NEW Patagonia Encapsil (“Dry Down”) Parka

I'd say Patagonia has done a brilliant job at marketing by selling you this coat.

Look at the discussion already and you have the only jacket with technology we can't get our hands on yet.
Now you begin posting here about it but then BPL deletes it and then the manufacturer asks you to stop.

We are supposed to believe: The technology is SO good they don't want to spoil the surprise..

I don't have a TV but i know a commercial when i see one.

Hmm.. if it's so good, why the marketing theatrics?

I think it is more like (We have spent millions developing this jacket, and don't want our [potentially] multimillion dollar marketing campaign being spoiled).

How are they bribing you Babak, in garments or cash?

Oh come on folks, give Babak a break… If a company would contact you saying they screwed up and politely asking you to keep quiet for a while, wouldn't you humour them? I know I would have (when asked nicely, a sudden deletion of forum posts would have had a different effect on me).

Anyway, Encapsil may be the best thing since sliced bread, but I am not willing to spend that amount of money on it. So I am more interested in the other "dry downs" out there.

And I found what Richard wrote (33% improvement in moisture regain when exposed to very humid air) very interesting. The one thing that escapes me though is what the effect of moisture regain is on isolation (clo) value.

Hopefully Richard is not under NDA and can expand on his research? Ideally I would like to read something like "when exposed to 100%RH for an hour the clo for untreated down decreased by 50% whereas the clo for treated down decreased by 20% under the same condition".

Three pages of postings on this?

Me thinks maybe we need to get out on trail!

The fact that I'm looking at this thread indicates that I need to get out! If it weren't for this lousy weather … rain yesterday that should have been 6" of snow (in January, no less!).

Maybe I should hop over to CHAFF and ask Mr. Tatersall about that.

Patagonia will have their big hype rollout. Until then there's really nothing to know until it is available for a lot of folks to field test and Richard to do his valuable lab tests.

Honestly, had I not been introduced to the entire "outdoor industry" by a Patagonia employee, I would be posting more reviews.

I actually wanted to wear this jacket to the Outdoor Retailer show in two weeks, just to "give the finger" to the type of culture that surrounds that show. The "who do you work for" and constant glances at badges are some of the (many) reasons why OR needs to change (in addition to the completely prick attitude of the folks who organize the event).

Patagonia, y'all are on top of your game- as a privately held company, I prefer to give you my dollar over MHW, TNF or even Arcteryx. The other brands that are owned by corporations rarely make the effort, if at all, to change practices within the industry- whether it is assembling your Merino 3 base layers in the U.S., give back to the planet (seriously, how many companies even give anything back?), or simply starting a recycling program that both reduces carbon footprints and increases demand for your products.

Most importantly, Patagonia has HOOKED IT UP over the years, whether it was via warranty or just some cool rep. Upon reflection, I have more qualms with former employers, than I do Patagonia.

While I purchased this jacket, SOLELY for the purpose of reviewing/exposing it, I feel pretty bad about trumpeting the jacket.

Rest assured, I have written confirmation from Patagonia that NO ONE will be fired as as result of me purchasing this jacket. Patagonia wants to comp me for it, in return for me keeping it under wraps until it March 1. I hope they give me job :)

Babak,

All industry shows are the same whether its outdoors, IT, Pharma or others.
snobbery in corporate office happens also, employees are at the top, long term contractors are next and temps at the bottom rung.

Rest assured, I have written confirmation from Patagonia that NO ONE will be fired as as result of me purchasing this jacket. Patagonia wants to comp me for it, in return for me keeping it under wraps until it March 1. I hope they give me job :)

700 dollahs of patagucciness might buy my silence too ;)

Am I missing something here? Why in the world would Patagonia offer a jacket for sale to the public with "top secret" proprietary information now, if they want to keep it under wraps until March 1st? I don' get it.

I'm still just entertained watching Babak vacillate wildly between guilt over exposing the jacket and rebellion against Patagonia and the culture of outdoors gear. Show it off or hide it, who cares?

I already saw the video. It's a puffy jacket. I've seen a lot of puffy jackets. I don't know why everyone is flipping out… including Patagonia. I get that there's money involved from competition, but you can't sew an exact copy from a Youtube video and you can't manufacture one on a competitive scale before March anyways.

