Jared, is the Houdini much more breathable than the Montane Litespeed? I don't like the Montane because it's not breathable enough and I'm wondering if the Houdini is a lot better.
(my jacket uses Pertex microlight).

The Houdini Large is much larger than the Large Montbell. Where the Montbell was tight over a long sleeve thermal, the Houdini can fit over my FF Hyperion vest or my down filled SD Gnar hoody. In spite of that, it doesn't seem too big without anything under it. This is perfect for what I was hoping to accomplish and weight came in at 4.1oz Overall I would say that it is true to size or just slightly larger.

Based on a simple "blow through the fabric test", this seems to be much more breathable than the Montbell. The Gecko green color is a bit "more" that I would like, but I don't find it any less desirable than the bright blue or rust. Black or Gray would have been great but oh well, I guess it's OK to have one clothing item that stands out.

Just wanted to add that this is one finely crafted garment that has had a great deal of work go into it. I sure hope that the Patagonia folk's are taking care of their Vietnamese partners.

Edited by Servingko on 04/09/2011 12:38:36 MDT.

Walter,

The Houdini is noticeably more breathable than the Litespeed when using the mouth-test. I also like that the fabric texture is similar to those napkins that they drape over you at the dentist office - you know how it has tiny bumps or ridges? It seems like it won't smother your skin like the shiny inside of the Litespeed. That may just be appearances but I like it.

Functionally, the Houdini's hood is better than the Litespeed. The ingenious way of routing the shock cord like a headband in the hood allows the hood to cinch down around your head like a balaclava. The Litespeed hood still cinches well, but it's the traditional "face hole" with the loose hood still free to flap or shift around in the back. If the Houdini's tiny chest pocket were larger and used a vertical slit like the Litespeed, then the shirt would be perfect in my mind.

I got the Bali Blue color Houdini during the last Shoebuy.com deal. The color is really nice! With the 20% promo they were running, plus the 10% member discount, I paid $68.72 shipped.

Oh, thank you above poster for the MT101 hint! I just ordered a pair for $54.32 - seems cheap enough to try out!

On the houdini, does it have a barrel lock right behind your head that you will be sleeping on? That would not be fun.

John - you are correct, it does have a barrel lock on the back of the hood

When cinched tight, the cord lock is level with the bottom of my ear lobes. Loosened up it will fall near the base of my skull. In both cases I can rest the middle of my skull on something firm like a camp pillow and not feel the cord lock.