Patagonia Nano-Air

Just giving you my subjective feeling about it, but it seems a bit loftier than the nanopuff, and similarly warm under a shell. It feels about as warm as my arc nuclei, but cooler than the rab xenon gl, which was sort of off the charts for a light synthetic, though. Whats impressive about the nano air is that its warm enough (for me) at camp with a shell, but breathable and protective enough to use on the go in exposed areas on the same trips.

del

" and similarly warm under a shell"

So then the shell is sized large enough to wear that Nano-Air under it ? And is the shell then not too big when worn without the Nano-Air ?

@Woubeir
Yes, I deliberately bought a shell that would fit me well when worn in the rain over a base layer and over a puffy (without compression) for additional warmth.

@Serge
And do you never need a shell without the puffy under it ?

del

@woubeir yes, I wear my rain jacket over just a base layer and occasionally over a light puffy jacket. I usually wear an M or L, but went with an L for better coverage and enough room for a puffy layer

My preview/first look for Snowshoe Magazine went up last night.

Tailor-made for high output winter activity

The new Nano-Air pieces are less lightweight belay jackets than a wind shirt and fleece rolled into one, but with more stretch and quicker drying time. The Nano-Air pieces are something new conceptually, and are made possible by advances in material, in particular by proprietary FullRange Insulation, a stretchier cousin to Polartec Alpha.

Full preview after the jump.

I'm curious about the Nano Air as a cold-weather/fleece replacement active layer for NE winter hiking/XC. Anyone have any opinions on the comfort range of this piece for active pursuits? I'm guessing 20d and below or maybe even substantially colder than that. I am trying to think about the times I could be active in R3 fleece plus a windjacket and am only thinking about a few times in ten years.

Most of the reviews have people praising its flexibility in 40-60d temps (!). Hiking, that's obviously t-shirt weather.

Whelp I tried one on the other day and damn it it just doesn't fit me. The medium is too snug and too short and the large is too loose in the body. And I wear an XL in the Houdini! Bloody Patagonia.

It's a pity, as it is a sweet looking jacket and the fabrics they've used are superbly comfortable. However as most of us have figured out by now it really is more or less a fleece sandwiched between two breathable nylon layers. Since I have no intentions of leaving my Houdini at home I think I can get the same or more versatility with an R3 and my Houdini, which I'm sure is a warmer combo than the Nano Air by itself (but yes, heavier and not as pretty).

del

I made an active, synthetic vest out of 2.5 oz Apex, and very breathable 30D nylon. The combo is breathable enough that i can easily both suck and blow through all layers.

It weighs 2.3 oz and packs down very small. It was fairly easy and quick to make. I estimate the cost to be around 20-25 dollars in materials.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=87227

A zipper would be better though, which would add a little extra weight, cost, and time to make.

Combined with something like a Cap 4 hoody, polypropylene wrist overs, and a lightweight windjacket w/ hood–it would provide relative comfort for your top half at a wide range of colder temps, for VERY little weight and bulk. Keep your core, head, and feet warm enough, and it helps to keep the rest of your extremities warmer especially when active.

I've thought about making and selling them for pretty cheap (around 40 or so), but don't really have the time lately (work a full time and part time job).