The Rubicon jacket from Patagonia does its job best on those days when it’s dumping, it’s cold, and while everyone is inside, you are out on the mountain getting all the good snow that everyone else is missing. Made with polyester ripstop fabric, the Rubicon is lightweight, yet durable, and waterproof for extreme conditions.
Pros: As an avid skier, I like to have a jacket that will keep me warm on the cold days where I can stay outside and have the mountain to myself. The Rubicon kept me warm on the blustery days, the below zero days and most importantly, the powder days. The hood on the jacket is able to comfortably fit over my helmet and what I liked the most about the hood is the feature that allows you to adjust the hood with a gloved hand, which is important because I am always reluctant to take a glove off in order to make adjustments. Another feature the Rubicon has that makes a giant difference is the interior and exterior pockets. Not only did the interior pockets hold my cellphone, my lunch and an extra pair of goggles, the pockets were big enough that it didn’t give me that weird bulging pocket look.
Cons: The cons of the Rubicon jacket are few and far between but to be nitpicky, the pit zips on the jacket don’t have a lining so expect to use them only when really overheating. To some, this might be a pro, however for those who get cold easily this can be an issue, albeit a very minor one.
Where I took it: Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, White River National Forest near Vail Pass, Rocky Mountain National Park
