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Patagonia Alpine Houdini Review

Designed as a reliable climbing shell, it accomplishes that purpose well, but not a good choice for aerobic activities
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patagonia alpine houdini wind breaker jacket review
Patagonia Alpine Houdini
Credit: Patagonia
Price:  $200 List
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Manufacturer:   Patagonia
By Andy Wellman ⋅ Senior Review Editor  ⋅  Oct 20, 2016
68
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Wind Resistance - 30% 9.0
  • Breathability and Venting - 30% 5.0
  • Weight and Packability - 20% 5.0
  • Fit and Functionality - 10% 6.0
  • Water Resistance - 10% 10.0

Our Verdict

The Patagonia Alpine Houdini is a bomb shelter of a storm jacket designed to weigh and pack down like a windbreaker. It manages very effectively to do both of these things. It is the only windbreaker we tested that doesn't merely rely on a DWR coating for water resistance, and instead incorporates a full 2.5 layer waterproof/breathable membrane like that found on most rain jackets. This heavy-duty construction makes it one of the most wind and water resistant layers we tested. While it includes the name "Houdini," we found this jacket to be quite a bit different than the Patagonia Houdini. Not only is the construction and fit significantly different, but it also lacks the breathability that makes its lighter weight namesake a must have for aerobic activities. While this jacket will protect you better than most in a storm, this ability limits its use as a pure windbreaker.
REASONS TO BUY
Great rain protection
Also great wind barrier
Packs very small
REASONS TO AVOID
Very expensive
Not very breathable at all
Bulky fit
Underperforming features
Product Discontinued
Patagonia has discontinued the Alpine Houdini. Ride the breeze on over to our Wind Jacket Review to see our top wind-shells!

Our Analysis and Test Results

Like many of the windbreakers that we tested in this review, this jacket has a specifically designed purpose that is accomplished very well, while its inherent design features limit it from being applicable for many other uses. If you are looking for a very packable emergency jacket to clip to your harness while attempting large alpine climbs in Rocky Mountain National Park or the Bugaboos, this is a great fit for you. If you stand a legitimate chance of getting very soaked on your big day, then this jacket will without a doubt keep you warmer and drier than any other that we tested.

That said, this really is more of a rain jacket than a windbreaker, like its Houdini moniker would suggest. The 2.5 layer waterproof/breathable construction has the severe limitation of not breathing anywhere close to as well as any other jacket we tried, and it will set you back a couple big bills — double the cost of the Houdini. Running or even hiking uphill in this jacket left us a sweaty, sloppy mess inside this greenhouse of a jacket. It fits really large, so much so that we had to size down, and could still layer underneath. And while it does have some useful features, like the Mountain Hardwear Ghost Lite Jacket, they mostly don't work quite as well as they were intended.

Performance Comparison


patagonia alpine houdini wind breaker jacket review - on the summit of mt. eolus, a 14er in the weminuche wilderness of...
On the summit of Mt. Eolus, a 14er in the Weminuche Wilderness of Colorado, with Mt. Sunlight and Mt. Windom behind in the distance. This jacket kept us comfortable on this cool and breezy day when rain was threatening.

Wind Resistance


We rated this jacket as tied for the second-best wind resistance in our review, equal to the insulated dual-layered Mountain Hardwear Ghost Lite Pro. This can certainly be attributed to its laminated 2.5 layer construction, which is simply thicker, heavier, and much less air permeable than the lighter weight single layer nylon windbreakers it is competing against. In fact, it was the top performer for a non-insulated jacket. If protection from the wind, especially a cold wind, is an absolute priority than this jacket is a good choice. Nine out of 10 points.

patagonia alpine houdini wind breaker jacket review - the beefier 2.5 layer construction of the alpine houdini meant that...
The beefier 2.5 layer construction of the Alpine Houdini meant that it did a better job of keeping out the wind than many of the thinner and lighter wind breakers in the test. It is designed much larger than the Houdini, so layers can be worn underneath. Here we are testing in a freezing cold autumn wind at 12,500 ft. and freezing.
Credit: Elizabeth Riley

