Gear Review: Patagonia R2 Techface Jacket

Having just finished what is likely to be one of the hardest classes I will take in college, I'm happy to take some time to rest, recover, and sneak in an adventure before the spring semester begins. Over Christmas I bought and was gifted some fun and useful outdoor gear that I am excited to start reviewing. While I want to spend some more time with most of the equipment before I write up my thoughts on it, one item has already stood out so much I've hardly stopped wearing it since Christmas.

Both my manager and I bought one, in the same color, and the same size...

Not really a fleece, not really a jacket, and yet both and neither at the same time, the Patagonia R2 Techface Jacket has proven to be a very versatile piece of clothing during the past several weeks of varied weather my county has been experiencing. Patagonia recently revamped their R line of baffled fleeces. Previously it consisted of R1-R4 ratings, each of which had several different features. It has since been streamlined down to two warmths (R1 and R2), each available with or without the "Techface" outer shell which provides wind proofing and water resistance. I personally went with the warmest option as I already had a lightweight fleece jacket from Marmot. These two coupled with a waterproof shell and lightweight puffer jacket like the Patagonia Nanopuff can be combined to cover a wide range of temperatures from a breezy October day to well below freezing.

Versatile layers are important for anyone's layering wardrobe and the beauty of this jacket is it can function as both a mid-layer or an outer-layer depending on how much warmth and protection from the elements you need.