Patagonia R4 Fleece Jacket - Men's

I love this jacket. Trim design and fully warm. It was my main winter jacket. Sheds light misty rain easily and maintains enough thick pile for a pedestrian commute to work.

Great jacket in material and build. It is warm and feels amazing, but for a windstopper jacket it has a major short fall.
With no draw cord on the waist this jacket cannot be considered windproof. The wind just rolls right under and defeats the purpose. You can try and hold the waist down with your hands in the pockets. But this brings up another problem. The "handwarmer pockets" are not hand warming at all. They are mesh and your hands become cold because air rushes right up under the jacket.

Overall for a jacket that is this expensive, it falls short soooo bad. Stay away from this model. Wait for the next gen to come out

This jacket is a great jacket for keeping warm and blocking out the wind. The absence of a drawstring at the bottom makes it hard to recommend this jacket to hikers because the jacket rides up as you hike. Other than that, I love this jacket when I am fly fishing, kayaking, camping, or just chillin outside in the winter months. Incredibly comfortably, incredibly warm, but would be even more incredible with a drawstring.

I have wanted an R4 for a long time and was very excited when I got one this past Christmas. I was not aware of that this jacket did not have a draw cord or any elastic in the cuffs. This is a deal breaker for me even after trying a smaller size. The sleeves are too long. The jacket itself is very warm and extremely comfortable.

I have this in the Large, I am 6'1" and 195 lbs with an athletic build and I wear this often. It is a little bit baggy, but that allows for good layering. The quality is superb, as I have learned to expect with Patagonia. It does a decent job of keeping me warm in everything up to a light wind and wicks moisture like a champ. You will not regret this purchase. I think it is similar to the Gorilla Fur jacket, but seems to have a little better fit for an athletic build. One warning, this doesn't work very well as a technical piece. I would say it is more for general hiking, base camp, or around town. I wouldn't want to climb in this or depend on it for skiing. It just doesn't sinch down enough to justify wearing it in those pursuits.

Looks great. Very warm - keeps the wind out.

Wicked jacket. Has kept me warm in high winds and temps down to the upper teens (that's about as cold as it has gotten in N Alabama this year). I get the feeling I would have no trouble keeping warm in colder temps, although anything below 20 F would probably require some layering. I've had no qualms with the windproofing yet, you can even hold your arm out the window while driving and feel nothing. It lacks a cinch at the waist and sleeves, but it still gets the job done quite well.

This is my 2nd Patagonia R4. You can not wear them out. Wears like iron but as soft as wool. I still wear my first one, and it looks as new as my new one. Have to check the labels to make sure. Got a Large and an extra large for layering. I like to wear them to the store or out for the evening. When it is really cold, I put some Patagonia Capolene on first or a Patagonia R1.. then the R4.
I also wear one while running every winter morning and I'm never cold. The moisture is wicked away from my body and I'm very comfortable during the run. After the run, hang it up to dry and it's ready to go in an hour.
Can't go wrong with Patagonia

I got this as a cold weather counterpart to my Mountain Hardwear Alchemy (which I absolutely love and can't recommend more highly - both collar and waist cinch) but is not very warm.
I thought this might be just what I wanted when I didn't feel like donning my down sweater.
The medium was a great fit (I'm 5'11" 180) and love the fact that this didn't exhibit the typical Patagonia chest poof. Initially I was concerned with lack of hem cinch as others have pointed out but was pleased to see that the fit was nicely snug for me. I had even noticed that there was an open channel all the way from zipper to zipper in the fabric where you could put your own cinch in the hem.
The deal breaker for me, however, was the large cuffs and lack of any elasticity whatsoever. I could almost already feel the cold wind shooting straight up my arms even though I was inside.
If the cuffs were "stretch-knit" like the excellent Arcteryx Strato http://www.backcountry.com/arcteryx-strato-fleece-jacket-mens.html then I would have kept this.

If you're looking for something to throw on as you walk around a cold city, or sit by your tent then the R4 will definitely keep you warm. I had to return mine, however, when I stepped up the exertion (or even when the temps hit the 40s). It's barely breathable and fits like a box (I'm 5'11", 195). I even tried going down to a medium, which was closer, but just wasn't right. As others have commented, at least for the 2011 model they still don't have the cinch on the bottom or arms.

With the extra heat, the poor fit, and lack of technical features, it just wasn't for me.

