This was my go to ski jacket for years. Rain, snow, wind, you name it. I finally was forced to retire it from skiing because my wife was “tired of seeing it.” It is now first out for deer hunting, snow plowing and snow shoeing (solo activities). 22 years and still going strong. Fit is great. I wish Patagonia stuck to their sizing from that era, I had to get a snowboard/relaxed fit jacket to get the similar layering. Tried the Triolet but had to go to a XXL instead of a true XL and then the sleeves and body are too long. Frustrating.

Waterproof zippers for the slash pocket and the pit zips would have made it close to perfect.

Solid durable shell. It is not the lightest, or most breathable goretex shell ever made. It is mighty durable and backed by Patagonia's lifetime guarantee. No longer made, but can be found second hand for a fraction of the price of inferior new shells.

Customer Service

No questions asked. Never a problem.

Similar Products Used:

REI branded shell and Mountain Hardware.

A heavy, bulky and uncomfortable piece of battle armor. If you fall down alot or work in a welding shop with a leaky roof this should be your jacket of choice. With all the light, durable and breathable fabrics available today there are atleast 10 better choices than this jacket.

Customer Service

They're great!

Similar Products Used:

Marmot, Mountain Hardwear

The patagonia torre jacket is well built and can handle any type of inclement weather. Although bulkier and heavier than the newest gore-tex garments being made, it will likely surpasses them in any durability test. Search for one of these jackets on sale for a real bargain. It also has a great color scheme that isn't obnoxious wearing to work or around town. The hood is exceptional!

Similar Products Used:

None

There are a handful of expedition-grade three-layer Gore-Tex parkas that, although they cost more than decent tents, will keep you dry and safe from the wind (as will many lighter and cheaper parkas), and will also last for years (unlike their less hefty siblings). Of these ultimate storm shells, I think the Patagonia Torre Jacket is the best based on weight, fit, and features.

The Torre has the usual impeccable Patagonia construction and all the top features: a tough ripstop main body with taslan reinforcement on the sleeves and shoulders, a fine hood, two waterproof exterior pockets, a quick access flash pocket, long pit zips with two sliders, a zippered interior pocket, and a mesh pocket to hold gloves or a one liter Naglene bottle. Nothing left off, nothing unnecessary added. When it comes to weight, the Torre is lighter than similar parkas from Moonstone, Mountain Hardwear, TNF, Sierra Designs, and Marmot—only the Arc’Teryx jackets weigh less. The Torre is also lighter than two-layer parkas such as the TNF Mountain Light and the Marmot Alpinist Lightweight. As for fit, I want something that can comfortably go over a down jacket and fleece, but isn’t so big that it flaps around over just a shirt or has sleeves that are mismatched to the torso girth. The Arc’Teryx jackets also have a fine fit for climbing, but if you size them large enough to cover a down jacket, their sleeves are too long for me.

And then there are the pockets of the Torre. The slanted flash pocket makes it easy to grab your sunglasses or a candy bar, and the two exterior Napoleon pockets are wonderful. Rather than placing the zippers at a slant, the openings run vertically—making it very easy to access the contents with bulky gloves. And these pockets are big—they can easily hold a trade-sized paperback (I do a lot of reading on ski lifts). Unlike other Patagonia jackets, the zippers open from the top on the Torre, which prevents loose items at the bottom from falling out as soon as you open the zipper.

The interior zippered pocket is big and made of Gore-Tex (no mesh to rip or catch on fleece). And although a placing a filled liter bottle in the interior mesh pocket will make you front heavy, this is a great place to put wet gloves that you might be able to dry with your body heat.

What would I change? The fleece chin guard is a mixed blessing. When it’s dry, it feels cozy, but your breath will definitely condense and freeze on it—and then to your beard. The zipper on the flash pocket has no flap, which means that the pocket is not entirely waterproof—I’d trade for a waterproof zipper like on Arc’Teryx pockets, even though they don’t run as smooth. The Torre’s pit zips are easy to engage and the flaps aren’t difficult to tuck out of the way, but waterproof zippers here also might not be a bad idea—Patagonia does use a waterproof zipper on the fly of their Torre pants. And, although the hood is great, I’d like some stiffening on the brim like Moonstone and Arc’Teryx uses.

