Patagonia Super Free Alpine Jacket Review

Last winter, I had a run-in with an orthopedic surgeon that kept me away from the adventures I would normally be pursuing. Shortly before the surgery I had started testing the Patagonia Men’s Super Free Alpine Jacket. This is one of Patagonia’s top-notch jackets for mixed alpinism whether you’re a skier or climb ice, glacier or rock. It’s built with the new GORE-TEX ePE membrane, which has taken the gear world by storm. This review is a year in the making, but it was worth the wait! These photos represent snowy activities, including some ice climbing which isn’t shown – but this review applies to summer mountaineering as well.

Patagonia Super Free Alpine Jacket Features:

• 100% recycled 3-layer GORE-TEX ePE Performance fabric
• Helmet-compatible hood with lightly insulated Storm Seal gasket and dual point adjustments
• Two oversized handwarmer pockets with watertight zippers
• One interior, zippered left-chest pocket
• Watertight, two-way pit zips for venting
• Cuffs have velcro and gaskets to keep sleeves in place
• Drop-tail hem with Clean Clip hip cutout to increase high-stepping mobility and reduce harness interference
• Cohaesive® embedded cord-lock system has two contact points at the hem for intuitive one-handed operation
• Concealed RECCO® reflector; made in a Fair Trade Certified™ factory
• Weight: 420 g (14.81 oz)
• MSRP: $599

I bet this is what Yvon Chouinard wears climbing:

As a company, I think Patagonia is still doing a really nice job balancing a large range of lifestyle products with top-tier technical apparel. Some companies seem to get big on lifestyle items like sweatpants and low fill-power down puffies and then let their technical line slack. That’s definitely not the case with Patagonia: The Super Free Alpine Jacket is an absolute top-of-the-line offering.

Patagonia built the Super Free Alpine Jacket out of the new(ish) GORE-TEX ePE Performance shell. This is a 3-layer waterproof/breathable membrane with a 40D outer fabric and the super nice C-KNIT Backer inner lining, which gives the shell a softer and more fabric-like feel. This is also free from intentionally added PFAS ‘forever chemicals,’ both in the fabric body and in the durable water-resistant coating (DWR) applied to it.

The fabric is top-notch and deserves a lot of attention. 40D is a great weight for an alpine jacket because it’s the ideal balance of strength and weight. 20D fabrics will tear much more easily, particularly if you’re climbing on rock. Other jackets have higher denier fabrics, including up to 100D on some uber-rugged alpine jackets, and that’s excellent for durability but adds a bit of weight. The 40D probably errs a little on the lightweight side if anything, supporting the ‘free’ part of Super Free – it’s light yet protective.

The tailoring on the Super Free Alpine Jacket is really excellent, and that’s probably the second most important thing to think about. A climbing jacket needs to be able to move with your body as you move through the terrain, and the Super Free does that really well. It’s helped along by a few things, including a generous drop hem to cover your butt, articulated sleeves and armpits, and of course cuff adjustments to keep the sleeves secured. The sleeves feature a soft internal gasket, which is wonderful for activities when you’re raising your arms above your head to provide an extra seal.

I particularly like the alpine-style main pockets, which sit nice and high on the front of the jacket so that wearing a harness doesn’t interfere with access. The helmet-compatible hood deserves some special mention here, too: it does all of the things that a good hood should, namely staying put and preserving your peripheral vision. It does both of those things really well. What’s unique about it, though, is that Patagonia included a whisp of insulation called the Storm Seal gasket just along the brow of the hood to keep your head and forehead a little warmer.

Initially I wasn’t sure what I thought about the Storm Seal because it seemed like unnecessary bulk, but I came to really appreciate it. If you’ve ever been up skiing or climbing and had a gust of wind rip into your face and up your hood, it can be cold enough to get a brain freeze! That doesn’t happen thanks to the Storm Seal gasket. It’s worth noting, too, that the hood has dual ‘Cohaesive’ cord-lock hood adjustments which make it easy to dial in the fit and preserve your peripheral vision. It’s a great hood.

Some of the other features in the Super Free are more standard things in an alpine jacket. I appreciated the two-way pit zips, which are about average in terms of how hard or easy it is to open and close them with a single hand. I’ve never met a jacket where it was effortless. Patagonia also built in a RECCO reflector for some added insurance in the case of burial.

Super Free In Use:

The Super Free is really a top notch shell, and it’s up there with the best technical shells I’ve reviewed. While I mostly used this for ski touring and a little ice climbing, the strengths of the jacket applies to summer and shoulder season activities too. The range of motion is stellar, the materials are top notch and the fabric performance is amongst GORE’s best. I loved how well this jacket moved with me whether I was ripping skins, and the pit zips helped me when I was sweating on the up track. The insulated hood is a surprisingly cozy touch on windy days. It might skew a little bit towards cooler weather activities, but it’s truly a versatile piece.

Fit: I’m 5’11” and 185 lbs., wearing the size large.

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