First of all, I'm not a person who goes hiking or skiing. I'm not an a mountain climber or an outdoor adventurer. In fact, I tend to stick to the urban landscape of Houston, TX that has rather mild winters. Why did I by this jacket? Simply, I'm just a dude that doesn't like to be cold. I was looking for the warmest fleece I could find at any cost. I would be surprised If I could find anything warmer than this one. I tried the North Face Denali, which was just stiffer, stuffier, heavier, and less wind resistant that this jacket.
I kept the tags on my Denali for a few wears because I was having doubts. After one wear of the R4, I ripped the tags right off. For those times when this jacket does get a little toasty, I just zip down the zipper a little to provide more breathing room and ventilation and the problem is solved! But even on the coldest days in Houston (mid 40s at worst), I grab this jacket and the cold doesn't touch me! I can't wait to test it out in below freezing temperatures. I probably wont be finding that in Houston anytime soon, so I may try to find a walk in freezer. :)

I love this jacket. I bought a large but the arms were too long...so I had to exchange for a Medium instead of Large. I bought my dad a Large, but it was too tight and the arms were too long...so it's puzzling because the R3 and R2 which I own I wear large without a problem...but with the r4 I had to get a Medium.

I use this jacket to ride my Vespa in the morning during the winter. It's perfect because there are few wind proof jackets that are fleece. Perhaps a bit pricey, but it looks and feels good, and the jacket gets plenty of compliments. I just wish I could have gotten my dad a jacket that didn't have to be returned. Of course, you can always custom tailor. I would've had to buy an Xtra Large, and shorten the sleeves.

I got one of these the first year they made them and it was the best fleece I have ever owned. Could go all winter (in northern utah) in just it alone. Eventually it wore out and I went to get a new one( which I rarely buy the same gear twice wanting to try out something new usually), willing to pay full price, and, to reiterate what is being said, there is no dang blasted cinch cord on the waist hem. The cuffs are no longer elastic either, I believe. What are they thinking?! On a piece of technical apparel just leaving that waist flapping open for all the powder and wind in the world to fly up... So, I'm going to have to find something new unfortunately.
If Patagonia would fix that it would be 5 star all the way

Toasty and warm. Good quality jacket and great colour.

i bought another one of these just a few weeks ago, and it is my second R4. i love my first and wouldnt have bough another were it not for the fact that i recently have been living in the city and needed a jacket that i could just throw on and feel guaranteed in the wind proofing and the warmth factor. my older one was simply getting worn and not the prettiest looking anymore haha. i love this jacket, it is incredibly warm and truly is windproof. i can honestly wear this with just a t-shirt or plain old cotton long sleeve underneath in temps that are at or below freezing. it is that warm. to warm infact for any winter hiking on the east coast that i have experienced. i own a patagonia down sweater and it gets very little use other than on the coldest days while snowboarding (under a shell). this jacket has simply replaced the need for that jacket on most occasions.

that said this design does have its flaws. when trying this on i saw that it dodnt have the draw string on the wast and the cuffs around the wrists were a little loose. i said "whatever, how much of a difference can it possibly make!?" well i must say that it does have an effect. it was cold and VERY windy this weekend in Tremblant (a little vacation) and i saw a difference between this new R4 and my old one. it wasnt that it was less warm so much as occasionally i would get a blast of cold air in my midsection and it was uncomfortable and unnerving. i know i am nit picking but it does make a difference when you personally are on the line.

all things considered though i would make the purchase again. it is a great jacket, does all that it is supposed to do and more. but i would tell you this, if you have the opportunity to pick up an older version with the draw string at the wast, or can afford to wait until next years model to see if they will revert back to their old ways that i would suggest doing it. but if not dont worry! this jacket will serve you extraordinarily well!

i love it and for the life of me cant understand why more people dont pick this up, it looks incredible, feels incredible (my girlfriend is a HUGE fan) and last forever. pull the trigger, doooo itttttt!

Starting on a positive note, this new version (SP10) of R4 looks better in appearance, and has functional handwarmer pockets.

However...
The mighty R4 has unfortunately lost it's phenomenal ability to "trap/contain heat". No cinch on hem (waist), and no wrist elastic bands.

I have to be fair in this review and rate this jacket against all other similar windproof jackets for men (there aren't many), but if I were rating this purely against last season's version (which was 5 stars all the way), it'd be much lower.

In my opinion, the R4 used to be great due to the combination of thicker fabric, windproofness, and cinch cords that allowed maximum heat trapping. Without cinching and open wrists, the new R4 is no warmer than say a lighter/less bulky jacket that is cinched and tight on wrists. So why go up in weight and bulk for no gain in warmth.

Although, you may get lucky and fit perfectly into one of their sizes, nice and tight around the waist line. If so, I say keep the jacket! There aren't many other options for a windproof fleece of this caliber.