Patagonia Men's Torrentshell 3L Jacket - Black / XL

I'm a woman (5'7", 160lb. ) who chose the men's Torrentshell (XL) for it's slightly longer length compared to the women's version. I rolled the sleeves inward and felt very comfy in it. Read all the reviews, thought this would be the perfect jacket from a rain performance point of view. Wore it for the first time yesterday in a 40 minute medium-strength rain with a light and small daypack with thin straps. Temperature 45F, slow pace, no inclines, I was nowhere near sweating. At home I saw large patches had wetted out, where my backpack was sitting and in large circles around the arm pits. Inside the jacket was dry except for the pit zips - I had kept them closed the entire time, zippers pulls all the way up into the upper corners. This raised a few questions for me. ... MoreI'm a woman (5'7", 160lb. ) who chose the men's Torrentshell (XL) for it's slightly longer length compared to the women's version. I rolled the sleeves inward and felt very comfy in it. Read all the reviews, thought this would be the perfect jacket from a rain performance point of view. Wore it for the first time yesterday in a 40 minute medium-strength rain with a light and small daypack with thin straps. Temperature 45F, slow pace, no inclines, I was nowhere near sweating. At home I saw large patches had wetted out, where my backpack was sitting and in large circles around the arm pits. Inside the jacket was dry except for the pit zips - I had kept them closed the entire time, zippers pulls all the way up into the upper corners. This raised a few questions for me. 1) If this happens with the pit zips closed in medium rain for 40 minutes at low activity, how much water gets in with the zips opened? Is this to be accepted? 2) Why are the pit zip shields open towards the *back*, not the front? Anyone walking tends to bends over slightly, not backwards, especially with a backpack or when going uphill, making it even easier for water to enter the pit zips. Same for the pocket zippers. What is the reason for this orientation? 3) Is wetting out normal on first wear in the described conditions? Am I expected to waterproof the jacket before first wear? 4) Why call it Torrentshell if it's not made for torrential downpours?

I’m a very active person I workout run and fish a lot using these jackets I now own two of these jackets. The yellow and blue one and an all green one from two seasons ago. Both of them are still in perfect mint shape they are super durable and packable for long hikes .When fish you can pack them up into themselvs and put in my fishing sling/pack bag. They always come clean when I slime them up with fish . I have dozens of photos of me holding beautiful fish in these jackets. I wash them after my trips and wear them to work the next day. They are very a fashionable good Looking coats. I’ve been complimented many times on both Color’s I have. I will definitely purchase another one although I don’t need another I just love them. Patagonia nailed it with this best rain ... MoreI’m a very active person I workout run and fish a lot using these jackets I now own two of these jackets. The yellow and blue one and an all green one from two seasons ago. Both of them are still in perfect mint shape they are super durable and packable for long hikes .When fish you can pack them up into themselvs and put in my fishing sling/pack bag. They always come clean when I slime them up with fish . I have dozens of photos of me holding beautiful fish in these jackets. I wash them after my trips and wear them to work the next day. They are very a fashionable good Looking coats. I’ve been complimented many times on both Color’s I have. I will definitely purchase another one although I don’t need another I just love them. Patagonia nailed it with this best rain coat on the planet for under $200 Canadian. For those of you complainers saying these don’t work in the rain your full of it! I used them in rain,slush and snow all day . Even standing chest deep in the river with this on the outside of my waders and they repel water amazing. The pockets fill up but dry quickly. They can be used in -20 weather fishing by proper layering under so get a size a bit bigger. I can fit a lot of small sized Patagonia tops but opted for medium in these jackets so I could layer up a few hoodies under.

Jacket is perfect for my uses: work and around town. Has kept me completely dry and comfortable through a couple rain storms. Breathes well, even without using the pit zips, especially considering the heavy fabrics used. Also seems very durable due to the heavyweight fabrics. The heavyweight fabrics are a double edged sword though. Love the durability of them, but wouldnt take this jacket backpacking due the weight and the fact that it doesnt compress down as small as some other rain jackets. I personally could due without the pit zips too. I dont use them so they just seem to add weight and bulk. For the backcountry i will continue to take my m-10 but for everything else the torrent shell is perfect at a perfect price.