The Patagonia Nano Puff is a classic lightweight synthetic jacket offering versatility and technical features. Wear it while hiking, biking, backcountry skiing, or just around town.
Performance Comparison
Hailey loves the cute Nano Puff that is highly compressible and a classic go-to for climbers and hikers alike.
Warmth
The Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket relies on 60 g/m2 of PrimaLoft Gold Eco insulation, which offers great warmth through the Spring and Fall, but is limited in the Winter. As with all the jackets we reviewed, the Nano Puff's insulation is hydrophobic, so it will still keep you warm if it gets wet. The full-zip jacket and hoody have hand pockets and a pull cord at the hemline to seal in warmth, but the pullover version of this product skimps on both these features and instead serves as a much more minimalistic piece. This jacket scores a five out of ten in this metric.
Surprisingly, this jacket is relatively warm, but comparatively, it's not as warm as the Patagonia Micro Puff or the Patagonia Nano Air Hoody. It's warmer than the Outdoor Research Women's Ascendant Hoody offering better wind protection and warmth features. If you're looking for the warmest jacket out there that's not as technical, be sure to scope out the Columbia Mighty Lite Hooded Plush or the more technical Arc'teryx Proton AR Hoody. Both offer a little more loft on cold days.
The brick baffling holds 60-grams of PrimaLoft insulation.
Weight & Compression
The second lightest jacket that we reviewed, next to the Patagonia MicroPuff, the Nano Puff is one of the most compact when compressed. It packs down into its chest pocket to about the size of a small bag of almonds. Our testers agreed that this was the jacket's single greatest attribute.
It also comes equipped with a sturdy gear loop to clip it to a harness or backpack. Interestingly, other jackets like the Rab Xenon X and the North Face Thermoball (with a great warmth to weight ratio) will stuff to about the size of the Nano Puff, meaning that they are just as compressible. However, because their manufacturers made their stuff pockets a little extra roomy, they don't pack down into as compact a package. That said, they can be squished and mashed to compress even further.
This is one of the most compressible jackets tested.
Weather Resistance
We weren't overly impressed with this jacket's water resistance but found it to be better than the Patagonia Micro Puff. Water did bead up on this jacket for a moment, but it soon soaked in, especially on the quilted stitches. We did notice that it did not absorb a whole lot of water through our shower test and was still quick to dry out. It scored a seven out of ten in this metric.
During our wind resistance tests, this piece performed similarly to the North Face ThermoBall and other quilted competitors. Although it offers some wind resistance, eventually we were left with the shivers. Continuous shell pieces like the Rab Xenon X and Arc'teryx Atom AR do a much better job at cutting the cold simply because those jackets don't have as many seams and stitches as these quilted jackets.
When it's close to freezing, a windy and shaded belay is not ideal. Luckily Alison could layer her Patagonia Nano over a soft shell to both lock in heat and cut the wind. This layer doesn't hack it on this exposed, frigid belay.
Comfort & Coziness
As a minimalist jacket, this product just isn't that comfy or cozy. Although it has a few features, like a garaged zipper and a pull cord at the hemline (full-zip jacket and hooded models), it lacks cozy fleece-lined hand pockets, fleece-lined chin guards, and fur-lined hoods, all found in the Columbia Mighty Lite Hooded Plush.
The Nano Puff doesn't have a super cozy fleece lined interior found in the OR Women's Ascendant Hoody.
While this jacket is not helmet compatible zipped up, it does work with the collar is a little unzipped.
Additionally, its fabric doesn't have any stretch, which makes the jacket pull up when you put your arms over your head. Finally, it has a bit of a boxy cut, making it less fitted, and - in our testers' opinions - less comfy.
These pockets are super roomy!
Breathability
Similar to most of the quilted jackets tested, the Patagonia Nano Puff also demonstrated breathability while outside playing. This is one of the reasons it's a go-to piece for many climbers and hikers alike.
If you want a jacket geared towards highly aerobic winter activity, check out the Top Pick for Breathability, the Patagonia Nano Air Hoody or the Outdoor Research Women's Ascendant Hoody. The Nano Air is built with better warmth than the Nano Puff but the OR Women's Ascendant provides the most airflow while playing in the backcountry.
Style & Fit
Featuring cute colors and a fit that most of our testers enjoyed, this piece scores an eight out of ten in this category. While Patagonia advertises this piece as having a "Regular Fit", most of our testers (with an athletic build) found this jacket to be very boxy. While the sleeves are long enough for fairly long arms, the cut is a little shorter and rides up easier than other jackets in the review.
This year, the jacket has rectangular baffles with a whole new variety of colors. Overall this jacket has a techy look but flattering lines that most of our testers enjoyed and preferred.
A look at the style and fit of the Nano Puff.
Best Applications
Without hesitation, we would say that the best application for the Patagonia Nano Puff is any outdoor activity in the Fall and Spring. This extends to multi-pitch climbing, cragging, hiking, and more. It's also a great option if you're looking for a lightweight jacket to take with you on a backcountry overnight trip.
Take this jacket hiking, around town, or climbing. We love it for a variety of purposes and its highly versatile.
It also works well as a lightweight non-bulky mid-layer that fits perfectly under a shell or other jacket during cold winter activities like skiing, snowboarding, or ice climbing. That said, it's not as breathable as other contenders like the Patagonia Nano Air and isn't as warm either. We wouldn't recommend it for most aerobic activities out there.
Want to ditch the hood? This insulated contender comes in a jacket (without a hood) and even a vest if you want an even thinner layer.
Value
The hoody jacket comes with a price tag of $249 which is comparable to the Black Diamond First Light Hoody and Arc'teryx Atom LT, our Top Pick for Alpine Adventures. We weren't super impressed with the stitching on the jacket that seemed to come undone during our testing period, especially for this price tag. Both the Black Diamond and especially the Arc'teryx demonstrated better craftsmanship and durability. That said, for its purpose and construct, there are no other comparable jackets for a similar price. For example; the Patagonia Micro Puff is more expensive and lighter, but it's more expensive at $299. But there are better high-value options such as the Rab Xenon X, our Editors' Choice winner for just $235. If you want a less technical piece, we'd recommend the Best Buy award winner, the Columbia Mighty Lite Hooded Plush for just $135!
Conclusion
The Patagonia Nano Puff Hoody is a great go-to piece when you are looking for an awesome mid-layer on colder days or a lightweight jacket for hiking, climbing, or just wearing around town.
