NEW Patagonia Encapsil (“Dry Down”) Parka

"SOLD for $862"

I thought that was a BIN. Patagonia must be jealous :)

Wonder if theres even fill on that one ;)

There's one on eBay now for $1194.00 and counting!

Utter madness.

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Don't you just love supply and demand :-)

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I am glad the Encapsil Jacket sold out as if I purchased one my wife would shoot me, she is just getting over me purchasing a McHale pack.

She can't get mad if she doesn't know.

Every man should have a source of WDK money.

I do indeed Nick its my PayPal account :-)

I didn't realize how much I didn't miss this whole shebang until it resurrected… Thanks guys…

So did anyone use one in the mountains yet? Besides all the back and forth about ethics, let's get down to the jacket… did it perform? How warm was it in comparison to others? How did it handle sweat and use? How durable was it? Has anyone sent one back to Patagonia to be cleaned after use? I'm more interested in the performance of the jacket after it got introduced to the market. Seeing that they just re-released it for this season, it would make sense to do a follow up/review, no?

It's a pretty expensive but lightweight jacket that is ideal for a very limited variety of activities, yet provides effecting technology that offers exciting promise for future applications.

Fit:
I'm 6ft 1 and 195 and the jacket is somewhat roomy in a size Large. The sleeves are long enough for my 6'6" wingspan and the it comes down to my thigh. It's certainly a parka and not a jacket.

The hood is insane puffy- comically so- and uses a single drawcord pull that closes the hood down- identical to some of their other hooded down pieces. The hood is very warm and I have only used it when absolutely necessary.

The internal pockets warm gloves ,
Food or water bottles really well and are by your obliques, and are less obstructive. Note: the drop in pockets are smaller/ shallower than the Das or Fitz roy and are made with light weight materials. The chest pocket is insulated and large.

The hand warmer pockets are insulated on both sides and are BIG with equally big zipper openings that are easy to use gloves. I assume this is for storing/warming things.

I have wanted to use it more as a belay jacket but have been afraid to and it doesn't offer a double zipper. I have to zip UNDER my belay device for this to work- this is possible due to the length of the jacket.

Use:

I've used this thing hiking,backcountry skiing and winter camping and have used it in utter freezing temps (-27) with a Merino 3 and r1 underneath and in rain with nothing but a T shirt. It is too warm to use above 20 degrees imo.

I have never worn it around town for a few reasons:

Other than looking like a tool, I don't think Patagonia has enough Encapsil down lying around to fix the jackets- after speaking with a rep, it sounds like they are making adjustments to their supply of down,( now that they have their traceable down supply line), and supposedly the "formula"- I have no idea what that means.

My suspicion is that Patagonia is going to make a large part of their down product with Encapsil, and certainly with lighter pieces.

After a few years of occasional use. It has leaked one plume through repeated stuffings. And the Pertex Endurance UL is surprisingly durable and weather resistant. It lofts well but after spending a few days in a leaking closet, it lost a lot of its loft. It was gross in there. But the jacket survived albeit smelling odd and slightly less "firm".

I've sent it in for one cleaning and it came back as lofty as I first received it- so much so that the down became disproportionately stuffed, actually causing some clumping- I had to gently "massage" the down to distribute it. It doesn't smell at all. But, I haven't used this jacket since. I

Overall, a neat innovation and something I would use more if I knew patagonia could service it. But honestly, at this price point NOBODY other than mountaineers should pay $700 for a piece of equipment. Mostly, I'm excited to see more of this tech in ultralight pieces and sleeping bags.

Warmth: 9.8/10 – I am sure there are warmer jackets.
Weight: 10/10 my size L is ~19oz
Durability: 6/10- better than most UL fabric but..
Value: 4/10- unless you are going mountaineering, this jacket isn't worth it.

For most, like myself, it isn't worth it the price.

Any word on when the technology will hit the mainstream products?

I've heard that Fall 2015 will be when it starts proliferating into the rest of their product line.

Cheers Trill.