Breathability and Venting


We field tested this jacket by taking it on a week and a half long backpacking and running trip in the Weminuche Wilderness of Colorado during the middle of summer. On the way, we encountered some very hot weather, surprisingly cold weather, a lot of wind, and tons of rain. We also brought a Patagonia Houdini and compared them side-by-side daily. What we found was that this layer was not very breathable at all compared to the Houdini, its burly construction trapped heat and moisture. We would go so far as to say that this was the worst performer in terms of breathability in this test, and it also didn't include any features designed to aid in venting, except for the obligatory front zipper. This jacket is simply not capable of mitigating the heat and moisture output of high energy activities. Five out of 10.

patagonia alpine houdini wind breaker jacket review - while we did some running in the alpine houdini, here high up in...
While we did some running in the Alpine Houdini, here high up in Chicago Basin in the Weminuche Wilderness of Colorado, we didn't like it much for that purpose. Its 2.5 layer waterproof membrane makes it heavy and significantly less breathable than we like for running.
Credit: Elizabeth Riley

Fit and Functionality


Make no mistake, the Alpine Houdini does not fit anything at all like the regular Houdini. We found it to be so large that we were forced to size down to a medium, and even then there was plenty of room underneath for layering with a warmth layer. Luckily, we didn't find it to be so bulky as to inhibit movement, but it could be better.

patagonia alpine houdini wind breaker jacket review - the hood of this jacket is cinched up with a single draw cord in the...
The hood of this jacket is cinched up with a single draw cord in the back and offers good protection. One of our complaints was that the front zipper is very hard to manipulate, as it is very stiff, and didn't like to zip all the way up to the mouth, like in this photo.
Credit: Elizabeth Riley

Besides breathability, our main complaints about this jacket had to do with the features. While we liked the fact that the hood is big enough to go over a helmet, and that the elastic cuffs actually gripped around our wrists to keep out the elements, we hated the excessiveness of the front zipper. No zipper was more difficult to manipulate, and by that, we mean simply moving it up and down. We realize that it's coated for better waterproof-ness, but it felt like it had honey on it or something. Also, we found that the zipper continually stuck in the fabric folds around the face at the top of the neck. We liked that the hood has a "cord and hook" design to help it stow away, but our experience with this method is that there was no way we could do it without taking the jacket off (impractical) and it still left lots of hoods bulkily exposed due to the placement of the hook on the hood drawcord. We were always left wishing we could tuck it much more away. We also felt that the waistline drawcord needed two hands, usually, to manipulate due to the end of the cord being sewed way up into the inside of the jacket. For such a simple design there were a lot of things that didn't function smoothly as butter. Six out of 10 points.

patagonia alpine houdini wind breaker jacket review - the hood draw cord on the alpine houdini comes with a hook tab that...
The hood draw cord on the Alpine Houdini comes with a hook tab that allows you to stow the hood rolled up like shown. This system didn't work very well, because the hood draw cord was too long and loose for this purpose. It was also extremely difficult to attach or detach this hook while wearing the jacket.
Credit: Andy Wellman

patagonia alpine houdini wind breaker jacket review - the waist line drawcord on this jacket includes the sew-in loop that...
The waist line drawcord on this jacket includes the sew-in loop that helps keep the extra cord from dangling down below the hemline.
Credit: Elizabeth Riley

Water Resistance


Without a doubt, this was the most water resistant windbreaker in this review, and we resoundingly granted a perfect 10 score. Besides the waterproof/breathable membrane, we also thought that DWR coating applied to the exterior of the shell did an awesome job at repelling water, even after months of abuse. This jacket gives you the performance of a rain jacket, which it is, but also comes at that price.

patagonia alpine houdini wind breaker jacket review - the alpine houdini treads the line between wind breaker and simple...
The Alpine Houdini treads the line between wind breaker and simple rain jacket. On this backpacking trip to Sunlight Lakes, we brought two wind breakers, but always ended up wearing this one when it was raining.
Credit: Elizabeth Riley

Weight and Packability


Our size medium Alpine Houdini weighed in at 6.9 ounces fresh, ever so slightly higher than the mark advertised on Patagonia.com. While this makes it one of the heavier jackets in the review, it is still lighter than the insulated windbreakers. It also stacks up very well as among the very lightest rain jackets that we have tested.

