Gear Review: Patagonia Triolet Jacket

I’m going to be honest, for most of my life I had an embarrassingly poor choice in jackets for a native PNW dude. Skateboarding fashion dominated my style choices. I never cared about quality, fabrics or lifespan. I pretty much only cared about affordability and look. Several years ago though, that changed. I’m not sure if it’s being outdoors more, being exposed to more ideas or just getting older, but I began to pay more attention to things that mattered in a jacket like how long it lasted, what is was made for and how it was made. I’ve had the opportunity over the last few years to try out many different brands like Arcteryx, Craghoppers, Marmot and more. The reason I give you all of that background is to say that one of the best all around hard shell jackets I’ve found is the Patagonia Triolet Jacket.

One of the best things this jacket has going for is its price point. For $400 (or less) you get the best hard shell fabric out there. It’s made with the 3-layer waterproof, breathable and windproof GORE-TEX with a 100% recycled polyester face for added protection from wear and tear. Not only is the fabric awesome, but you get fully watertight zippers top to bottom. Now everything I just described would cost about $150-$200 more from Arcteryx, and you wouldn’t even get the dual armpit zippers that come with the Triolet.

Now this jacket could totally function as something to wear around town, but it is more designed for mountain use. It’s a roomier fit than Patagonia’s city centered designs. If you’re a skier/snowboarder you will appreciate the large hood and roomy cuffs, making helmets and gloves a piece of cake to put on and off. Plus, the RECCO reflector makes you safer in the backcountry.

Overall, this is a great multi-purpose jacket. You could use it from the house to the mountains and back again. While you could get a cheaper jacket with a lesser 2L GORE-TEX fabric, you will have a hard time finding a better equipped 3L GORE-TEX jacket for the price. It’s not the cheapest, and it’s not the most expensive jacket out there, but it’s value definitely exceeds its cost.