“The Finest Down Parka Ever” (Patagonia)

[Carter Hunt]

It's here!

http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/patagonia-encapsil-down-belay-parka?sssdmh=dm23.153895&p=84645-0-065&src=030113_mi1&dmmid=131400942

Observations:
– Quite the price point
– Looks they are each numbered with a limited edition tag?
– No down fill numbers
– Lighter than I expected
– Made in China despite the "Ventura, CA" tag (no surprise here)
– One color choice

Who's buying one?

[Trill Daddy]

There is already a thread about the fill weight of this jacket…

[Kevin Buggie]

I read this on Patagonia's care instructions link for the encapsil parka:

"We use a more effective and environmentally sound way to clean Encapsil down: The NexWash™ liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) process that cleans gently and thoroughly without soaps or detergents, removing oils and bacteria without the need for heat or long, energy-intensive dryer cycles…."

Do any other companies like WM, FF, etc… use cleaning technologies (like the liquid CO2 above, or other) that are vastly different from what normal people have available at the laundry mat for cleaning down?

Any insights or is Patagonia way ahead of the curve on down maintenance too?

[Trill Daddy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HE211VR8yA

[Dale Wambaugh]

$700 is obscene.

[James holden]

whats the point of something you need to send it to have "specially cleaned" … wasnt one of the attractions of this nanotech supposed to be that the DWR was more durable than other down DWRs?

do they pay for the shipping as well as the cleaning?

i wear my EB and mammut down jackets every day in the winter to save on heating costs … and i can wash em just fine myself … can i do this with the $700 jacket?

[dave e]

what part of Pata-gucci do you not comprehend? :)

I really like their products and their mission -you can depend on the quality and viability of the product. I never pay retail for patagucci-i buy them on sac,ebay or thrift stores.

[Rick M]

del

[BlackHatGuy]

"Who's buying one?"

Me. Just because.

[David Thomas]

Obviously, serial number "111" is the best, because that stitching/ink weighs less than any other number "001" through "999".

$699 is more than you spent on your first X automobiles?

For me, X=3.

[David LaRue]

Wow – XL & L already sold-out

They must be in high demand.

[Rick M]

del

[James holden]

so how many of these "collectors" is going to use the thing to its limit daily?

or is it something one pulls out for the occasional dog trotting ;)

again … one of the supposed attractions of this nano-down is that its more durable … what happens if it gets washed normally?

[Serge Giachetti]

I tried one of these on in the store today, and was super impressed. One of the nicest garments that I've seen–design, fit and finish are pretty much perfect. The baffles are fluffy and dense throughout the jacket, which makes it feel like wearing a warm sleeping bag. I don't have $700 to spend, but this jacket is good enough to make me wish I did. If you're a frequent winter climber/adventurer and planned on having this as your cold weather parka for the indefinite future, I could see justifying it. Personally, I hate washing/drying down gear. Its expensive, a pain in the ass, and easy enough to do it wrong. I'd love to have a lifetime cleaning service that came with my down gear.

I was surprised and disappointed to see they used a one way zip. I'm sure they'll get a lot of flack for this as its pretty much expected in a belay parka. My hope is that they correct this and come out with a cheaper non-limited edition next year. Supposedly patagonia is developing a 1200 fill power with the same tech. Hmmm…

Eric, I know this garment is the perfect sounding board for your anti-elitist elitism, but give it a rest. You've made your point.

[Stephen M]

Hi Serge,

How did it look compared
To the Brooks Range Mojave?

[Ken Larson]

[Serge Giachetti]

Hi stephen, the patagonia is a lot loftier & a lot denser than the mojave. It feels like they packed a 30 degree sleeping bag into a a perfectly fitting upper body peice. The cut/design/finish are in a different league.

[Tom Lyons]

I have nothing against this jacket or its price.

It's simply nothing that I would consider buying.
Maybe as the future unfolds, and prices come down to normal levels, I might consider it.
I've lived all my outdoor life with regular down, and it has worked out just fine.

