REVIEWED: Patagonia Houdini windbreaker
Weighing just 110g and easy to clip on to a belt, this anatomically designed pac-a-mac is perfect for ultra-light travel
If you’re travelling as light as possible, every gram counts. A windbreaker like the ultra-light, 110g Houdini would be a mistake if you’re going somewhere where rain either common or predictably heavy, but for short trips and occasional showers this is the ultimate solution.
Running shell?
OK, it’s designed as a ‘running shell’, but we’re not going to let that bother us. The Houdini is short, it’s got elasticated wrists, it’s got a hood that’s both impressively shaped and can be tightened (crucial if used in windy conditions), and it’s can be collapsed into its own zipped chest pocket. It forms a stuff-sack that comes complete with a loop, though a carabiner would have been nice.
Emergency protection
We wore the Houdini in both a brief shower and in consistently rainy conditions, and in the latter we did get wet, but not too sweaty. The Deluge DWR covering works well, though it’s best thought of as emergency protection and a helpful extra layer that takes up almost no space. Like it? We’re never going outside again without it. From now on, trail-runners, we’re shopping where you shop.