Patagonia has a new hoody pullover with a deep chest zip, made in their "new/improved" Capilene 4 material:

http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/mens-capilene-baselayer-4-expedition-weight-baselayer-quarter-zip-hoody?p=43665-0-419

I haven't seen one in person but it looks very interesting. 8oz instead 12oz, which appeals to me because I've got an R1 hoody and always thought it was quite heavy (and bulky) for what it does. The Cap4 material is supposed to be more breathable, which means less wind resistant, but I always bring a Houdini or other light shell so maybe that's not so bad.

I tried one on today and was impressed. it's pretty much the old r.5 weight, but the inside checkered fleece pattern has more "dead space" cut out if that makes any sense. resulting in a lighter weight and better packability, AND those spaces are supposed to trap and warm air better. the hood was awesome and sealed snug. i would put it on par warmth wise as my cheaper melanzana micro hoody, but this has the better venting with the deep zip. i think it's a winner on sale.

Edited by rbeard on 09/07/2012 19:58:30 MDT.

if it's similar (or even better) than the r.5 it should be a dandy- I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for one :)

I had an original R.5 (zip top) -- this looks like a much nicer fabric. So far, I've only seen the hoody for sale at Patagonia and Moosejaw...

Dave C has started a thread here fwiw:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=67683

What would be the estimated packed size for this item, in whatever size you may have?
Is it fairly compressible?

Dang, sorry guys, I didn't see Dave C's thread; I shoulda searched first. No doubt he's got the detailed info.