When it came to packability, we were very impressed by how small this jacket compresses down to when stuffed into its chest pocket. This is a very big positive because when you want to clip it to your harness, size matters. That said, we didn't give it any bonus points in this department because we found it very difficult to stuff. It took us both time and effort to get this jacket into its very tiny pocket, and we think that could be detrimental if hanging off the side of the Diamond, if choosing to break it out or stuff it back down repeatedly over the course of a day, or if you are wearing gloves (in which case it may be impossible). Five out of 10 points.

patagonia alpine houdini wind breaker jacket review - the ten wind breakers in this review stuffed into their pockets'...
The ten wind breakers in this review stuffed into their pockets', from left to right: Sierra Designs Exhale Windhirt (green) does not fit into a pocket, Marmot Ether DriClime Hoody (orange), Mountain Hardwear Ghost Lite Pro (light orange), Patagonia Alpine Houdini (navy, discontinued), Mountain Hardwear Ghost Lite Jacket (glossy black), Salomon Fast Wing Hoodie (neon green, discontinued) Patagonia Houdini (black), Rab Windveil (white mesh), Arc'teryx Squamish Hoody (brown), Outdoor Research Tantrum (neon yellow).
Credit: Andy Wellman

Best Applications


Like we mentioned above, and as Patagonia has advertised, the Alpine Houdini is best suited as a climbing shell that can hang on the harness for all-day alpine missions. In places where rain is certainly possible, and the wind might be cold, then this jacket provides a fantastic security blanket. Due to the fact that it essentially a very lightweight rain jacket, we also liked it as our shell on a backpacking trip. That said, it breathes very poorly, and so we wouldn't use it like we would a typical windbreaker and don't think its super ideal for hiking, running, or biking.

patagonia alpine houdini wind breaker jacket review - the alpine houdini is really nice when you know that you are going...
The Alpine Houdini is really nice when you know that you are going to get wet. It protects from the rain better than any other jacket in this review, and here we are happy to have it as the light sprinkles get us wet in the Weminuche Wilderness of Colorado.
Credit: Elizabeth Riley

Value


This jacket retails at $200, although you may still be able to find older models for less money on closeout. Not only does this make it far and away the most expensive jacket in this review — the Arc'teryx Squamish Hoody was second at a mere $159 — but also puts it at the top of the price chart for rain jackets as well. If you really need a jacket with these specific characteristics to accomplish alpine climbing glory, then it may be worth it. But frankly, we think this jacket is overpriced for what it brings to the table, and especially in comparison to all of the windbreakers and rain jackets we have tested over the years.

Conclusion


The Patagonia Alpine Houdini is a much different jacket than the Patagonia Houdini. It is far more waterproof, fits a lot larger for layering underneath, and doesn't breathe nearly as well. It is a rain jacket that also protects well from the wind but isn't a good choice as an only layer for high output activities like running and biking. It is also very expensive. For those who can't live without a very lightweight and highly water resistant shelter for big climbs on big peaks, this is a great jacket. But for everyone else, there are better options at better prices.

patagonia alpine houdini wind breaker jacket review - the battle of getting on a wind breaker in the wind. the best...
The battle of getting on a wind breaker in the wind. The best strategy is to quickly get one arm through a sleeve, so the jacket doesn't blow away. Finding the second sleeve as it flaps around can be the real trick.
Credit: Elizabeth Riley

Andy Wellman