Patagonia  Better Sweater Fleece Vest - Men's

I have admired this fleece vest for years. It is beautifully designed and doesn't look like techno-nerd wear. It is versatile and can be dressed up or down. I ordered a size large, which is my usual Patagonia size. The garment is considered a regular fit. Compared to all of the other Patagonia clothing that I have owned, it is a bit snug in the chest. It's a bit longer than other vests, but I'm OK with that. The XL would have been too big for me. Other than the variation in the fit from what I am used to with other Patagonia garments, it's great. There have been other reviews that question the durability of the fabric, with a lot of pilling issues, but it's too soon to tell on that score.

Fit and look are perfect. Not loose or too tight in torso (I am 6'2", 185 lbs and large fit like a glove). Zippered pockets stow things securely. I recommend this vest for casual wear and/or winter sports.

I was very disappointed with this jacket, especially since Patagonia has such a good reputation. The material seemed high quality, but the design is poor. The zip stitching is very stiff almost all along its length (it's due to the stitching of the chest and lower hand pockets along the zip), which wouldn't be too bad if it didn't have a small 4-inch flexible portion just below the chest. Because of the stiffness the jacket doesn't bend with your body. Worst part is that the zip bows out in front when you sit down or bend down, and because it bends at the small flexible portion of the zip, it juts out like something was sticking out of your chest. Besides looking very weird, it feels very uncomfortable in any position but upright. I wouldn't mind this if the jacket was cheap. But for this price and for the standard that you expect from Patagonia, the jacket is not good.

The zipper pulls on this are tiny. And, they are a unique design that seems specific to this item - they don't have the typical hole in the end. I had to attach my own cords/pulls, but had to invent a way to keep them attached to the full zipper head. Also, the hand warmer pockets are tiny. There's a reason why the model only has his fingers in them - that's all that will fit. They are the narrowest pockets I've ever seen on an adult garment. If you intend to stick your hands in the pockets ever - this may not be the item for you. The fit is good, the material is good, and the function is good -- *IF* you can get past the too small to use zipper pulls (you can attach your own or 3rd party pulls) and the not really useful hand pockets (no fix for that).

Just bought this. I wanted to replace my old fleece vest I primarily use in town, but also as a mid layer when stopped for lunches, breaks while out hiking or skiing in winter. This was very attractive, and bought it spur of the moment, knowing that Patagonia doesn't go on sale that often. I went online because the tags on the garment don't discuss the product, except the regular fit aspect and the Common Threads Initiative. Nothing about the fabric, the design, and so on. I went to REI's website to see the product description and read the reviews. The review that focussed on the fit struck me. They are right, it is a weird fold there if you have the vest zipped all the way up to the top of the collar, and sit down. However, let's be realistic. In town, say in the office or in a restaurant, you will likely have the zipper zipped down to at least mid chest if not lower. When that happens, that weird, stark fold disappears. I keep my zipper down indoors because this vest is pretty warm, especially fully zipped up. In the woods or backcountry, who cares, especially if this is a mid layer, because the outer layer will cover this while you are sitting chowing down and fueling up. I also checked out the Better Jacket version. It does not have the chest pocket like the vest, maybe the chest pocket creates the stiffness in the upper section of the vest, and the lower hand pockets soften the lower part of the vest, yielding the weird fold just below the chest. Maybe this doesn't happen with the jacket. So it's an attractive vest in town or in the backcountry; you have to work around or ignore that fold. Don't see how you can change the design to avoid the fold problem as the wind flap behind the zipper is a great feature.

Great Vest. warm and very sharp looking. The knit construction seems as though it could catch and pull, but nothing yet!

Great, non-bulky vest to keep your core warm.

Fits well, like the longer legnth.

Great for wearing out on the town.

comfy, warm, casual.