Patagonia Airshed Pullover Review

Hi Mike:

Thank you for the offer.  One is already on the way.  I will post the test results.

Any luck with that one Stephen?  Thanks!

Hi Mike:

Yes.  Here are the results. Patagonia Air Shed Pro Pullover (2023)

Pertex Quantum Air fabric
Air Perm in CFM/ft2 .5 “/wc: 87.6/131.8/263.5  The first number is for the shell portion, the second is for the Capilene arms and side hood panels, the third is for the center hood panel, which consists of two layers of Capilene.  This is the highest air permeability of any windshirt I have tested.  The original Air Shed was a mere 57.6.    I don’t understand the Capilene hood and lower sleeves.  These areas wick rapidly but won’t hold much sweat before saturating.  If you need any wind protection, it is likely the wind will be hitting a wet fabric, causing evaporation and heat loss from the wearer.
Hydrostatic Head: 86mmwc.  This is the lowest I have measured for a new garment.
MVTR: 3960 g/m2/24 hours.  As expected, very high.

I have not worn this since it is still winter here and usually pretty windy.

What do you see as a good use for this type of garment?

Hey Mike:

I just read your former post about the Alpine Start air permeability.

You had this response from Black Diamond:

Thanks for getting in touch with us. The jacket is 40 CFM (cubic feet per minute) which is technically 40 CFM/M2 (cubic feet per minute per meter squared) but the industry simply refers to this as CFM.

This is actually kind of strange.  Their units mix metric and English units.  I have no idea what the statement from Black Diamond means except the respondent was probably confused.  Maybe you can ask them again.

Running. Or generally high output moving fast type stuff in cool and cold temps. It’s a versatile shirt…

Running in cooler temps (say, 30f – 50f), I wear it standalone. Running in colder temps, I wear one size larger with a merino air t-shirt underneath. Colder and walking (backpacking), I can also fit a thin cashmere sweater or a Cap Thermal Weight between the t-shirt and sized-up Airshed Pro. This works really well for me in a wide temperature range through winter. Not below zero kind of winter, but 30s, 20s and teens when on the move.

The hood and sleeves are excellent when running in these temps. The hood stays in place when worn or turning your head side to side, and tucks in if you don’t want to wear it, otherwise unobtrusive. The sleeves stretch to cover your hands, or push up to cool off.

This was designed for mountain trail running, called the High Endurance Kit, with help from trail runners Clare Gallagher and Luke Nelson.

I’m considering wearing the large as a standalone piece this summer as as sun shirt. Kinda like the “Taslan” shirt mentioned elsewhere here recently by Roger, Mark V and others.

Thanks for testing it, Stephen!

Edit: I have an earlier version, don’t think it’s Pertex Quantum Air

Stephen- I was actually asking about the MARS Level 5 Patagonia windshirt for the military- I was under the impression someone was sending you one, is that not the case?

Regarding the 2023 Air Shed, that sounds too air permeable for a windshirt.  Maybe for extremely high aerobic activities????  Not sure.

Hi Mike:

Sorry.  What I was sent was a Patagonia Gen 2 Level 4 Windshirt.  I believe this has silicone encapsulation.  A few years ago I tested a Patagonia Level 5 windshirt. Air Perm 1.2, HH 245 and MVTR 2341.

Would you expect the Mars Level 5 to be the same as the one I tested?

Hi Chris:

Have you used yours in high winds with cold temperatures?  What was your experience?

Stephen – it’s not much of a windbreaker when you come right down to it. It’s better than the original Airshed because you can push up the sleeves, vent with the double zipper, and the hood is A+. But it’s not in the same category as most UL windshirts… it’s more like a tech-y hybrid version of a lightweight knit top. 50/50 Capilene Cool hoody / original Airshed.

If my heart rate is up, and/or I have a t-shirt underneath, it’s a comfortable layer that I don’t feel the need to shed in colder weather. On a couple recent overnights in Rocky Mountain NP below treeline with highs in the low 20s and a variable moderate breeze (there’s always a breeze there), I did not take off the merino t + cashmere sweater (9 oz) + Airshed Pro, nor felt the need to add my Montbell Versalite. But I run warm on the move.

Hi Mike:

Sorry.  What I was sent was a Patagonia Gen 2 Level 4 Windshirt.  I believe this has silicone encapsulation.  A few years ago I tested a Patagonia Level 5 windshirt. Air Perm 1.2, HH 245 and MVTR 2341.

Would you expect the Mars Level 5 to be the same as the one I tested?

Steven- I misspoke, I meant Level 4.  The Level 4 is the military’s windshirt (based on the Houdini w/ a few changes); their Level 5 is a soft-shell which I’d expect to be less air permeable.

If you have the Level 4 in hand, I’d love to see the results of that.  It does have Epic encapsulation which should render the water resistance more long lasting.

Thanks!

Mike

Hi Mike:  The level 4 I just tested produced the following:

Air Permeability: 0.5
Hydrostatic Head: 297
MVTR: 2100

So, it stops wind, has typical windshirt water resistance (although likely permanent) and meager MVTR.

^ Thank you Sir- much appreciated!

I find the Airshed Pro to be perfect for running in the Sierra. I use it for short dawn patrol runs in the summer and longer all day runs in the fall. I layer it over a Capilene t-shirt and it provides just enough warmth for dealing with breezy conditions when doing high output aerobic activity and allows me to dump a lot of heat when going uphill or on the sunny side of a ridge. Definitely not a good piece for hiking or lower intensity activities. When temps are above freezing I feel like the Capilene forearms are a good tradeoff because I can push them all the way above my elbows when I start to overheat.

I prefer the OG Airshed for ski touring in the winter. For me skinning is often quite aerobic, not that different from running, so I still want plenty of air permeability, but closer to 60 CFM is a better balance for colder and windier winter conditions. In winter I layer it over a hooded long sleeve base layer. I also greatly prefer the Airshed fabric on the forearms instead of the Capilene fabric for this use case so I don’t lose so much heat through the forearms. I’m also usually wearing a helmet in this context so I can’t easily take the Airshed Pro hood on and off which I think is it’s one benefit on the Pro for running so I again prefer the OG Airshed’s lack of a hood.

In either case I always keep some sort wind proof layer in my pack, though that might be a Houdini style wind shell or a hard shell or just a puffy. I almost never wear any of these while moving, instead opting to add a fleece under the Airshed or an active insulation layer like a Nano Air on top when the wind is strong enough to make me cold. Up to 40mph winds or so that keeps me warm without making me get super wet from sweat. If winds are stronger than that then I do finally cave and add wind proof outer layer. When doing that I usually remove some insulation too and then have to carefully adjust that insulation every time wind or activity level changes so that I don’t end up soaking myself.

Seems like the exact CFMs that find the right balance in a wind shirt vary a lot based on personal metabolism, fitness level, activity intensity, and typical wind intensity.