If there’s one item of winter clothing to put on the wishlist this year, it’s Patagonia’s new Nano Puff Pullover. Here are three reasonswhy:
1. It has easily one of the best weight-to-warmth ratios of any syntheticjacket I’ve tried.
2. It packs down smaller than an orange (in the handy chestpocket) and the women’s version I have weighs 8.2 ounces. That’s probably lessthan last night’s hamburger.
3. Unlike down, this jacket isn’t useless whendamp and dries quickly, thanks at least in part to the DWR treatment on the poly shell.
In other words, this pullover is ridiculously versatile. Itmakes an excellent ultralight mid-layer under a shell on cold days, an outer layeron warm days, and a no-frills emergency layer to cram in the bottom of a packwhenever. This is not a puffy cloud-like apres-ski jacket; it’s a leanworkhorse. It has proven its worth during countless days of backcountry skiingas well as an 18-day Grand Canyon raft trip this spring that turned frigid onmore than a few occasions.
Admittedly, the cut isn’t that cute on women. The elastic onthe bottom poofs where women don’t want to poof, but the trade-off is that theelastic helps keep the drafts out. (My guy tester liked the cut of his.) Questionable cuteness quotient notwithstanding, the Nano Puff is probably the jacket I wear most. (And the ugly truth is I have 20-plusjackets.) Patagonia’s prices usually prompt eye rolls, but $150? It’s worthevery smacker.
–Kate Siber