To be honest, I was not going to buy a Micro Puff until I heard directly from the Patagonia folk themselves: PlumaFill is in fact, so durable and so lofty that it survived their 24h Killer Wash test (which no other synthetic they’ve tested thus far has passed), and so far exceeded loft durability expectations that they are looking into how to put the material into other jackets in the future.

The real problem I see with the PlumaFill is that in its current form it comes out looking like a feather boa that has to be tacked down in places and results in the expensive patterning that makes the Micro Puff Hoody so pricey. It will take some additional clever work before it can be made in a sheet form that is easy to sew. I expect that the reason we’ve seen the UL Down Hoody discontinued is because the Micro Puff is expected to replace it, though the UL Down Hoody was a true favorite of mine; sufficiently durable yet plenty lightweight.

I just received mine, so I can only give my initial impressions but they are very positive. I took it out for the first time today in 34ºF and wind and with just a t-shirt and 100wt fleece I was plenty warm though my legs were cold. It will accompany me in the backcountry for sure.

The engineering in the jacket itself is a sight to behold. The jacket picks up every new design cue that Patagonia has developed in the last five years: no-snag zippered pockets with grosgrain backing, double-baffled main zipper with no-pinch chin guards, stitched zipper pulls, variable baffling for temperature control, a hood that doesn’t blow off in the wind, tougher elastic, generous drop-in pockets, and plenty of backstitching and bartacking.

And yet it weighs a claimed 9.3oz! This is a jacket constructed at the very apex of current manufacturing and there is simply nothing to fail on this jacket save for the 10d nylon ripstop fabric itself. If Patagonia can help themselves from revising this jacket into oblivion, this will be an evergreen model in the UL world.

I tried this on at a Patagonia retail store and it was uncomfortable – it kinda felt like when down feathers leak out and have shafts that poke on skin. Through the cotton t-shirt I was wearing.

Did anyone have a similar experience?

Just bought a micro puff at a good discount ($150) and it is going back to REI. The fit is baggy and just does not feel right, even by the less than stellar Patagonia standards. The hood makes you look like a d#ckhead, probably in an attempt to accommodate a helmet. The fabric is exceptionally fragile. Subjectively feels colder than the nano puff.  Part of the weight savings come from elimination of the hem drawcord, which is probably one of the reasons it feels colder than a Nanopuff. Overall I don’t see it as an improvement over the Nanopuff. Sure it is 3 oz lighter but that is about it. I love my nanopuff (have two fo them) and am sticking with them.

Also just bought a Micro Puff Hoody ($120 discontinued color) and it’s a keeper. Light, warm enough without being too warm, baggy enough to fit more insulation underneath, good pockets inside and out, and doesn’t have drawcord toggles on the hood or hem to interfere with sleeping. Fabric is tough enough for my purposes, easily repaired otherwise since the insulation will more-or-less stay in place.

And at the sale price, it was cheaper than similar hooded jackets with continuous filament synthetic insulation, including EE and Nunatak.

We’ll see if my opinion changes after a few nights in the backcountry.

— Rex

PS – XL size weighs 358 grams / 12.6 ounces on my scale.

What a great jacket, the Micro Puff Hoody.  Light, beautifully constructed. I walk two hours a day year round, regardless the weather. From late Fall thru early Spring, the MPH serves me well. Comfortable most days. Occasionally I put up the hood. Winters in Appalachian Virginia where I live have been relatively mild these past several years; my Feathered Friends puffy hangs in the closet ready but almost never needed for days in the teens. And every once in a while, I throw on a Houdini  over the Micro Puff Hoody if there’s precip to deal with.  All in all, the MPF serves me well.