REASONS TO BUY
Good mid-layer
Excellent hood coverage
Simple yet versatile design
Comes with repair patches
REASONS TO AVOID
Not great coverage during movement
Loose cuffs
Mediocre performance
Patagonia Down Sweater Hoody - Women's Review
A decent all-around down layer for cold climates or standalone jacket for milder weather
Patagonia Down Sweater Hoody
Credit: Maggie Nichols
By Maggie Nichols ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ February 21, 2024
RELATED: The Best Down Jacket for Women
Our Verdict
The Patagonia Down Sweater Hoody is an enjoyable, middle-of-the-road down jacket with solid coverage and decent performance that's popular and easy to like. It doesn't stand out in any single metric, instead offering average to slightly above-average performance across all of our rating metrics. It has a warmer, balaclava-style hood and a simple yet versatile fit and design that our whole testing team feels good about. It brings lofty mid-layer warmth and protection and is easy to layer under a shell when needed while still holding its own on mild to moderate winter days. Though it's not a knock-out in any particular area, there's still a lot we enjoy about this classic, casual down jacket.
Editor's Note: The Women's Down Jacket review was updated on February 21, 2024, with our latest findings.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Patagonia Down Sweater Hoody is a midweight down jacket with 100% RDS (Responsible Down Standard) certified 800-fill down and a 100% post-consumer recycled ripstop nylon exterior with a DWR finish. It has a trim cut with a slight drop hem, weighs 12.3 ounces, and packs into its own pocket.
The Down Sweater instantly feels like a familiar friend and is very enjoyable to wear.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Warmth
The Down Sweater is insulated with good quality 800-fill down. The baffles aren't packed full, leaving this jacket on the thinner side of midweight. On the front section, the baffles are wider for better core warmth, yet narrower on the sides to facilitate mobility and comfort. The hood is quite protective, with one of the tallest chin guards of any model we tested, reaching a true balaclava style. A single bungee on the back lets it tighten against your bare head, or over a climbing helmet or beanie. The cuffs are a bit of a weak point, particularly in the wind, as their elastic bands are quite loose on some testers, and not adjustable. The hem bungee holds well in the wind, but this isn't a long jacket, and it can ride up while you walk with it tightened down against the cold.
The cuff elastic is rather loose over bare wrists.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Comfort
We enjoy the feeling of wearing the Down Sweater. It has that classic swishy puffy jacket feeling, slightly on the plasticky end of the spectrum, but not uncomfortably so. It's a trim cut (the updated version is slimmer than previous versions, so if you prefer a looser fit or have wider hips, you might want to size up) and average, hip length. It doesn't have any features to stop the sleeves from sliding up your wrists as you raise your arms, but they're a fine length for casual wear. The Down Sweater has five pockets, including two zippered hand pockets and an internal zippered chest pocket, as well as two large internal slip pockets. It also comes with some stick-on repair patches just in case you find yourself tearing or burning an accidental hole in your jacket. And while we noticed this coat sheds a few feathers here and there, it's not so many that we're worried about it.
We appreciate the extra pockets inside the Down Sweater.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Portability
Weighing 12.3 ounces, the Down Sweater is about average weight for our testing lineup. It feels like a reasonable weight while we were wearing it — lightweight but not ultralight; just in that ballpark of the right weight that we didn't even notice it. It packs into its own chest pocket and has a fabric clip-in loop on one end. The chest pocket zipper is a bit narrow, making it harder to fit the whole jacket through this smaller-than-average opening, but not impossible. It's not the easiest jacket to pack away, but we appreciate its ability to do so.
It's a bit challenging to stuff into its own pocket, but it's nice to have the option.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Weather Resistance
The narrower baffles that aren't thickly filled prove to be a bit of a weak point when it comes to repelling winds. The cuffs are also somewhat loose and not ideal for extremely blustery winter days. The hood, however, is a strong point, as it offers more coverage than others and has an easily adaptable volume. The recycled ripstop nylon exterior is also treated with a chemical-free DWR finish that helps to repel light precipitation while it lasts.
The balaclava-style hood of the Down Sweater offers great protection.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Breathability
As a midweight jacket that's slightly underfilled, the Down Sweater has reasonably good breathability. It's not one we're excited to go sweat in for high output activities, but it's not awful for those short bursts of heading uphill during a snowshoeing adventure or for some light snow shoveling. It doesn't have any additional features to encourage breathability beyond its overall moderation in insulation.
This jacket is midweight and has medium breathability.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Should You Buy the Patagonia Down Sweater Hoody?
The Down Sweater Hoody is a solid down jacket for various everyday uses. It doesn't stand out in any particular area and isn't the cheapest jacket we tested, but it's also not the most expensive and doesn't score poorly in any particular testing metric. If you're in need a solid mid-weight down jacket in your life and you love how it feels or looks, this one is a decent choice.
We had no problems layering the Down Sweater under a shell.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
What Other Down Jackets Should You Consider?
While the Patagonia Down Sweater is a pretty good all-around casual jacket, there are a few we prefer more. The Feathered Friends Eos is a great casual jacket that's much warmer, while the Arc'teryx Cerium is a versatile mid-weight jacket that works both around town and on modest winter adventures. If you're looking to save a few bucks while still getting a great everyday puffy, the Rab Microlight Alpine is an excellent mid-weight jacket.
The Down Sweater isn't a standout in any of our testing metric, but is still an enjoyable jacket.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Side-by-Side Comparison
Compare Patagonia Down Sweater Hoody - Women's versus top competing products:
—Maggie Nichols
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