Patagonia R1 vs. R2 vs. R3 Fleece Jackets: Differences and Reviews 2025

Patagonia R1 vs. R2 vs. R3 Fleece Jackets: Overview

1. R1 TechFace Fleece Jacket

Official Price: $169

Colors: Lagom Blue, Basin Green, Black

The R1 Series hosts some of Patagonia's favorite fleece for climbers, hikers, and skiers all over the globe, and the R1 TechFace Fleece adds a DWR treatment to the face for greater resistance from snow, rain, and abrasion against rock. I am huge fans of how its stretchy fleece has a grid interior that drastically improves moisture management by wicking and drying quickly as I sweat my way up mountains. Patagonia fitted it slim to enable easy layering, and it's completely stretchy to ensure freedom of movement. Anyone looking for a technical fleece for high-output activities in cool and cold weather should buy the R1 TechFace Jacket.

Features:

• Fleece-Like Comfort with Durable Face Fabric;

• Performance fleece forged for climbing, hiking, or casual wear;

• Grid fleece enhances moisture management by wicking and drying;

• Breathable, stretchy fabric offers freedom of movement;

• Smooth exterior resists abrasion, water, and wind;

• Slim fit enables easy layering for waterproof shells and insulators;

• Two welted, high handwarmer pockets have cleanly finished zipper garages and are harness- and pack-compatible;

• Dual-adjust cord-lock system at hem seals in warmth.

2. R2 TechFace Fleece Jacket

Official Price: $199

Colors: Nouveau Green, New Navy w/Burl Red, Belay Blue, New Navy, Black,Burl Red

 The R2 TechFace Fleece Jacket is a rugged update on Patagonia's performance-oriented, mid-weight R2 Fleece. The original R2 offered stretch and moisture management to dry quickly when sweating on a rigorous alpine climb. So Patagonia updated this version with a TechFace exterior that's highly water and wind-resistant to shed light snowfall when you're backcountry touring.  It is uniquely designed, warm, moisture-wicking, highly technical, and a great addition to any wardrobe. Anyone looking for a technical fleece for activities like hiking and climbing in cool and cold weather should buy the R2 TechFace Fleece Jacket. This product transcends the normal layering system offering solid warmth and protection from lighter weather.

Features:

• Technical fleece mid-layer designed for high-output activities in cold weather;

• High-loft, double-weave polyester grid fabric for warmth;

• Breathable construction makes sure you don't overheat;

• Stretchy, snag-resistant cuffs ensure optimal comfort;

• Packable design allows it to be stored in a pack until you need it;

• Two hand, one zippered chest, and two interior drop-in mesh pockets;

• Partial binding on hem seals in warmth.

3. R3 Hooded Fleece Jacket

Official Price: Currently unavailable

Colors:  Big Sur Blue, Fire, True Teal, Black, Forge Grey, and Supply Green

Between the chilly camping trips and ski resort trips, the Patagonia Men's R3 Hooded Fleece Jacket gives you versatility and warmth. Whether you wear it alone or under a shell, the Polartec fabric keeps you toasty and wicks away moisture while the Polygiene technology controls odor from your more intense ski runs. The design of this fleece jacket is light and resilient against wear, and it’s easily compressible and fully reversible. When worn on the textured side, the R3 has two handwarmer pockets and a zip chest pocket. When reversed to the smooth side, it has two zip chest pockets. This not only gives you flexibility with storage, but it also lets you regulate your temperature and preferences. To let you move effortlessly, the nylon cuffs have a spiral-seam construction that easily rolls and the fixed hood has an elastic binding.

Features:

• Regular fit, hip length;

• Light and resilient against wear;

• Strikes a perfect balance of warmth and breathability, and is perfectly fitted for layering;

• Excellent for handling sweat and moisture;

• Adding warmth under a puffy for long belays;

• Two handwarmer pockets and a zip chest pocket.

Where to Buy Patagonia R1,  R2 and R3 Fleece Jackets?

patagonia.com

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Patagonia R1 vs. R2 vs. R3 Fleece Jackets: Full Comparison

Material

The outer material of Patagonia R2 Techface Jacket is recycled polyester with a little bit of spandex, and then it has a DWR coating. It feels supple and comfortable yet pretty tough and abrasion resistant. The inside feels like fleece but softer and not as constricting due to the grid-like design that helps with breathability.

 The Patagonia R1 Techface Jacket is made of 5.2-oz 92% polyester (69% recycled) and 8% spandex breathable stretch double weave with a DWR (durable water repellent) finish. Fabric is certified as bluesign® approved.

For the main body of the R3 Hoody Patagonia uses an exclusive Polartec High Loft polyester fleece which first, is bluesign approved, which means it’s made using sustainable manufacturing processes.

Weight

The main difference between the R1, R2 and R3 is the weight of the fleece. As the names suggest, the R1 line features lighter-weight fleece, the R2 is heavier than R1, while the R3 is heaviest. so you can dial in just the right amount of heat retention for your activity and conditions.

Warmth

Patagonia R2 is, perhaps, twice as thick as the R1 and you can feel its soft fibers trapping your body heat as soon as you put it on. The Patagonia R3 is also considerably warmer than the Patagonia R2 due to the continuous and warmer front panels of high-loft fleece and slightly thicker non-grid side panels.

Patagonia's R1 TechFace Jacket will be better for warmer conditions and higher-output activities like running, laying a skin track, or strenuous hiking. The high-loft double-weave construction of the R2 TechFace Hoody will be better for colder conditions or if you're resting more between climbs or on easier hikes.

Breathability

The R1 TechFace Fleece Jacket  has grid pattern, featuring air channels between the squares, allowing for better breathability.  This model is probably your best bet for high output activities because of its superior breathability at a fairly warm level. 

The R2 TechFace Fleece Jacket employs the same, effective grid pattern found on the R1 to channel moisture and make the R2 highly breathable, especially considering its warmth and weight.

The R3 Hooded Fleece Jacket is warmer and less breathable than the R1 and R2. They offer very similar (same) durability and weather resistance capabilities.

Conclusion

Patagonia R1 vs. R2 vs. R3：Which is the best fleece jacket for you?

It can be a difficult question to answer. In my opinion,  the best fleece jacket for you will vary widely depending on what you want to do with it.

The Patagonia R1 Jacket features a slim fit which is made from Patagonia's exclusive Polartec Power Dry fabric; this is a gridded fleece that's extremely effective at trapping heat while still being lightweight and breathable. It is my go-to fleece jacket for use as a midlayer when hiking in cold conditions.

Like the R1, the R2 is a slim-fitting garment. It's the ultimate marriage of form and function—stretch, high-loft fleece locks in heat where you need it, and stretch side panels let moisture escape when you're working hard in the field. When worn underneath a softshell jacket or down jacket, the R2 is superior, lightweight warmth.

The R3 transitions from a slim fit to a regular fit, making it more comfortable to wear as an outerwear piece where necessary, but the R3 is no less technical. R3 extends the high loft of the R2 series, delivering maximum thermal efficiency through thick pile. Made from Polartec Thermal Pro with Polartec Power Stretch side panels and a drawstring hem, this is Patagonia's warmest layering piece and one of the warmest fleece jackets you'll find. However, Patagonia discontinued the R3 in the Spring of 2018.

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