Patagonia Hooded Guide Vest Review

by Shannon

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Patagonia thinks of everything. I didn’t know that I needed or even wanted a softshell vest until I started testing Patagonia’s Hooded Guide Vest. The vest is a spin-off from Patagonia’s most successful, aka popular, softshell the Guide Jacket. Since I received the vest, it has been easy to put the vest to good use: over a down puffy for a day on the slopes, over my Patagonia Nanopuff for a cool morning of skinning, and over my favorite running jacket when the temps hit below zero just last week.

For starter’s, Patagonia states that the Guide Vest has a slim fit. However, I have been placing it over all of my size small/medium jackets without a problem and without looking or feeling to bulky or restricted. The arm openings of the vest are plenty generous and allows easy layering. The vest is plenty long and hits about 5″ below my hip bones, making it pack and snow friendly. The lower hem can be easily adjusted with two pull cord adjustments, one on each side to seal out the elements. The vest also features a helmet compatible hood that has a single pull adjustment cord and a semi rigid visor to increase your visibility.

What I liked most about the vest it’s versatility. The outer membrane is not only wind resistant, but also breathable and features a coating of Deluge DWR, making it also rather water repellent. Wearing the vest over a insulating layer or shell gives your core a little more warmth without all of the bulk of adding an entire jacket. The inside of the Guide vest is super soft thanks to fleece lining. Your chin stays cozy with the vest zipped up all the way thanks to an even softer micro-fleece panel. The vest also features two hand-warmer pockets that are backed with fleece for added warmth. See the photos below to get an idea of what the vest may look like with some layering combos: