Review of Patagonia Pluma Hardshell Jacket
The Patagonia Pluma Hardshell Jacket is a high-performance outdoor garment designed for alpine use. With its 3-layer construction and Gore-Tex Pro membrane, the Pluma offers impressive weatherproofing, keeping the wearer dry and comfortable in cold and blustery conditions.
One of the standout features of the Patagonia Pluma is its build quality and durability. The jacket shows no signs of fraying, delamination, tears, or stitching issues, indicating its robustness and longevity. The jacket's cuffs, lined with inner polyurethane, grip gloves impressively, ensuring a secure fit.
However, the Gore-Tex Pro membrane in the Pluma is not the most breathable, and the jacket may overheat in warmer conditions. Additionally, the two pit zips, while useful for heat dumping, can be difficult to adjust.
The Patagonia Pluma's hood fits snugly around a mountaineering helmet but may be too tight for comfort with a bulkier ski helmet. The jacket's hand-warmer pockets are large and watertight, but they may not fit well over a pack's hipbelt. The jacket has a small left chest pocket and a single interior pocket.
The Pluma's hem has adjustable cord-lock toggles that extend into the hand pockets, keeping them out of the way. The jacket's design is bluesign-approved, meaning all materials used during production have been verified as safe for workers, consumers, and the environment. Furthermore, the Patagonia Pluma is Fair Trade Certified sewn, ensuring that extra money is invested into making the jacket, which goes straight to workers to fund community initiatives like healthcare, childcare, and more.
The Patagonia Pluma weighs 14.6 ounces and is compressible into its hood to the size of a Nalgene. The jacket's hood has a high collar and three pull cords for adjustment. It uses a 100-percent-recycled nylon face fabric.
At the same price point as the Pluma, the Black Diamond Sharp End is another quality alpine shell to consider. The Sharp End boasts a competitive 1-pound weight, 3-layer Gore-Tex Pro waterproofing, burly 70-denier face fabric, and a full feature set including pit zips, harness-compatible pockets, and functional storage.
For a more specialized, ski-specific jacket, the Patagonia PowSlayer offers additional features like a powder skirt, more pockets, a laminated visor for added visibility, and a RECCO reflector. However, it is pricier and heavier than the Patagonia Pluma.
An alternative within Patagonia's lineup is the Triolet, which has a step down in protection and breathability with a less bombproof, standard 3-layer Gore-Tex construction. However, it has plenty of storage with five total pockets, a similar layering-friendly regular fit, and pit zips for dumping heat quickly.
It's worth noting that the price of the Patagonia Pluma for women in euros was not found in the search results. The women's version of the Patagonia Pluma shares the same Gore-Tex Pro build, lightweight Microgrid Backer, feature set, and $549 MSRP. The women's Pluma has a lighter 12.9-ounce listed weight due to its smaller sizing.
Interestingly, the Patagonia Pluma, though billed as a "regular" fit, was tighter than expected and required sizing up for comfort.
In conclusion, the Patagonia Pluma Hardshell Jacket offers a robust, durable, and weatherproof solution for alpine enthusiasts. While it may overheat in warmer conditions and have some adjustability issues, its overall performance and commitment to sustainability make it a strong contender in the market.
