REASONS TO BUY
Super breathable
Lightweight
Comfortable
Stylish
REASONS TO AVOID
Not warm or weather resistant
Can't layer underneath
Minimal features
Patagonia Upstride Jacket Review
This thin and svelte softshell is ideal for mild weather skiing and doubles as a shoulder season town jacket
Credit: Patagonia
RELATED: Best Ski Jackets for Men of 2024
Our Verdict
The Patagonia Upstride is a thin and slim-fitting softshell jacket that is great for spring skiing or light touring, but not warm or protective enough for most ski days. The jacket is made from a stretchy and thin softshell material that barely provides any warmth. The fit is snug, making this a good layer to wear over a base layer for spring skiing or aerobic uphill travel, but it doesn't allow enough room for layering in cold weather. Since the shell isn't waterproof, it's only usable on fair weather days. That said, the material is breathable, and the jacket looks good in both warm ski situations and around town during the spring and autumn. But the lack of versatility, even for backcountry skiing, prevents this jacket from being a must-have.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Patagonia Upstride Jacket | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  | | | |
| Price | $349 List $244.30 at Backcountry | $179.97 at Amazon Compare at 2 sellers | $319 List $158.83 at REI | $199 List $98.83 at REI | $73 List $69.98 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | Thin and breathable, this jacket excels in warm weather | A favorite 3-in-1 jacket with good protection, pockets, and slouchy style | This shell nearly matches the performance of much more expensive products | This jacket doesn't excel in any attribute, but it doesn't fall short either | This inexpensive and warm jacket ticks all the boxes for a solid ski jacket |
| Rating Categories | Patagonia Upstride... | 686 Smarty 3-in-1 F... | REI Co-op First Cha... | REI Co-op Powderbou... | GEMYSE Men's Mounta... |
| Warmth (20%) | |||||
| Weather Resistance (20%) | |||||
| Comfort and Fit (20%) | |||||
| Ventilation (20%) | |||||
| Style (10%) | |||||
| Features (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Patagonia Upstride... | 686 Smarty 3-in-1 F... | REI Co-op First Cha... | REI Co-op Powderbou... | GEMYSE Men's Mounta... |
| Main Fabric | 100% polyester | Nylon | Recycled polyester | Nylon | Unknown |
| Insulation | None | Synthetic 160g | None | 60g polyester sleeves, 80g polyester body | Synthetic and faux-fleece |
| Pockets | 2 zippered side, 1 zippered chest | 2 handwarmer, 2 chest, 1 internal mesh | 2 handwarmer, 2 chest flap, 2 chest zipper, 1 internal zipper, 1 intenal mesh, 1 sleeve | 2 zippered hand, 1 zippered chest, 1 sleeve, 1 internal zippered chest, 1 internal mesh | 2 handwarmer, 1 chest, 1 internal zip, 1 internal stash |
| Weight (size large) | 1.02 lbs | 3,15 lbs | 1.73 lbs | 1.81 lbs | 3.63 lbs |
| Water Resistance | DWR | infiDRY | Gore-Tex | 2-layer waterproof breathable laminate | Unknown |
| Hood | Adjustable | Adjustable | Adjustable | Adjustable | Removable |
| Pit-Zips | Side Vents | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Cuff construction | Elastic | Elastic strap with velcro | Velcro | Interior wide hook-and-loop adjustments and external velcro | Stretchy wrist gaiters and external velcro |
| Powder skirt | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| RECCO | Yes | No | No | No | No |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
This jacket breathes very well and is comfortable to wear on its own during warm weather.
Performance Comparison
The Upstride on the groomers during early season testing in cold Colorado weather.
Credit: Jackie Kearney
Warmth
The Upstride consists of nothing but a thin soft shell with no insulation. The shell material has very little insulation value, and this jacket doesn't provide any warmth on cold winter days. It feels more like a windbreaker for urban athletics than a ski coat. Additionally, the fit is snug, so it's hard to wear insulating layers underneath during cold weather. As such, this jacket is only useful for spring skiing in warm, sunny weather or during aerobic workouts where the body is responsible for generating any necessary heat.
A thin softshell material is all that stands between you and the winter chill.
Credit: Jeff Dobronyi
Weather Resistance
Other than Patagonia's excellent DWR finish and critically-taped seams, the Upstride isn't waterproof. The soft shell material resists liquid water, but it doesn't completely keep it out. Over time, the DWR coating wears off, and the shell material can get soaked. That said, we found that the DWR coating lasts a long time, and in our shower test, no water got through this jacket. Important seams are sealed, preventing water from getting in between fabric panels. We would wear this jacket in a light spring storm, but if major precipitation is in the forecast, we'd rather wear a hard shell.
The hood provides nice coverage to a helmeted head, but the soft shell fabric isn't enough to keep winter weather at bay. It is, however, enough for spring skiing.
Credit: Jeff Dobronyi
Comfort and Fit
The Upstride is made from a soft supple material that is very comfortable against the skin. It feels more like a windbreaker or tracksuit than a stiff ski jacket. The fit is athletic but very well tailored, and Patagonia shows off its experience making great casual, comfortable clothing. This jacket is comfortable enough to be worn to the office, to the bar, and around town on errands. During exertion, the panels stretch with the body and make athletic movements easy.
The Upstride has a snug fit, and although it moves well, it doesn't allow layers to be worn underneath.
Credit: Jackie Kearney
Ventilation
The Upstride lacks armpit vents, but the shell material is so breathable that it doesn't need any. This jacket breathes better than any other ski jacket out there, mostly because it isn't built like any other ski jacket. With a short hem, open wrist cuffs, and a loose chin fit, there is plenty of room for air to escape, even when the user is as bundled up as could be. This design allows excellent breathability when the user is skinning uphill or slamming slush bumps while spring skiing, but it also means that users will be cold in most winter temperatures if they are not actively moving.
No pit zips? No problem. The soft shell fabric breathes plenty for uphill athletes.
Credit: Jeff Dobronyi
Style
This jacket looks great. From the uptrack to the closing day party, the Upstride's form-fitting and athletic yet refined look is a winner. We have taken to wearing this jacket around town on errands and out to dinner. We even know people who think this jacket looks formal enough to wear to work. With such versatile looks, the style here can't be ignored.
The Upstride looks great on the slopes, and also doubles as a stylish town jacket.
Credit: Jackie Kearney
Features
Keeping weight to a minimum, the Upstride is light on features. There are two external handwarmer pockets and one external chest pocket, and that's it. No internal stash pockets and no ski pass sleeve pocket. When you're skinning uphill at your aerobic limit, this isn't a problem. But if you want to wear this jacket to the ski resort, you better not bring too much stuff with you. This jacket is geared towards movement, not storage.
No pockets in here to slow you down on the skin track.
Credit: Jackie Kearney
Should You Buy the Patagonia Upstride?
This is a niche jacket for serious uphill skiers who want a shell layer to protect them from wind and snowfall during light-and-fast backcountry missions. It is also a good spring ski jacket that can double as a town jacket in temperate autumn and spring weather. Considering this limited scope of use, the Upstride is pretty expensive, so we don't recommend it to most skiers. But if you want a good garment for these specific activities, this jacket will serve you well.
Skiing groomers in the Patagonia Upstride.
Credit: Jackie Kearney
What Other Ski Jackets Should You Consider?
If you want an even burlier shell for the backcountry, the Arc'teryx Rush is an excellent choice, but it is much more expensive. On the other end of the spectrum, the REI Co-op First Chair GTX is an affordable shell for everyday use.
—
Jeff Dobronyi
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