Patagonia Baby All Seasons 3-in-1 Jacket

A 3-in-1 jacket that can keep up and meet the demands of an adventurous toddler, either as a windproof/waterproof jacket, a fleece snap-out jacket, or both. Besides showing some stains (light color options), the jacket is as tough as it comes for toddler clothes, especially compared to others which are notoriously cheaply made. There’s nothing cheap about this jacket.

Tester Specs and Fit/Sizing:
At the time of testing, my daughter was 15-18 months old and wearing a size 2T jacket, which aligns with other apparel she is wearing, so I’d say the jacket is true to fit. Both layers are adequately long, but not parka length, and provide full coverage of my daughter’s torso. When bending over, her backside does not become exposed. Sleeves are long enough to cover all the way to the wrist and the hood covers over top of her head and winter hat.

Conditions: 
My daughter has been wearing the Patagonia Baby All Seasons 3-in-1 Jacket for almost three months in the late autumn and early winter. She’s worn it while playing on the playground, going on hikes (hiking and riding on my back), rolling on her bike, and playing in the snow. Temps have ranged from wearing just the fleece in the 50sF (10-15C) and the fleece/outer shell combo (as well as additional layers) in temps as low as 10F (-12C), although we didn't have her out too long in those temps. 

As a Fleece Layer:
The first layer is a very soft, removable high-pile fleece with snap closures. My daughter has worn this regularly during the time of testing and seems very comfortable in it. She wears the fleece without the jacket around the house, in the car, and out on mini adventures.

We have a similarly styled fleece from a big box retailer and there are obviously differences between the two. The Patagonia fleece is much softer (advantage), has better wrist cuffs for keeping out cold drafts (advantage), has slightly larger pockets (not that those get used much, so that’s a moot point), and better snaps (advantage) but a smaller collar (disadvantage). Even without the outer layer, this fleece is a great product. 

As an Outer Shell:
The outer shell is Patagonia’s H2No Performance Standard Shell, which as the name suggests, is a waterproof and windproof outer shell. It has a lining and is not insulated. The jacket is a go-to for playing in the snow or in light drizzle, or on cold-weather hikes when she inevitably ends up riding on my back. She rarely wears the jacket without the fleece lining, but that is mostly because of the cold temps during testing where she needs a layer under the jacket.

I expect this jacket to be highly useful in the springtime too when a warm fleece isn’t as necessary underneath, but keeping a light rain or wind at bay would be needed. The waterproofness of the jacket isn't exactly that of a full-fledged adult jacket, as it has wetted through in the neck/shoulders area on occasion, such as when playing in wet snow.

Features and Function: 
There are a few key features of the 3-in-1 jacket that make it a do-it-all type of garment. The ease and strength in which the two layers attach to one another or detach is very much appreciated, as one is typically having to do this while wrangling a small child to get ready to go outside. A zipper would be a bad option for attaching, as my kid would easily undo it.

The snaps are strong and she hasn't figured out how to detach them yet, so I'd say they work great. To attach, it’s simply four snaps on each side of the chest and a looped snap at the back of the neck and on each wrist. It may seem like a lot of snaps, but not having the fleece layer move underneath the jacket would seem to be more comfortable for the wearer. 

The hood is removable as well, with five simple snaps. While we’ve left the hood attached during the initial testing, it is something I would likely remove if the jacket still fits my daughter come springtime and we go out on a cool but dry hike together. 

The velcro-style wrist adjustments make for getting winter gloves on and off a breeze. Now if only I could convince my daughter to keep them on. 

There is reflective piping sewn around both arms (near the forearm area), as well as on the back of the hood, which makes the child wearing it more visible in low-light conditions…definitely a great feature, but I wish there were more of it.

Drawbacks:
Currently the manufacturer offers four colors of this jacket (two solid color choices and two pattern choices), with this being the lightest outer shell of the bunch, but most of the fleece layers being a light color option as well. Given how stain-prone toddlers are, I’d suggest more darker color options, as long as they keep the reflective piping on the sleeves and perhaps add more to the hood so it can be seen in the hood up or hood down position (currently only seen in the hood up position). 

The only other drawback that we’ve encountered is the diminished neck coverage when the two layers are snapped together. The fleece layer doesn’t cover as much of my daughter’s neck when it is fully snapped into the outer shell. There are two easy solutions to this issue though 1) don’t snap the top buttons of the fleece and outer shell together, this allows for the fleece to be snapped independently and provide more coverage or 2) have my daughter wear a scarf. Both are easy workarounds, so this issue isn’t a dealbreaker by any means. 

Recap and Recommendation:
With the goal of getting our daughter outside everyday to play, walk, bike ride, or explore, we’ve put the fleece and outer shell to good use for nearly three months in the autumn and winter of central Pennsylvania. If you have a little one that enjoys being outside, even when it’s cold, the Patagonia Baby All Seasons 3-in-1 Jacket is a great option.

Yes, it is on the higher end of costs for a toddler jacket, but given its high versatility as separate or combined layers and that is built well enough to easily become a hand-me-down jacket, I'd say the jacket is a good value. 

Background

As a first-time father, I don't have a lot of experience with toddler gear and garments, but I'm quickly learning that a lot of it is made with low-quality materials and poor craftsmanship. This is not the case with the Patagonia Baby All Seasons 3-in-1 Jacket, as it will easily be handed down to the next kid, once my daughter outgrows it.