Although I’ve never owned one, I like Arc’Teryx jackets a lot. Arc’Teryx’s tighter stitching and thinner seam tape should be used by everybody, although I doubt that they dramatically increase either durability or breathability. I think the waterproof zippers are great, but with Arc’Teryx jackets, the pockets have strange angles that make them hard to open or stuff large things into them. I also don’t think the main body fabric of the Arc’Teryx jackets are as strong as that of the Torre, and I don’t like the stiff cuffs. The Moonstone Sauvage has either the same or a quite similar fabric construction, but seems boxier in fit than the Torre. If you like crotch straps (I had a ventile anorak in ’69 had one), then look at the Sauvage. The Marmot Alpinist Climbing jacket is tough and well regarded, but I can do without the altimeter pocket on the sleeve and the snow skirt. Like a Marmot Cervino jacket I have, the Velcro on the cuffs is much wider than needed—thus snagging on everything. You also have to like that contrasting color look with Marmot jackets.

The waist drawcord of the Mountain Hardwear Ethereal series (and the Arc’Teryx jackets), ride in a separate fabric pocket that reduces abrasion of the fabric by a pack against the hard string. This is a brilliant idea, but I’ll just have Patagonia fix my jacket if it ever comes to that—they’re great about making repairs like this for free. Otherwise, these are fine jackets but a little heavy (why do they put a hood liner in a three-layer jacket?). The North Face Kitchatna was fine design back in 1990, but the hood is too huge, the taslan should come all the way down the sleeves, and the stitching I’ve examined in recent jackets looks like sewing done by a drunk or a child. I’ve only seen Sierra Designs Gore-Tex parkas at their outlet in Emeryville, but they have a reputation for being heavy, with good venting and hoods.

Torre jackets rarely are discounted (I got mine for $150 off a mannequin at a Patagonia outlet), but they may become more available as they are replaced in stores by the new Gore-Tex XCR Ice Nine jacket this fall.

Customer Service

Nothing but outstanding. They've fixed things for me (for free) for years.

Similar Products Used:

Patagonia Super Pluma (the best lightweight w/b parka there is), Patagonia Storm Jacket (tough and great for skiing), Marmot Cervino (OK), plenty of 60/40 and coated nylon in the old days.

Light, storm proof, plenty of ventilation, tough.

The fleece chin guard is poorly done and often sticks in my face.

Very nice for the $ 280.00 I paid for it.

Similar Products Used:

None

This shell never let me down. I use it for many purposes: backpacking, skiing, even everyday use. It is light, packable, bomb-proof and very breathable. The pitzips of the 1999 model work beter than the older one and the chest-pockets were improved ass well. the hood is the best I ever had. If you can afford this jacket, look no further!

Customer Service

The customer service of Patagonia is superb. I had a cotton shirt with wrong stitched cuffs. When I sent it back, I got my money back without questions.

Similar Products Used:

TNF Kitchatna,

My Torre is about two years old and has seen some heavy use. Bombproof sums it up. It is my shell of choice for winter. A lighter shell is much more pleasant for mild weather. When the weather becomes nasty, anyone could justify the few extra dollars the Torre costs. My only complaint is that the jacket has one way pit-zips. While wearing a pack, a great deal of fussing is needed to close them. This also limits ventilation adjustments on the move. A problem that is only a small nuisance after some use. I believe that Patagonia did change the zips in the following year's model. The hood adjustment also wins my praises. The volume is easily adjusted from fitting over a helmet to you bare head in snap.

Customer Service

I've contacted customer service by email a few weeks ago inquiring on having new zips installed. They have not yet replied.

Similar Products Used:

ALPEN and North Face

Many posts on this site are full of praise for Patagoina customer service, let me share one of my continued remarkable with them. I got my Torre a couple years back as a replacement for my Marmot Alpinist Climbing jacket. I found that the Fabric on the Marmot was a bit stiff and the Jacket as a whole was drafty. I was at the Patagonia shop asking if I could get an old (we're talking circa 1989) Retro Pile jacket fixed (it's lining had seperated). Patagonia said no problem, just grab a new one or apply the price of a new fleece jacket towards anything in the store! So, net-net I ended up getting my Torre for $150. I'm loving my Torre, I use it for multi-day tele trips and ice climbing. As someone who has working in the industry, Patagonia maintains the highest standards both in terms of product quality, and equally important ethics.

Customer Service

See above

I bought the Torre Jacket at the Patagonia store in Seattle two years ago for a camping trip. Their store, web site, and phone service is excellent and was helpful in my choosing the correct jacket for skiing and camping. I have skied in varying weather conditions - cold to warm and wet to dry and the jacket performed well in all circumstances. The zip-open sleeves are a must for spring skiing conditions. The construction of the jacket is outstanding as well.