REASONS TO BUY
Very warm
Impressively wind resistant
Casual look and feel
Plenty of color options
REASONS TO AVOID
Chest pocket isn't overly useful
Not breathable
Difficult to layer over
Patagonia Lightweight Synchilla Snap-T - Women's Review
A comfy standalone model that's warm, great to hang out in, and comes in a wide variety of colors and patterns
The relaxed Synchilla is a comfortable model for casual wear.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Our Verdict
The Patagonia Synchilla Snap-T is a classic for comfort and warmth. We love the casual vibe of this fleece, with a cozy, relaxed fit that is perfect for lounging. This roomy fleece is more wind-resistant than many others we tested, but the recycled polyester build is not very breathable. A tighter-fitting bottom hem helps hold in warm air but gives this fleece a bit of a bloused appearance and leaves our bums more exposed than other options. It's also very difficult to layer over this baggy fleece – it's best worn by itself as an outer layer. The small chest pocket isn't particularly useful, but the color-blocked pattern is iconic. Even though it doesn't pack up as well as other, more technical fleeces, we still love spending cold days cuddled up in the Synchilla.
Editor's Note: This review was updated to reflect changes in our test metrics and offer additional buying advice December 9, 2023.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Patagonia Lightweight Synchilla Snap-T - Women's | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Overall Women's Fleece Jacket |  Best Value for a Technical Fleece |  Best for Technical Performance | Best Midweight Fleece on a Budget | |
| Price | $99.00 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $159.00 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $74.19 at REI Compare at 3 sellers | $135.00 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $60 List $41.79 at REI |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | A cozy standalone fleece that's great for hanging out, keeping warm, and collecting in every color and pattern | A very versatile fleece that offers lightweight comfort and breathability but midweight warmth | If you seek a lightweight fleece that thermoregulates well at a great price, take a gander | Protective, breathable, and warm, this high-quality fleece hoody is designed for technical outings | A simple budget polyester fleece boasting soft fabrics and a cozy design |
| Rating Categories | Patagonia Lightweig... | Patagonia R1 Air Fu... | Outdoor Research Vi... | Rab Ascendor Hoody... | REI Co-op Trailmade |
| Warmth (25%) | |||||
| Comfort (25%) | |||||
| Breathability (20%) | |||||
| Layering Ability (15%) | |||||
| Weight (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Patagonia Lightweig... | Patagonia R1 Air Fu... | Outdoor Research Vi... | Rab Ascendor Hoody... | REI Co-op Trailmade |
| Measured Weight | 12.3 oz (Size S) | 10.7 oz (Size S) | 9.8 oz (Size M) | 9.8 oz (Size M) | 10.1 oz (Size S) |
| Type | Midweight | Lightweight | Lightweight | Lightweight | Midweight |
| Main Material | 100% recycled polyester | 100% recycled polyester | 94% polyester, 6% spandex | Main: 92% recycled polyester, 8% elastane. Second: 96% recycled polyester, 4% elastane |
100% recycled polyester |
| Hood Option | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Number of Pockets | 1 chest | 2 hand, 1 chest | 1 chest | 1 chest | 2 hand, 2 interior |
| Features | Extended collar, comfort stretch | Off-shoulder seams, no armpit seams, moisture-wicking | Thumbholes, UPF 30, moisture-wicking, off-shoulder seams, no armpit seams, chin guard | Flat-seam stitching, under helmet hood, fleece lined chin guard, chest pocket, body mapped fit. | Seamless construction, UPF 30, large pockets |
| Cuff Construction | spandex binding | Quick-drying woven binding | Elastic cuff | Lightweight Thermic G™ grid elastic cuff | LYCRA spandex binding |
Show full specification details ▼Hide full specification details ▲
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Patagonia Synchilla Snap-T is a hoodless midweight fleece built from a stretchy polyester. It's a simple pullover, featuring an extended collar for a bit of additional warmth and an iconic, snap-closure chest pocket.
