Patagonia Nano Puff Hoody - Women's Review

The Patagonia Nano Puff Hoody is a lightweight jacket with a relaxed slim fit and a fitted hood. Its exterior is made of 100% recycled polyester and it has a single bungee adjustment point in its hem. It has three pockets — two zippered handwarmer pockets and one interior zippered chest pocket that it packs into.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

The Nano Puff Hoody is decently warm, considering how thin it is. It has a slightly longer torso that's about average among models we tested and offers some added protection in the back with a moderate drop hem. The hood is fitted and can be worn over a thin beanie but keeps the wearer protected even with a bare head. The cuffs end with an elastic band cover that holds the sleeves above your hands. All in all, this jacket provides just average warmth.

Comfort

The exterior of the Nano Puff has that classic puffy jacket swish feeling and sound. It's a relaxed slim fit with a slightly tapered waist that leaves some space underneath for non-bulky layers. Our testers had some gripes with the lack of space across the shoulders, which becomes particularly noticeable when reaching our arms forward. A single adjustment point to the bungee running through the hem adds some flexibility to the fit, but in our experience, it requires two hands to loosen and readjust when needed.

Weather Resistance

The drop hem and adjustable bungee within make the Nano Puff better able to block the wind than many with less coverage. A full length wind guard helps secure the zipper. Up against precipitation, the Nano Puff performed admirably, beading raindrops and resisting water soaking in. It is covered by an excessive number of baffle seams, though, which are susceptible to becoming weak points for severe weather down the road.

Weight and Compressibility

The size Small Nano Puff we tested weighs 11.6 ounces, which is just slightly above average for our lineup. It packs away into its internal chest pocket, with a carabiner loop for easy clipping when you're done. We had a challenging time getting this jacket to zip into its pocket, requiring excessive effort in stuffing and using our knees to squeeze it smaller while we zip it shut.

Breathability

Here again, the Nano Puff performed about average in our testing. It lacks any features that would aid in breathability and instead is helped along by its general thinness. Loosening the hem bungee cord can be helpful, depending on how tight this coat is on your body. But it's not winning any awards for being a breathable model.

Should You Buy the Patagonia Nano Puff?

If you've found a Nano Puff in a store nearby and you love how it fits and feels, it may be the right jacket for your everyday use. It's not a technical layer and lacks many features of mobility, breathability, and portability that we look for in an adventure jacket. It's also on the expensive side for its overall lackluster performance, and we're just not convinced it's worth the money.

What Other Insulated Jackets Should You Consider?

The Patagonia Nano Puff is a decent everyday jacket with a mediocre performance. For a better jacket in nearly every metric, the Rab Xenon 2.0 is our top choice for everyday and casual activities — and costs a lot less than the Nano Puff. If you want a more technical jacket that's ideal for layering, check out the Arc'teryx Atom Hoody. Or for a great coat that's warm and impressively weather resistant, we love the Patagonia DAS Light.