(this is not meant to be a professional review, I just thought I'd post my opinion) I had tried on the regular paddle jacket from Patagonia in one of their retail stores while being a tourist in NYC. So, I thought the Stretch Rotator Top would fit the bill. I wanted something like a paddle jacket, but with the latex wrist gaskets. I chose a jacket in the same size as the paddle jacket I tried on. The jacket comes with the cute Lotus flower on the cuffs, and I found the semi-loud "acid" neon green color to be appealing. It is a well-made product, and should be for $200, but it had some unappealing drawbacks. On the plus side, the material felt very light and flexible, and it does stretch a little which is fairly interesting in a waterproof garment. The fabric is also breathable. To begin with, unisex is usually a sign of doom for clothing if you're a woman. The cuffs were very long, starting at the gasket and coming well over the beginning of my hand. This is nice for sun protection and the "StretchCoat" closures had a soft feel, but having had a long cuff wear a hole in the lower part of my thumb between the salt water and paddling all day, I didn't think it was a good idea. And since the cuff is tied to the latex closure, you can't really scoot it back unless you like having the latex any further back and I can't imagine you would. While the stated waist size for a small is a 28-30, this garment had a neoprene waistband that seemed to be around 27 unexpanded, and didn't have a lot of give. And usually women are more lucky than guys in the waist department. If you are considering you might wear another layer under here forget it! I can understand a tight fit, but this was rediculous. I measured my waist with a string at 31 inches, and I could wear it, but it was not comfortable although more bearable, on top of my neoprene skirt tunnel. It came with a comical drawstring closure, which I couldn't see anyone using unless they had a waist smaller than 27 inches and if you do, just grin silently, ok? Not to mention that the chest size is 36-38 and when you have a waist that tight it will try to remove your bra while taking the thing off. I guess guys might lose some chest hairs. :-) So, the bottom line is that the jacket went back. I think if I got a larger size the arms would be enormous. I didn't get to try the jacket in the sun for breathability testing, or to see how well the neck sealed. Patagonia seemed to be completely uninterested in my opinions, so maybe that's why I'm writing this. I don't know who tests their paddle gear. I tried their CFS shoe, it was horrible. I did get their PlayBoot and liked it. I've decided the test gang is a hoard of skinny aliens with narrow waists and bad taste in shoes. So, the search goes on for a jacket that: -seals well at the neck for rolling practice -is breathable -has latex enclosures at the wrists -way cheaper than $200 would be nice Kokatat has something that looks promising, and maybe Palm has something as well. One could go broke on shipping, however, as you try out the field. Jennifer *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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