Patagonia Down Sweater

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www.patagonia.com84673_644

Retail price: $200

Specs per manufacturer: Lightweight, windproof and water-resistant shell with a high tear-strength and a Deluge® DWR (durable water repellent) finish; Quilted construction stabilizes premium European 800-fill-power goose down; Nylon-bound elastic cuffs and drawcord hem seal in warmth; Pockets: Two zippered handwarmers; one interior zippered stretch mesh, which doubles as a stuff sack and has a carabiner clip-in loop;  Shell and lining: 1.4-oz 20-denier 100% polyester ripstop with a Deluge® DWR (durable water repellent) finish. Insulation: 800-fill-power premium European goose down; 343 g (12.1 oz);  Made in China.

Reviewer: Franklyn Dunbar, highschool student extraordinaire!

Findings: Backpacking in Alaska can leave one mildly chilly, to simply freezing  in a matter of hours. Packing enough jackets and vests to stay comfortable is a task that can, and will leave your pack weighing you down on the trail. With this in mind, I decided I was in need of a nice packable down sweater to keep my pack light, and my body toasty.  After at looking at several jackets and sweaters, I decided to go with the Patagonia down sweater. Ounce per ounce, this was the warmest jacket for the best price. While its lightweight is pretty awesome, the tradeoff is a significant loss of warmth compared to down jackets. This is not the jacket you would wear over your Tee shirt in the middle of January, it’s compactibility  prevents it from being a winter down jacket, but in my opinion this can be easily solved by wearing a nice and thick hoodie, or multiple layers underneath it.

While wearing it, you feel like there is quite a bit of room between you and the sweater. This “puffy” feeling takes some getting used to it, but you learn to appreciate it when you need to wear it over a few layers. The lack of hood is kind of a pain, but the price difference between hooded and non hooded sweaters can buy you quite a few awesome beanies. I haven’t had to deal with any rips or tears yet, and to be honest the fabric feels a little on the flimsy side, but strong for the weight of the jacket. I have the utmost confidence, though in the rip-stop outer-layer and in case of emergency, with a little duct tape your sweater will be good as new in a matter of seconds

Pros

  • Lightweight
  • Perfect warmth for late spring – mid fall
  • Durable for the weight
  • Relatively inexpensive for the quality
  • Easily packable

Cons

  • No hood
  • Zipper snags
  • Not amazingly warm

The bottom line is this is the sweater you would throw in your daypack, or use as a layer for winter snowshoeing trips, or over a layer as casual cold winter wear. It’s warmth is limited to being used as a main “jacket” from late spring to early fall. Overall this is an awesome sweater, and I wouldn’t trade it for any similar down sweater on the market.

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