My Houdini was wind resistant, breathable, bugproof, water repellent and compact. She was an immediate fan and eventually ordered a Houdini of her own. I introduced Cristi to the Houdini on a windy afternoon in downtown Asheville as we walked from our car to the Early Girl Eatery. It travels with me almost all the time ready to block a cold urban wind or backcountry bugs. Since then the Houdini jacket has been the single piece of outdoor gear that I’ve used the most.

The Houdini was feather light and came in a light color that would be visible at night. I was trying to increase my running mileage, and I needed a breathable windbreaker. My friend Mark and I were house sitting for the former dean of the UW School of Engineering in a big house up on Highland. Memory fails, but I know I was working at Rutabaga at the time. I bought my Patagonia Houdini jacket sometime back in the mid-2000s. With dynamic performance elements and superior compactibility, there’s almost no reason to leave the house without a Houdini jacket for chilly autumn adventures.There are a handful of pieces of outdoor gear that legitimately qualify as classics. The Bottom Line: Patagonia Houdini Jacket

Rear hood pullcord can be tricky to reach and manipulate, especially with gloves.

Outstanding warmth for such minimal weight.

The super thin nylon and a smooth finish make layering underneath a jacket as simple as can be. I’ve also worn the Houdini as a midlayer between a shirt and heavier jacket for cold-weather hiking when I’m stopping more frequently or moving less quickly. On the aforementioned mid-30-degree mornings, I use the hood when my ears start feeling frosty, then tuck the hood into the back of the jacket once I’ve warmed up. It cinches easily with a single rear elastic cord, and the material is soft enough that you don’t hear the thunderous rustling of fabric in your ears while running. Its overall shape is fairly low-profile, with minimal obstruction of peripheral vision.

I’m generally not a fan of running with a hood, but the Houdini nearly won me over in this regard as well, thanks to some key design elements. While running, the Houdini keeps me warm with temps into the mid 30s with just a single tech shirt underneath. I wore the Houdini over a single baselayer during some cold mountain hiking near Lake Tahoe, and even in high winds near 10,000’, as long as I kept moving, the thin shell kept me warm. There’s a DWR finish coating the entire garment for water resistance in light rain. Material construction is 100% nylon ripstop fabric that is highly abrasion resistant, and has a very nice balance of breathability and wind resistance. And when you’re not using it, it stuffs down to a pocket smaller than your television remote for easy storage. It’s also fairly rugged, and would be just as suitable for scrambling or rock climbing as it is for running. If there’s a lighter and more versatile jacket for high aerobic activity out there, I’m not aware of it. Throw in a dose of breathability and water resistance, add a good helping durability, and you’ve got a piece of gear any trail runner will love. Weight-to-warmth isn’t just a spec ratio for through hikers it’s just as important for trail runners looking to stay light and agile even when facing cool conditions.

Vanishing Tricks in the Patagonia Houdini Jacket

Zippered chest pocket converts to stuffsack with carabiner clip loop.

Deluge Durable Water Repellent (DWR) finish.

Featherweight 1.2-oz, 10-denier 100% nylon ripstop.Going light doesn’t mean going cold … at least, not when you’ve got a jacket like Patagonia’s Houdini along for the ride.

Patagonia houdini jacket reviews