My 2¢

Glad my indecision was so apparent. Y'all are one of the best online communities out there. Kudos

Super curious to watch your review. How do I get the link?

You realize you are now obligated to jump into a pond wearing the thing like the guy reviewing the brooks range for trail space did:

http://www.trailspace.com/gear/brooks-range/mojave-jacket/

;)

I just looked at Ryan, talk about talking one for the team ;-)

Evan,

I am trying to make good on my word to Patagonia. The video is going to remain private until March 1, or until told otherwise.

Kudos to the design team on this piece ;)

I'll be wearin mine to the event…

^ a little cliché.. no?

Babak,

What is the launch date?

Please provide us a detailed report along with pictues.

They have just taken down three related Vimeo promotional videos… weird!

This technology is from Aeon Clad, and Patagonia has bought into the company.
Aeon Clad is an Austin Texas based company.
Patagonia now holds a 15% stake in Aeon Clad.
I'm not sure if this is enough to guarantee that no other company gets to buy the license to the process. It may be possible for other companies to license it.
The name "Encapsil" is just a trademarked name for the Aeon Clad process which is used by Patagonia for its marketing purposes.

Link:
http://www.odrmag.com/productstechnology/1651-patagonia-triples-down-and-invests-in-aeonclad-coating.html

Maybe leaking video and then taking it down is clever marketing ploy to get people's interest?

I don't work for Patagonia….. I used to work for Backcountry.com in college and have since started an online gear "review" series, purely out of interest.

Someone on this thread, however, IS an employee of Patagonia and actually works under Eric Rice- the lead designer for this jacket….. (funny, the things you can learn from a few Google searches… kind of like how I found out about the existence of this jacket in the first place). Evan, if you are reading this- I would love to work for y'all…

The video probably wasn't leaked intentionally- it was a mistake. Patagonia is has been planning a very special launch for the product…. which goes on sale 3/1/13…. they didnt even have it at the Winter OR show- but rather, had photos of their climbing ambassadors wearing it…..

I have personal contacts with designers from TNF, MHW, and Arcteryx- I made good on my word to keep this jacket under wraps…. I hope Patagonia appreciates my integrity…

Also, Patagonia OWNS the trademark to Encapsil….

But this guy owns the http://www.encapsildown.com URL…. :)

Integrity means doing the right thing without talking about it. You remind us of your "integrity" every single time you post.

If I were Patagonia, I'd have a hard time even remotely thinking about hiring you when you leaked their video, then confusingly redacted, then spent months debating the morality, philosophy, and engineering of said jacket and the leak, finally culminating in a job request that is as potentially unprofessional as possible. It's all trouble to me. Nobody wants to hire someone unstable or unpredictable, and you flip-flop on a weekly basis.

This whole episode surrounding the jacket is annoying. It's just Dri-Down. It's not the second coming of the backpacking world. It isn't even as big a deal to me as the Ghost Whisperer series from MH. The only person who's worked up about it appears to be you.

Peeved,
Max

"…I hope Patagonia appreciates my integrity…"

Babak, I appreciate the information you have shared with us about Encapsil. But "integrity" is not a word that comes to mind for me when I read your posts, in general. I am sure there is, as you say, information about Evan's association with Patagonia on the internet. And under some circumstances it would be appropriate for him to disclose this affiliation in a post to these forums. But your disclosure of his affiliation is in poor form, in my opinion.

The impression that I (and several others I've spoken to) get from your posts, in general, is one of opportunism and immaturity.

Forgive the pointed wording of this post. It isn't meant to be hostile. I work in academia, and I've found it difficult to learn how to communicate with collaborators, funding organizations, etc. I'm socially awkward and bad at networking, and I have appreciated the feedback I've received about the way I communicate. Hopefully this input is at least interesting and perhaps helpful to you.

"Forgive the pointed wording of this post. It isn't meant to be hostile. I work in academia, and I've found it difficult to learn how to communicate with collaborators, funding organizations, etc. I'm socially awkward and bad at networking…"

Colin, perhaps this would help: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cuoxa59jxI

this post without replying, although i may have more than once shaken my head. is this the best post on backpakinglight, probably not. is it the worst post, certainly not that either. a guy tries to do the right thing (even if he’s not 100% sure what the right thing is) and people give him sh!t for that – please.