Reviews You Can Rely On

Patagonia 3-in-1 Snowbelle Review

Neither truly exceptional nor lackluster, this model is versatile without shining in any particular aspect
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patagonia 3-in-1 snowbelle ski jacket women review
Credit: Patagonia
Price:  $399 List
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Manufacturer:   Patagonia
By Jessica Haist ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Mar 23, 2022
62
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Weather Resistance - 20% 7.0
  • Comfort and Fit - 20% 6.0
  • Warmth - 20% 8.0
  • Ventilation - 20% 3.0
  • Style - 10% 6.0
  • Features - 10% 8.0

Our Verdict

The Patagonia 3-in-1 Snowbelle has great features like a reversible liner jacket, lots of pockets and good ski features. We also like the newer look and function of the waterproof zipper much better than previous models. The Snowbelle is a 3-in-1 style jacket, so you can choose what level of layering you're looking for and can just wear the cozy inner layer jacket for happy hour. We tested the white color and instantly got it dirty from grease dripping from the chairlift. We would not recommend a white ski jacket.
REASONS TO BUY
Fashionable label
Updated features
Good ski features
REASONS TO AVOID
Lower quality materials than other Patagonia jackets
Expensive
Patagonia discontinued this jacket in 2022.

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Patagonia 3-in-1 Snowbelle is a jill-of-all-trades, master-of-none kind of jacket. It performed just okay in all of our metrics, but the updates are an improvement to its style and function over previous models.

New Colors
Patagonia freshened up the color options for the Snowbelle since our test period. One of the new color combos is pictured above. Updated: October 2019

Performance Comparison


patagonia 3-in-1 snowbelle ski jacket women review - the snowbelle 3-in-1 is a fine jacket, but we're not sure if the...
The Snowbelle 3-in-1 is a fine jacket, but we're not sure if the performance matches the price tag.
Credit: Scott Rokis

Weather Resistance


The Snowbelle has decent weather resistance. It uses Patagonia's H2No shell material, used in many of its rain jackets. We suspect that when put to the test, the H2No will not hold up as well as products with Gore-Tex that Patagonia uses in the higher-end products. The hood of this jacket has been majorly improved. It is now huge and will fit over any ski helmet — we're stoked on that!

patagonia 3-in-1 snowbelle ski jacket women review - the snowbelle's zipper has been changed to a waterproof one and we...
The Snowbelle's zipper has been changed to a waterproof one and we did not notice any drafts getting through at speeds.
Credit: Scott Rokis

Comfort and Fit


The Snowbelle is quite comfortable and performed relatively well on the slopes. The H2No material is stiffer and less forgiving than a jacket with stretchy shell materials and so felt slightly more restrictive. This jacket is Patagonia's "relaxed fit," which we find to be slightly on the larger, baggier side, so if you're debating whether to size up or down, go down.

patagonia 3-in-1 snowbelle ski jacket women review - the snowbelle is the most expensive 3-in-1 style jacket. we felt...
The Snowbelle is the most expensive 3-in-1 style jacket. We felt like a floating pair of legs in the white color.
Credit: Scott Rokis

Warmth


The Snowbelle's inner jacket has 60 grams of synthetic fill insulation, which is on the light side. Nevertheless, because it is two jackets in one, the Snowbelle feels slightly warmer than the amount of insulation it has. We did not notice any drafts coming through the zipper when traveling downhill at speed.

patagonia 3-in-1 snowbelle ski jacket women review - we love the snowbelle's cavernous hood!
We love the Snowbelle's cavernous hood!
Credit: Scott Rokis

Ventilation


This 3-in-1 jacket has a problem with ventilation common with 3-in-1s. The pit zips only vent the outer jacket, not through the insulation. We do not think the Snowbelle's shell material is very breathable, but the pit zips helped ventilation. The Snowbelle's insulation is synthetic and will breathe slightly or wick away moisture from the inside.

patagonia 3-in-1 snowbelle ski jacket women review - the snowbelle's pit-zips ventilate through the shell but not the...
The Snowbelle's pit-zips ventilate through the shell but not the inner jacket.
Credit: Scott Rokis

Style


Sometimes 3-in-1 type jackets appear bulkier and less flattering than regular insulated ski jackets. However, the Snowbelle maintains a relatively flattering silhouette. Patagonia's relaxed fit sizing was on the large and bulky side. We like the contrasting inner lining color and think the liner jacket is cute on its own.

patagonia 3-in-1 snowbelle ski jacket women review - the snowbelle's inner jacket is now reversible. we prefer this side...
The Snowbelle's inner jacket is now reversible. We prefer this side out.
Credit: Scott Rokis

The white color we tested this jacket in is a poor choice, and we would never recommend anyone buy a white ski jacket. We shouldn't have bought it in white, we quickly realized. First, because it gets instantly dirty. Chairlifts are known to leak grease on riders, which is exactly what happened on day one of wearing the Snowbelle. Second, you blend into the mountain, which is a safety concern as other riders will have difficulty seeing you. We felt like a floating pair of legs in this jacket. Thankfully Patagonia has updated this jacket's colors this year and no longer offers it in white.

Ski Features


The outer shell jacket of the Snowbelle contains most of its features. It has all the ski-specific features you could hope for, including a powder skirt, pass and goggle pockets, as well as a media pocket with a headphone port. The problem with most 3-in-1 style jackets is that when the inner jacket is zipped into the shell, most of these features become inaccessible. We can solve this problem by just wearing the two jackets as independent layers instead of zipping them together.

patagonia 3-in-1 snowbelle ski jacket women review - to access to all the snowbelle's ski features in the shell you'll...
To access to all the Snowbelle's ski features in the shell you'll need to have the inner jacket unzipped.
Credit: Scott Rokis

The best feature this jacket has is RECCO technology, which usually only comes in higher-end jackets. Our favorite thing about the liner jacket is that it has zippered handwarmer pockets, so we can store things like keys or a wallet in them if we wear just the liner out. There is now one accessible chest pocket in the liner jacket, which is helpful if you want to wear these jackets connected.

patagonia 3-in-1 snowbelle ski jacket women review - the snowbelle's inner jacket now has a zippered napoleon pocket.
The Snowbelle's inner jacket now has a zippered Napoleon pocket.
Credit: Scott Rokis

Should You Buy the Snowbelle?


The Patagonia 3-in-1 Snowbelle is one of the more expensive 3-in-1 jackets on the market, and we're not sure this jacket is worth the money. It is okay at most things and will keep you dry and comfortable on the slopes. Still, we suspect it will wet out sooner than a higher quality Gore-Tex jacket, and it is not as warmly insulated as something with down or more synthetic insulation.

What Other Women's Ski Jackets Should You Consider?


In most metrics, the Patagonia 3-in-1 Snowbelle scores evenly with the Columbia Whirlibird IV Interchange but costs significantly more. If you're set on a 3-in-1 style jacket, our top choice for performance and value is the The North Face Thermoball Eco Snow Triclimate 3-in-1. But if you plan to buy a jacket at this price point, it is also worth considering a single-layer, insulated jacket like the award-winning Helly Hansen Powderqueen 3.0.

patagonia 3-in-1 snowbelle ski jacket women review - we aren't big fans of white ski jackets, but can't help but admire...
We aren't big fans of white ski jackets, but can't help but admire our ability to match here.
Credit: Scott Rokis

Jessica Haist