The Torrentshell is an excellent shell. I had a North Face before this one and it fell apart after 2 years: All the stitching started coming out so I went to Patagonia to get a replacement. I have a Patagonia Synchilla fleece that I wore for six years before that happend and Pat fixed it free of charge in no time - not so with North Face who told me they would have to charge me for the repair. The Torrentshell is super waterproof, very light, and can be compacted to nearly nothing. The material's sheen is very attractive and I have had many compliments on it. The fit is perfect for me and it fits over my Synchilla very well. I do wish the hand pockets were lined because if you aren't wearing gloves, your hands will get cold. The draw string locks work great - unlike my roommate's Mountain Hardware jacket which has had two locks replaced already. It is more breathable that I thought it would be - a brisk hike is no sweat. Just a great shell overall. Not very warm on its own but then again, it wasn't necessarily designed for that. As a final perk, Patagonia really respects the environment. Many other outdoor wear companies don't care about the outdoors which infuriates me. They are simply capitalistic hypocrites - unlike Patagonia who stands out as exemplary. Anyway, it's a great shell in my opinion.

Customer Service

Fantastic - just like the dealers told me it would be. See above.

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North Face, Marmot, and Lowe Alpine jackets

Vety thin and lightweight; packs small and is great at keeping you dry. No frills, no high tech features, just simple and functional. Fully lined in nylon mesh, which keeps the jacket light and allows for air circulation in warm/wet weather, but the mesh on the inside of the sleeves can feels cold and clammy if you are wearing short sleeves underneath. The only thing I don't like about the jacket is that the inside of the two handwarmer pockets are not lined - same nylon coated material as teh rest of the coat - not at all good for warming hands.

Customer Service

Typical excellent Patagonia customer service.

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10 year old Eddie Bauer Gore-tex shell.

If you are looking for a bombproof shell that is less expensive and you don't need fancy extra, this is your best value. I have had my Torentshell for over a year and it never let me down during severe rain and white-out snow storms. It is light wieght and excellent for backpacking. I have used it for mountaineering, but the lack of reinforced elbows makes me hesitant to risk too much abrassion against rock. Still, it is an excellent shell for under $200!

Great overall jacket,when i first got it it rained the next day and it didnt wet out or anything and it seemed like a great jacket,BUT over time the deluge dwr finish wore out i guess and now it wets out all over the jacket. this gets very annoying even though no water ever comes through the jacket the jacket is comepletly soaked. ive been in several big rain storms and downpours lately and it seemed to wet out alot. But, the overall quality is surperb i think patagonia's is better than most and the jacket has held up well. ive even walked through a HUGE thorn patch on one outing and the ripstop fabric held better than my highest espectations. still the fact that the jacket wets out whenever i meet a big storm is annoying. the jacket is a little overpriced too. overall a great jacket but a little pricy and preformance isnt as good as it should be for the weather its meant for.

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marmot precip pants which are awesome!

Patagonia's "Torrentshell" jacket is reliable weather protection that works. My first outing with this jacket was a fast, steep hike to over 11,000' in Spring mountain conditions, first rain, then full on snow, heavy wet flakes that fell at 2 inches per hour. The shell didn't "wet out" and it seemed to breath fairly well, I wore it over the new Patagonia R-1 pullover which worked extremely well. This shell jacket and pants will be in my pack until late fall when my true mountain shell (Marmot Alpinist Light) will replace it.I bought it for it's "packaility" and light weight. The jacket and pants weigh less than my Marmot parka alone making this an excellent choice for true weight savings with "full on" conditions protection for long mountain trips. This jacket cost half of what the newer lightweight "Goretex" jackets cost, weighs less and will be backed by Patagonia's stellar customer service. I think it's important to remember that you don't always need a full featured jacket with the weight, bulk and expense for every trip, especially backpacking which is often less extreme by nature. The "Torrentshell" line fills this void very nicely.

Customer Service

Hey, it's Patagonia...

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