Mid and Base Layers

Patagonia R1 Fleece Full Zip Hoody | Review

The Patagonia R1 Full Zip Hoody is so everyday usable, you might never take it off

Why We Chose The Patagonia R1 Fleece: Minimalist design, versatile, good warmth-to-weight ratio

To the extent that any midlayer could ever be labelled iconic, the R1 is just about the closest to that ballcourt as you’re ever going to get. Multi-sport versatility wrapped up in a minimalist design, the combined effect of Polartec Power Grid construction, a blend of temperature regulating fabrics, and Polygiene permanent odour control here elevates the item to everyday wear status.

Lightweight, breathable, and with outstanding stretch and durability, this thing’s so comfortable you might never want to take it off.

“For cycling, climbing… you name it. This, in our opinion, is well up to the task for a whole range of outdoor activities.”

One of our favourite things about the R1 is its warmth-to-weight ratio. Thanks to the Regulator synthetic fleece, a material that’s lightweight and compressible without skimping on the all-important warmth factor, you’re able to stay as cosy wearing this product as you would with much thicker fleeces. If you hate overbulking your backpack with surplus layers (isn’t that all of us?), you’ll love what this bit of kit brings to the party. It’s all about them squares of lofted hollow-core fibres which trap warm air in thousands of little cavities, and then the thin linear channels between them that allow moisture-heavy air to escape.

The cuffs and hem have been simply and comfortably finished with a neat coverstitch. Then there’s the articulation, with the arms and torso linked up so as to allow you to reach up without the hem lifting up over your waistline.

Reassuringly, it’s made using fair trade certified sewing, and all of the fabrics have bluesign approval – an industry mark that shows efforts towards low impact production.

What would you use this for? Everything. For cold weather running, it’ll breathe and wick away any sweat; for hiking you can wear it in summer over a t-shirt as that bit of warmth on windy days, or, during the colder months, as a base or midlayer underneath a bunch of thick layers. For cycling, climbing… you name it. This, in our opinion, is well up to the task for a whole range of outdoor activities.

Polartec Power Grid creates geometric patterns to improve both warmth and breathability. Photo: Chris Johnson

The arms and torso are articulated to keep you covered during high reaches. Photo: Chris Johnson

The hood is certainly designed to fit under a helmet. Photo: Chris Johnson

We tried out the hoody version of the R1 with open kangaroo pockets. If you want the security of zipped pockets then never fear – there are a couple of versions with them out there.

Tester’s Verdict

Hannah Morris, Peak District climber

“I’ve been really enjoying wearing this. Mostly I’ve just used it as a warm layer when I’m belaying or in-between climbs on cooler evenings. What I like about it most is probably the hood actually. I really like the balaclava style for standing around on a windy edge without it billowing out, even though it looks a bit daft on me! The little zip pocket sewn into the main pocket is really useful too – it saves me worrying about my keys falling out.

“It’s also really quick drying. I have noticed I can get super sweaty on the hike in to the crag and not have any issues with feeling icky/shivery when I stop moving. I would maybe want to keep a windproof layer handy though if it was really windy, as it is slightly penetrable.”