to drop down to a small. I figured it'll be good during hunting season. :-)

What color does Ben prefer? Blue? I figured many would like that green.

from a photography point of view, those two colors are awesome in snow environments. Great deal!

Konrad, that you like the orange somehow doesn't surprise me. :)

Yeah, color preference is always subjective. EXCEPT for purple/green comble — now that one is just ugly! (kidding…).

hardly $81.25! a penny saved is a penny earned.

+1 purple/green

Plus members get an extra 10% off. Just picked up a XXL in the orange because it was the only XXL. $73.02 shipped. Bad color but still cheaper than REI even with their 20% off coupon by $35.

Use SPRING20 for 20% off. Comes out to 76.36!

Picked up the clementine for hunting season. Wish they had the blue though.

Interestingly, this site and discount look great for shoes, too! =D

I have got to stop checking "Gear Deals." Even though I have 4 other windshirts, I am in for a Gecko Green. Hopefully it isn't the old "Day Glow" green as some sites seem to show it. I would call that more of a "Geeko Green," but since I don't wear my backpacking clothing around town, it doesn't matter much.

Can anyone tell me what the sizing is like for the current model? True to size? Mike

Hi Michael,

I own a large which fits me pretty well. Arm length is good, torso length is good and the extra torso girth isn't bad (my usual quibble with size large jackets). I generally wear a 42M or L jacket, FWIW.

Cheers,

Rick

True to size? I would say up to half a size too small — "as is". And if you plan on layering say a Montbell Thermawrap or UL down inner or equivalent — then you should go up one size.

I normally wear medium — sometimes even Small. But the Houdini Medium was a tad tight for me — still OK if I don't layer anything underneath. However, because I sometimes wear an insulation layer underneath, I switched to a Large — much better — for both layering and not!

still works I just got one

To contrast Ben, I got a small in the new model and it's a bit larger than the older small (also men's) my girlfriend has. I could layer a lightweight fleece or something like a nanopuff under it with no compression. I like the drop tail and hood on the new model a lot. It's also 3.8 oz in small, so only slightly heavier than the old model I had.

Mine was just delivered in Large and I will update sizing once I get home. I have an XL MontBell (Japan sizing) windshirt that was a bit snug across the chest and armholes and was hoping for a bit more room.

I recently got a Montane Litespeed and a Patigonia Houdini, both in size Large, to try them both out.

I'm 6ft, 195lb, 42in chest. The Litespeed fits true to size, and the Houdini seems a little larger. With my Montbell inner jacket and a t-shirt the Litespeed will compress the down jacket across my shoulder blades when stretching my arms forward. The Houdini however doesn't affect the loft when I stretch/contort my posture.

FWIW

That sounds great! I am 5'9" 170lbs and wear a 41-42 jacket and have "monkey arms" and wanted enough room to cover a mid fleece layer. Any comments on the Gecko Green?

"I got a small in the new model and it's a bit larger than the older small (also men's) my girlfriend has. "

Now I wonder if the new model is now truer to size? The previous model was not. Some manufacturers purposely size their ultralight garments a tad smaller — to gain that last edge on light weight bragging. Maybe enough people complained to Patagonia??

Jared, is the Houdini much more breathable than the Montane Litespeed? I don't like the Montane because it's not breathable enough and I'm wondering if the Houdini is a lot better.
(my jacket uses Pertex microlight).

The Houdini Large is much larger than the Large Montbell. Where the Montbell was tight over a long sleeve thermal, the Houdini can fit over my FF Hyperion vest or my down filled SD Gnar hoody. In spite of that, it doesn't seem too big without anything under it. This is perfect for what I was hoping to accomplish and weight came in at 4.1oz Overall I would say that it is true to size or just slightly larger.

Based on a simple "blow through the fabric test", this seems to be much more breathable than the Montbell. The Gecko green color is a bit "more" that I would like, but I don't find it any less desirable than the bright blue or rust. Black or Gray would have been great but oh well, I guess it's OK to have one clothing item that stands out.

Just wanted to add that this is one finely crafted garment that has had a great deal of work go into it. I sure hope that the Patagonia folk's are taking care of their Vietnamese partners.

Walter,

The Houdini is noticeably more breathable than the Litespeed when using the mouth-test. I also like that the fabric texture is similar to those napkins that they drape over you at the dentist office – you know how it has tiny bumps or ridges? It seems like it won't smother your skin like the shiny inside of the Litespeed. That may just be appearances but I like it.

Functionally, the Houdini's hood is better than the Litespeed. The ingenious way of routing the shock cord like a headband in the hood allows the hood to cinch down around your head like a balaclava. The Litespeed hood still cinches well, but it's the traditional "face hole" with the loose hood still free to flap or shift around in the back. If the Houdini's tiny chest pocket were larger and used a vertical slit like the Litespeed, then the shirt would be perfect in my mind.

I got the Bali Blue color Houdini during the last Shoebuy.com deal. The color is really nice! With the 20% promo they were running, plus the 10% member discount, I paid $68.72 shipped.

Oh, thank you above poster for the MT101 hint! I just ordered a pair for $54.32 – seems cheap enough to try out!

On the houdini, does it have a barrel lock right behind your head that you will be sleeping on? That would not be fun.

John – you are correct, it does have a barrel lock on the back of the hood