Some outdoor brands run through styles quicker than the rest of us change our wool hiking socks, but Patagonia knows when it's onto a good thing. The iconic California-based has recently updated one of its most popular fleece styles, the light and packable R1.
When we reviewed the Patagonia R1 CrossStrata Hoody last year, we gave it nearly perfect marks for warmth, breathability and protection against the wind – something that's often missing in fleece jackets. This wildly versatile mid layer will keep the chill off, but it's effective enough to dump heat out when moving uphill, and the only minor grip we had was the lack of thumb holes, which let's face it aren't for anyone.
