Patagonia Nano Puff

Until you have a Nano Puff jacket from Patagonia, it’s hard to call your kit complete, and that’s just the way it is. There are warmer puffers out there, sure. There are puffers that are completely waterproof. There are puffer jackets that come in more colorways and designs. And there may even be a few puffers that pack down smaller than the Nano Puff, but on that front, we’re not certain.

What we are certain of is all of the following: a Nano Puff jacket packs down so small that you can tuck it into any pack, any cargo pocket, or in fact even into the pocket of many regular pairs of pants. We also can confirm that this famed jacket from Patagonia provides enough warmth to be your only coat in mild to chilly conditions, having worn one of our Nano Puffs (yes, we have several in the DGR household) in 45º degree weather with nothing but a t-shirt underneath dozens of times. And we can confirm its performance in serious cold, having made the Nano Puff part one of our layers when climbing snowbound mountains in temperature well below zero and with wind howling sideways.

We also know that the Nano Puff sheds light rain and snow just fine and that because it’s insulated with PrimaLoft Gold Insulation Eco, the jacket loses little of its insulation capabilities even if it’s soaked through. And we are happy to report that this superlative jacket comes in cuts tailored for women and that Patagonia also makes a kid-sized version of the jacket.

And as you’d expect from Patagonia, the kids’ Nano Puff is made to the same standards as the adult-sized jackets, even including a different tailoring for boys’ bodies and girls’ bodies. Which is why it’s our go to for the younger hiker/camper/mountaineers on any sort of colder weather outing.

As for looks, it’s got a certain understated stylishness to it, if you ask us. Our black Nano Puff looks pretty good with jeans while our gray one looks good over any hiking pants and even works with casual slacks. Sort of. 

But we don’t wear a Nano Puff for looks, we wear it because it’s a piece of technical apparel we trust through and through, and it’s one of those pieces of outdoor gear/apparel that, when one finally wears out, will be replaced with the exact same item. Not that any of ours have worn out yet!

As for the specifics, a medium-sized Nano Puff jacket weighs just under 12 ounces, it’s made from a recycled rip-stop polyester, and the brick-style stitching helps prevent any of that superlative PrimaLoft insulation from migrating around, solving a classic conundrum created by straight baffles and down fill. The jacket has two zippered side hand pockets, a zippered internal pocket, and a drawstring hem. And while we’re partial to the classic Nano Puff worn below a good hat in frosty environs, it comes in a Nano Puff Hoody option, too.