Performance Comparison
Hanging out with a mug of piping hot tea on a cool fall evening is a great way to appreciate the comforts of the Synchilla.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Warmth
The Patagonia Synchilla is one of the warmest midweight fleeces we tested. Its polyester fabric is more wind resistant than most, and its fitted bottom hem and cuffs help hold in your body heat. It doesn't have a hood or thumbholes, yet is one of our favorites to snuggle into on a cold day around base camp or at home. The extended collar adds warmth when snapped all the way up, and it's actually enjoyable to wear this way. While most fleeces cover at least part of the tops of our butts, the smaller waist hem holds the Synchilla up above, simply blousing over rather than covering.
Wearing the Synchilla fully snapped up is easy, warm, and comfortable.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Comfort
The main fleece fabric of the Synchilla isn't as buttery soft as some of the sweatshirt fleeces we tested, but its fuzziness is still plenty soft and comfortable. What really makes the Synchilla so comfortable to wear is its baggy fit that reminds us of an old sweatshirt that's been perfectly broken in. Its loose fit is much more accommodating to diverse body shapes than most, as it's made to sit above your hips and has lots of room inside. A single snap-closure chest pocket is large enough for a few credit cards, some cash, and a lip balm. The sides of this pocket flap are sewn down — this keeps them looking nice but makes accessing the small pocket that much harder. Though with its size and placement, we didn't find ourselves using it much.
Though the Synchilla isn't made to be weather resistant, it still manages to be slightly so. Like nearly every fleece we tested, a light mist is quickly soaked up by this fabric. However, this midweight fleece takes longer than average to eventually transfer that rain through to our skin. It's not windproof, but it is more wind-resistant than many other visually similar fleece pullovers.
The interior side of the Synchilla has lower fuzzy pylons than the outside.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Breathability
Unfortunately, the polyester body of this fleece isn't particularly breathable. Its loose fit helps to allow a bit more airflow, avoiding egregious hot and cold spots. But a morning spent stacking firewood or a strenuous hike up a nearby mountain left us sweaty and without good ventilation. The cuffs can be pulled up the arms, though their circumference is much smaller than the sleeves, leading to discomfort over time as they dig into your forearms. Unsnapping that top quarter section obviously helps, but a lot of warm air is still trapped by the hem. All the features that make this warm work against it when it comes to breathability.
Though we appreciate the idea of having a pocket, this one ends up more fashion than function, with ends sewn down and a very small interior.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Layering Ability
With such an oversized, baggy fit, this is one of the easiest fleeces to pull on over other layers — plenty of space. As you might expect, its loose pylons of fluffy fleece can catch against some fabrics. The only real downside to layering other garments underneath is that with such a truncated torso section, whatever you're wearing may hang out the bottom. Trying to layer over the top of this fleece is exactly as problematic as you'd think. It's quite bulky and baggy, and the fleece is piled high and easily catches against other fabrics and debris. If you have an oversized coat, you may do just fine, though the tendency for the bottom of the Synchilla to lay doubled over adds another layer of bulk to your midsection.
The way the Synchilla blouses over makes it difficult to comfortably wear a coat over.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Weight
The size Small we tested weighs 12.3 ounces. This is on the high side among our test fleet, but it's not the heaviest of the lot. The Synchilla is quite bulky, though, and it doesn't pack well — it's far more preferable to wear than to pack.
Though not designed to withstand the elements, we love hanging around in the comfy Synchilla.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Should You Buy the Patagonia Synchilla?
The Synchilla is a bit expensive for a non-technical fleece, but it's unique in our lineup for its style and fit, and if that's what you love about it, its price may be worth it. It's a great choice for a standalone pullover that does best in casual situations — hanging out with friends or relaxing at home — but not a great choice for a technical adventure layer.
What Other Fleece Jacket Should You Consider?
The Patagonia Synchilla is a comfortable, warm fleece that begs to be lounged around in. If you like the pullover vibe but want something a little less baggy and a lot less expensive, the Columbia Benton Springs is a good choice. If you like the idea of being very comfortable and warm but want a little more technical performance from your hoody, the Arc'teryx Kyanite is a stand-out sweatshirt model that still offers a ton of features we want in the field.
—
Maggie Nichols
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