I think a Ferrari is cool too, but I'm not going to ever buy one.

Eventually, after the hype is gone, they are going to realize that they will have to sell these things for prices people can afford.
I might consider one at that time.

[Tim Drescher]

"I tried one of these on in the store today, and was super impressed."

Was hoping to do the same, but was told the only Patagonia stores that have them on-shelf are in Boulder and NYC.

[James holden]

Eric, I know this garment is the perfect sounding board for your anti-elitist elitism, but give it a rest. You've made your point.

if you call wondering why not being able to wash this down jacket normally "anti-elitist" … hmmm

forget about this particular $$$$ jacket for a second

one of the main reasons about why all this nano-down is supposedly "better" than regular DWR treated down is because its more "durable"

what happens if you wash this nano-down normally? … will all future patagucci nano-down products require you to send it back to "preserve" the DWR?

[Nathan Watts]

Eric,

That's a legit concern about durability and washing and hopefully we'll see some answers about that in the coming weeks.

I think it was just a bit overshadowed by your typical bias against higher cost gear. I think it could have went without saying that this jacket is expensive – we can all see that, and we've moved past it already. Value, however, is a more personal thing and can't be preached.

Fortunately for my wallet I have no need for such a warm jacket. The high fill power down has my interest though for the future of sleeping bags.

[Nathan Watts]

"I was surprised and disappointed to see they used a one way zip. I'm sure they'll get a lot of flack for this as its pretty much expected in a belay parka."

Hey Serge,

Check out this pic from a catalog that just showed up in the mail. Interesting that the production unit didn't keep the zipper shown here. I agree, poor choice on their part.

It's absent from the list of jacket features on the following page as well

[Trill Daddy]

Casey Shaw explains why they didn't use a double zipper in the latest "The Cleanest Line" blog post….

I've been testing the hell out of this piece in the backwoods around Boulder/RMNP/and some days out in the Wasatch.

The shell is surprisingly durable (although I have actually had 1 down cluster leak, so far)- my bad for asserting it was the 15 denier in the UL hoody- I didn't think Patagonia would outsource and start using Pertex (naive of me).

Those who have worn I can also assert that it is probably the "most puffy" jacket around. It's so chock full of down, that the baffles are firm, similar to a temperpedic foam, but MUCH lighter.

Note: it has an integrated stuff sack. Mine did not come with a cord lock though- Serge, do the ones in store have em ?

The hood is retardedly puffy and very effective at protecting the face.

It's a pretty epic piece for sub 25 degree temps. Worth the $700? Probably not- is it going to "raise the bar" on Dry Down? Absolutely- it already has.

The minute this stuff makes its way into sleeping bags, it's going to be game over for a lot of manufacturers.

Eric, with all due respect, I think your points about the jacketing being washed regularly is rather moot. Non-DWR down shouldn't be washed more than twice a year anyway- if Patagonia is willing to clean your jacket (for free), it mitigates a lot of the negatives about down. I also wear my down jackets in my home to offset heating costs- I soon learned that a 200 wt fleece (or cotton hoody) is just as effective, more durable and A LOT easier to clean.

So in the summer months, when the Encapsil Down Belay Parka would be overkill (unless mountaineering)- it makes sense to have a program to that allows folks to get their down washed in the off season for free (more manufacturers ought do this, btw).

I have to pay MHW $25 plus shipping to have my Phantom 32 bag washed.

[Greg F]

I think it wll be a long time before the price of this tech comes into sleeping bags. You are right now looking at double the cost of current downfill bags. So where most useful in winter bags you would be looking $1200 bags (double what current 0F bags cost). Even for summer bags they would probably be in the 700 range.

So probably 3 to 5 years before this will only be a 20 to 30% premium on regular bags.

[Trill Daddy]

Greg, great point. I totally disregarded how much down is used to fill these bags… My bad

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