Patagonia Galvanized Jacket
Let me preface this article by stating that the Galvanized Jacket is too much jacket for me. It’s built for tough alpine pursuits (think mountain climbing and ski touring). I don’t do those things. I primarily use it for hiking, especially when travelling. But as an entry-level outdoor gear nerd, this jacket intrigued me.
This is actually the second Galvanized Jacket I’ve bought from Patagonia. I bought the first iteration of the jacket in 2018, and then picked up this updated version last year (2020). There were some significant changes between the two, which I’ll talk about later. But first, let’s talk about the basics.
This is not your standard hard shell jacket. Rather, it’s a hybrid shell that combines the waterproofing and toughness of a hard shell with the comfort and stretchability of a soft shell. Does that make it a better option than either of those two? I’ll leave that to the true alpinists to debate. For me, it’s a really cool combination piece that is truly versatile and has not let me down in the three years that I’ve been using both versions.
The jacket is constructed from Patagonia’s proprietary H2No Performance Standard waterproof/breathable membrane. H2No is Patagonia’s top-of-the-line membrane, so one should expect it to perform well in all but the most severe conditions. And indeed, for my pursuits, it has passed with flying colours. I’ve hiked in the Galvanized in Iceland and Newfoundland, both places where the weather seems to change every five minutes. The jacket took on pouring rain and roaring winds with aplomb, and kept me dry and comfortable throughout. As with any shell, there will eventually be some wetting out if you’re in the rain for extended periods of time, especially once the DWR starts to wear out.
The goal of any shell jacket is not to keep you dry forever; it’s to keep you dry long enough to get to your next stop. Every hard shell will accomplish this to some extent, but where the Galvanized stands out is in its stretchability. I never felt restricted when moving in it, and that extra little bit of mobility makes a huge difference in overall comfort. The tradeoff may be that the jacket wets out quicker than a true hard shell, but for the average user, I don’t see this being a huge issue unless you’re constantly out in the rain.
Let’s talk design and features. Here’s a cool list of some of them. The updated (current) version has several new features that weren’t present on the original, which I’ve noted in bold. I should also note that all exterior zippers are polyurethane (PU) coated and watertight:
Two handwarmer pockets positioned high to allow for use while wearing a pack or harness
One exterior left chest pocket that the jacket can actually be stuffed into
Interior drawcord hem with embedded cord locks
Cuffs have an interior PU coating on the wrist that helps keep them in place when worn over gloves (useful when doing neat alpine things like swinging an ice axe)
Two-way pit zips!
Built in Recco reflector
The best addition to the current version is easily the pit zips. There’s no better way to dump heat than through pit zips and honestly, I can’t believe they weren’t included in the first version, especially considering the use case for this jacket (high output activities). But they’re here now, and fabulous.
Lastly, a bit on fit. Patagonia categorizes the Galvanized as a slim-fit jacket. I’m by no means a shell jacket expert, but I don’t think the Galvanized is significantly slimmer than most others. So my recommendation is to go with your usual jacket size. I’m 5’8”, 145 lbs and a size small fits well. Keep in mind that the jacket is still built for layering. I can fit my Patagonia Down Sweater Jacket underneath but that’s probably the limit.
Verdict: Super-duper stretchy protection.
