houdini | Ocean Air Cycles

Between the Drops

I thought I could make it to the mid-week Farmer’s market to pick up some beef and veggies before the next wave of rain hit. I could see it coming in behind me from the west an knew it was going to be close getting home dry.

There was snow peeking out through the clouds on the Topa bluffs, but not easy to catch with the camera I had with me.

Making it there was fairly dry, the way home was another matter.

The Patagonia Men's Houdini® performed perfectly as did my Rainlegs chaps. Both pieces of rain gear are perfect for the light rain quick ride sort of thing. This test was only 6 or 7 miles in drizzle, but that is all you need most of the time here in southern California. Anything more and these will wet out and then through, all dry and happy this time though.

Patagonia Men’s Houdini® Review

I have had my Patagonia Men's Houdini® for a little over 6 months now and am confident that it lives up to the claims and great reviews on the web. The Houdini is a super light weight, breathable, wind resistant shell with Patagonia’s Deluge® DWR (durable water repellent) finish. It will keep you dry in anything less than a solid rain. Here on the southern California coast we commonly get mist and heavy fog. The jacket performed flawlessly in this weather, keeping me from dusting off the heavier rain shells for my morning rides. weighing in on the kitchen scale at 125g confirms that my XL Houdini is indeed a flyweight. Whether on my back or on the bike the load is barely noticeable.
The chest pocket serves double duty as a stuff sack.

Stuffed size is a little bigger than my fist when fully compressed. The compact and cleanly packed size means that I keep the jacket with me. It literally lives in the frame bag on my Roadeo, and has been my bail out layer more than once this season. Our weather has been a bit unpredictable this year. Many mornings I leave when it is dry, only to have rain and mist set in later in the ride.

The strongest use of the jacket is as a windshell, complementing a solid layering system. I will wear it from the start if the temps ate below 45deg F. It wards off the initial chill why getting warmed up. The full zip is perfect for controlled ventilation if you find yourself getting hot midway up a climb. When the temps are below 40deg I can wear the jacket the whole ride without getting clammy inside. Often the morning temps will be much colder in the canyons, with swings as wide as 15 degrees lower than the higher ground.

There are only two things I would change. The hood is great when really cold, below 30, but is a wind catcher the rest of the time. I ball mine up and tie it off with the adjustment cord. A stuff pocket would be nicer. Also, the XL fits me a little big. While perfect for hiking or walking, it flaps a bit in the wind. This is not bad enough for me to exchange it, but if I buy a second it will be a large.

Added bonuses, online shipping is free since the price tag is over $75, this season offers orange and green for higher visibility and as always the Iron Clad guarantee ensures satisfaction. Mine was a gift from my wife last summer, and has become and integral part of my gear since then, and yes I like it enough that I think about buying a backup.

Brrr..

It has been the start of our cold weather this week, and some adjustments are still being made in the layering system. I love my Patagonia Houdini that my wife bought me for my birthday this year. It is the perfect super lightweight shell for knocking the edge off of the wind chill. The whole thing zips into its own pocket and ends up about the size of my fist, it weighs next to nothing and is almost always by or on my bike. The downside, as evidenced by this panda portrait on my way up into the hills, the thing is a parachute. The drawcord system keeps it pretty tight around the face, but looking at this picture I know why it felt like I had a parachute on, not just a side effect of the 43deg chill. I have been keeping the hood rolled up into a little ball in the back, but this morning my ears were freezing. The newest version has the hood zip into the collar, but in true patagonia fashion is now being offered in shades of dirt, not the best for playing in traffic.

I will continue to love and wear this jacket, but wear something warmer around my ears on mornings like this. I am curios if others have found a better cycling specific wind jacket that is super lightweight as well?