Ultralight Insulated Jacket
Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody
$329, 9 oz./255g (males’s medium)
Patagonia Micro Puff Jacket
$279, 8.7 oz./247g (males’s medium)
Sizes: males’s XS-3XL, girls’s XXS-XXL
backcountry.com
Since getting my Micro Puff Hoody a number of years in the past—and the newest model of the Micro Puff Jacket not too long ago—I’ve zipped into one or the opposite in numerous circumstances starting from wind blowing 30 to over 40 mph whereas belaying a climbing companion or in camp at Idaho’s Metropolis of Rocks; sitting at campsites on cool, windy evenings and mornings whereas backpacking in the Wind River Range and backpacking on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim; on chilly winter days underneath a shell when snowboarding downhill within the backcountry; and at children’ soccer video games on blustery autumn and spring days. One of many lightest insulated jackets in the marketplace, the Micro Puff is surprisingly heat and versatile. Right here’s why.
The water resistant, 65g PlumaFill artificial insulation, constituted of recycled polyester, doesn’t loft fairly like down feathers, nevertheless it delivers the warmth-to-weight ratio of high-quality, 800-fill or higher down, by basically mimicking the construction of down in a steady artificial materials. That offers it the heat and packability of down, with the warm-when-wet efficiency of artificial insulation. The quilted building, resembling a down jacket, employs minimal stitching—serving to decrease weight—to forestall the insulation from migrating.
The hood on the hoody variations of the Micro Puff delivers a noticeable heat increase that’s stunning, given how gentle it seems to be, due to the insulation’s heat-trapping effectivity.
Though not adjustable—once more, each factor of the design goals to reduce weight—the hood’s elasticized, under-the-helmet design clings snugly round your face, shifting with you as you flip your head even with the entrance zipper partly open.
The elasticized cuffs and hem equally seal tightly sufficient to maintain drafts out.
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The match isn’t “athletic” or “slim”—the entrance of the Micro Puff poofs out barely, although not excessively, and that does enable area for a midweight layer beneath it. The size extends nicely beneath the waist, one other warmth-boosting element that’s good to seek out in an insulated jacket this gentle.
The ultralight 10-denier nylon ripstop Pertex Quantum shell—constituted of NetPlus 100% post-consumer recycled nylon ripstop from recycled fishing nets, which helps cut back ocean plastic air pollution—is water resistant, windproof and handled with a PFC-free DWR (sturdy water repellent coating that doesn’t include perfluorinated chemical substances).
After I’ve worn the hoody or jacket in on-and-off gentle rain, letting the shell get damp to see what would occur, the material appeared to both hold the insulation dry or forestall it from getting damp sufficient to have an effect on it: I seen no compromise in heat. Nevertheless, this cloth is as gentle as you’ll discover in a jacket—it’s going to tear extra simply than a heavier cloth for those who by accident snag it on a pointy edge. The continual insulation materials could not leak out of a tear as rapidly as particular person down feathers are likely to, however I at all times take further care when utilizing any ultralight attire or gear.
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The two zippered hand pockets heat up chilly digits, and the jacket stuffs simply into the left pocket, packing all the way down to a superb measurement for a backpacking pillow. Two inside stuff pockets are sufficiently big for warming or drying cold-weather gloves. Whereas light-weight, the entrance zipper seems moderately sturdy—once more, although, a little bit further care isn’t a nasty concept.
All of us need lighter gear—however solely when it performs nicely. Past broad variations in quantity and sort of insulation, which dictates the temperatures and situations they’re made for, many insulated jackets are related. The fashions that break new floor achieve this in how a lot heat they ship relative to their weight and bulk. That’s what Patagonia has achieved with the Micro Puff Hoody and Jacket.
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The Verdict
Whether or not you’re a backpacker or climber attempting to trim ounces in pack weight, otherwise you merely need one of many lightest, most packable, water resistant puffy jackets for late spring via early fall, the featherweight Micro Puff Hoody performs with the easiest.
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You may assist my work on this weblog by clicking any of those hyperlinks to buy a males’s or girls’s Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody at backcountry.com, moosejaw.com, or patagonia.com.
See “The 10 Best Down Jackets” and all opinions of insulated jackets and outdoor apparel at The Large Exterior.
NOTE: I examined gear for Backpacker Journal for 20 years. At The Large Exterior, I evaluation solely what I take into account the perfect outside gear and attire. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Large Exterior.
—Michael Lanza
