As many of you know, I’ve enjoyed the Triple Aught Design Equilibrium (EQ) jacket this season as a breathable mid layer and insulated outer layer. As a stand alone jacket, the only downside is that it doesn’t have a hood. Around here, where the weather can change rapidly, I usually like having a hood on all my jackets. I was poking around REI over the holiday and stumbled upon the Patagonia Nano-Air Hoody. I had heard about the Nano-Air but had never tried one on.
Patagonia Nano-Air Hoody
Well, I’m sitting here typing this article wearing my new Patagonia Nano-Air Hoody. To be honest, this jacket fits me better than the Equilibrium. I was caught between sizes with that jacket. The XXL was too big and sloppy. The XL was a little slim fitting to wear as a stand alone jacket but was fine as a layering piece. For me, the fit of this Patagonia jacket is perfect in size XXL. Close enough to the body to lock in heat but not confining with a little bit of room for wearing a sweater or fleece underneath. Just awesome.
The performance characteristics of Patagonia’s proprietary FullRange insulation is like Polartec Alpha. Warm but breathable during highly aerobic activities. Not very wind resistant but better than jackets which rely on side panels for venting (like the Arc’teryx Atom LT). The EQ is a touch warmer than the Nano-Air since it uses 80.00 g/m² of Polartec Alpha versus 60.00 g/m² of FullRange. The material is stretchier. I leave this jacket on more often because it’s so damn comfortable.
Stay tuned for a full review but if you were holding your breath waiting on a hooded version of the EQ or you are in-between sizes like me, then give this jacket a run. You’ll be glad you did. Street pricing on the Patagonia Nano-Air Hoody ranges from $125 -$250 depending on the color. It also comes in a non-hooded version. You can get more information on it here.
The post First Look: Patagonia Nano-Air Hoody appeared first on .