Patagonia Airshed Pro Pullover Review

It’s not often I mess with my layering systems. Over many decades of running, I’ve learned what to wear based on my body that day (they change day to day, did you know!?), the distance I’m running, the temperature range, and the likely conditions. My system usually involves a lot of wool tops.

Although I did consider a wind shirt when I was refining gear for my first thru-hike, never have I considered a wind shirt for running … until now. I recently tested the Patagonia Women’s Airshed Pro Pullover — a wind shirt designed for high output activities in unpredictable weather conditions. Despite contending with some of the drawbacks of polyester, I did enjoy wearing this garment — especially in some specific types of conditions.

Patagonia Women’s Airshed Pro Pullover At-A-Glance

MSRP: $139
Weight: 3.3 ounces (94 grams)
Fit: Slim
Materials: 100% recycled polyester

Men’s Airshed Pro Pullover here

Circumstance of Review

I tested the Airshed Pro Pullover while trail running in a range of weather conditions, including various degrees of precipitation combined with various degrees of cold.

This wind shirt is especially perfect for mountain running during late (spring) and early (fall) shoulder season conditions as long as you’re reasonably sure you aren’t going to run into more serious weather, in which case I’d recommend more significant layering and protection.

Patagonia Airshed Pro Pullover Features

Stretch

The fabric used in the Airshed Pro is all stretchy to some degree. The body portion that’s made of stretch-woven ripstop is a bit less stretchy than the hood and sleeve portions made of stretch-knit fabric, but overall it has a nice mild stretch to it that makes it extra comfortable during movement.

Packable

The version I tested actually didn’t have this feature, so I don’t have much to say about this. The latest version of the Airshed Pro packs down into its own pocket.

Two-Way Zipper

The ¼ zip (more of a ½ – ¾ zip on me) has two zipper pulls that allow part of the zipper to be zipped and part of it to be open simultaneously. The design seems to be inspired by an idea that one could have the ability to keep the hood secure around the face while having an opening for ventilation.

In reality, this design was a bit strange to me and when you have it zipped closed around your face but open below, it generates what my partner calls a “boob window.” Accordingly, I have yet to use this feature. I guess if I were a person who runs hot (on the contrary, I run cold) it might have been a nice feature, but even then I don’t think it would’ve been particularly effective given the location of venting.

Fitted Hood

The hood material is a little stretchier than the body, but it is not adjustable. Instead, there’s a thin band of elastic that holds it in place around your face, and the fit is dependent on the overall structure of the garment. Overall, I was pleased with the fit of the hood (see below).

Double-Knit Lower Sleeve

While the body of the Airshed Pro is made of 100% recycled polyester stretch-woven ripstop with a DWR finish, the hood and lower portion of the sleeves (the whole under-arm panel from pit to wrist, as well as the top forearm panel from elbow to wrist) are made of 100 percent recycled polyester double knit. This soft, lightweight fabric is designed to be easy to push up to the elbow for extra ventilation.

Patagonia Airshed Pro Pullover Pros

Hood

Before I started thru-hiking, I used to be anti-hood/pro-hat. I don’t know what I was thinking. Hoods are everything.

First, you don’t have a small random thing to keep track of in your pack. Second, you get all the warmth from your body circulating up around your neck and head and you’re keeping in considerably more warmth than you would with a hat. Third, hats are rarely adjustable like a hood is. And finally, hoods are attached to you and thus cannot blow away.

Together, these facts place me squarely on team hood, with one important caveat—the hood has to fit well. A poor-fitting hood that blows off, doesn’t come far enough forward, or blocks peripheral vision will irritate me to no end.

Luckily, the Airshed Pro meets all my requirements and none of my complaints. Even though it’s not adjustable, it fits very well around my face, stretches to accommodate my hair being worn in a bun vs. a braid, and doesn’t block my peripheral vision. 10/10 for the hood.

Breathability

Between the portions of the garment that are double-knit and the very large zip, I found the Airshed Pro to be highly breathable and comfortable in high output efforts.

Comfort

In addition to the stretch of the material, it also feels pretty soft. It doesn’t irritate my skin when I have a short-sleeve or a tank underneath, and the lightweight material and slim fit really do make for a nice feel when you’re cruising down the trail.

Patagonia Airshed Pro Pullover Cons

Versatility

Technically, this garment can be worn as a midlayer or as an outer layer in mild conditions, which theoretically makes it nicely versatile. But I would argue that it’s not much of an outer layer except for in very mild conditions with pretty low degrees of uncertainty. It’s very nice in a warm drizzle, and it’s especially nice for a long morning run that starts cold but heats up.

I almost think they’ve tried to do too much with this jacket and impaired its functionality as a result. The outer layer features are compromised by the fabric used for the hood and sleeves, which are not DWR coated and get absolutely soaked if you’re in anything more than brief, light precipitation. Further, because it’s polyester and not wool, when this happens you start to get cold.

All to say, this isn’t the piece I’m going to for a midlayer because I’d rather have wool, and unless it’s a relatively nice day it isn’t the piece I’m going to for an outer layer because it won’t offer adequate protection. The range of conditions in which I reach for the Airshed Pro is actually fairly narrow.

Polyester

I love the fact that this is made out of 100 percent recyclable material and doesn’t contain PFCs. That said, like any polyester garment, the Airshed Pro Pullover starts to stink after a while, and the stench just really can’t be fully eradicated. Further, unlike wool, polyester won’t keep you warm when you start to get wet and cold.

Two-Way Zipper

Theoretically I like this idea, but as I mentioned above, functionally it wasn’t my favorite feature. Also, in my opinion the zipper is too long. I’m 5’2” and tested an XS and the bottom of the zipper comes all the way down to my navel.

Sizing

To be fair, the length of the zipper is probably actually about the overall length/size of the garment. As with nearly every outdoor gear-related garment I have ever put on, the sizes aren’t really suited for people who are petite. If you are shorter than 5’9” (the height of the model for this on Patagonia’s website), be prepared to have it hit much lower on your hips and to have some extra material.

Overall

Overall this is a comfortable layer that I enjoy wearing in very specific, mostly nice conditions. I like the next-to-skin comfort and breathability of the material, as well as the functional hood, but the pullover tries to do too much and falls short of perfection in both the midlayer and outer layer categories.

Shop the Patagonia Women’s Airshed Pro Pullover

Shop the Patagonia Men’s Airshed Pro Pullover

Comparable Items

Brooks Canopy Jacket
MSRP: $130

Patagonia Houdini Air Jacket
MSRP: $109

The Patagonia Airshed Pro Pullover was donated for purpose of review.