Patagonia Dirt Roamer Storm MTB Jacket review

After a wet muddy ride I want a top layer that is easy to strip off taking the filth with it. That style of top is not for me.

When I'm King (it's only a matter of time etc etc) I'm going to force people who make and sell smocks to stand against a wall while I hose them with mud, rain and cow shite, and force them to repeatedly take them off and put them back on again, until they agree to never make such a garment ever again.

It's the only sensible way I think.

I'm very happy with all the Patagonia stuff I've bought, and I know "'ow much" comments are tiresome and redundant, but I've got the equivalent walking jacket (Torrentshell 3L) in the same H2NO fabric, and it's £180 RRP, frequently discounted to nearer £100, which does make me wonder about the pricing of their mountain bike gear, and whether the extra mesh bits are worth it.

Ms Bruce and I have both got one of these jackets after an interesting ride across the tops of the hills near Ballater in a thunderstorm.

The Endura Mt 500 I had was as waterproof as a teabag and Debs Shower pass jacket was little better.

The Patagonia jackets have been great for us. They are actually waterproof.

I have not found mine particularly hot.

The half zip works for me but I used to have a Pace Winteractive, and have a Parramo smock for serious winter.

I like the lack of superfluous pockets and head phone holes.

Whatever jacket you buy it won't suit everybody.

What's not to like about smocks, l have two (Paramo, OMM) both excellent and no zip breakage unlike a few expensive jackets I've had over the many years!

The jacket tested looks to be a snugger fit than mine.

Part of the problem is finding a shop with a jacket you can try on. I thought great there's a Patagonia shop in Manchester I will try there. No MTB clothing. One of the staff had a medium and let me try his on (thank you for being so helpful). Luckily the NorthWest Mountain Bike centre had quite a good stock of Patagonia clothing so I could get sorted, they even let me take my bike in the shop.

I have one of these jackets... and I sort of like it...

One small pocket... I stopped at a market and got some veg. The rear pocket can carry an Iphone, house keys, 3 mushrooms, and a very small courgette. My spring onions came home tucked in my socks.

My wife tells me I look "hot" in this jacket... as in attractive, rather than sweaty.

No drawcord round the waist, so it can get drafty if you are standing around for a mountainside faff.

Really venty.

I can get in and out of mine by grabbing the hood and pulling it over my head. I am not struggling as much as Hannah.

Size large... and I am 6 foot 2" and 97kg. It's a race'y fit with little room for thick layers. I would normally go XL, which would make pulling it off even easier.

£300... I am a bit of a Patagonia fan with lots of shirts, shorts and trousers. Their kit is super reliable, and I have never had a seem split or a button go walkabout. I'm OK with heavy weight £90 shirts and £70 climbing shorts.... even the £85 merino long sleeve T-shirt (its brilliant, and worth it), but £300 is £300. Having said that I only ask two things from a waterproof jacket. Be a jacket and be waterproof. The DirtRoamer  ticks those two boxes and has kept me dry.

Size large… and I am 6 foot 2″ and 97kg.

How is the length? Especially the sleeves? At 6'4" I often really struggle with that. Unless I size up to a xxxxxxxxl but at 80kg I may as well but a two man vango.

The issue isn’t so much smocks as smocks that re hard to take off.  I have a few smocks that re easy to take off and they are great… but I’m old and was brought up using ‘Heros of Telemark’ type windproofs in the hills and kayak cags for doing wet stuff. The Velez is easy to take off and on for example.  A smock that is a struggle to get out of is annoying and I get why.

What’s not to like about smocks

As per Hannah's review, the bit where you undergo Houdini-like contortions to get the thing off without dislocating your shoulders while simultaneously ingesting great mouthfulls of wet trail... Ironically, the more fitted the smock, the less user friendly, which is doubly ironic because a lot of mainstream, men's at least, Patagonia outdoor jackets have a weirdly rudimentary, boxy cut which would actually work with a smock. Chouinard is on record as saying that the brand's cut has aged with its users, without apparently factoring in the idea that anyone under the age of 50 would wear the stuff.

For the minimal weight saving of half a zip, the downsides don't really seem worth the hassle.

I can get in and out of mine by grabbing the hood and pulling it over my head.

This is the way with smocks.

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