First looks
Equipment editor Chris Townsend reviews the most exciting and interesting new gear releases
Fill: 60g PrimaLoft Gold Eco recycled polyester with P.U.R.E. technology
Shell: recycled polyester ripstop
Pockets: 2 handwarmer, 1 inner
Cuffs: elasticated
Hem: drawcord
Sizes: men XS-XXL, women XS-XL
The lightweight Nano Puff insulated jacket has been through several updates in the many years it’s been in Patagonia’s range. The latest version, launched last year, is filled with PrimaLoft Gold Insulation Eco with P.U.R.E (Produced Using Reduced Emissions) technology. What this mouthful of a name means is that the fill is produced with a new manufacturing technology that removes the need for heat to melt the fibres and bond them together. By doing this, energy use and carbon emissions are reduced – the latter by 52% compared to conventional production methods. With P.U.R.E. technology the insulation selfbonds and self-cures through exposure to air instead of being baked in ovens.
The insulation is made from 100% postconsumer recycled polyester too, as is the shell, so this really is an environmentally friendly garment.
Design
In design it’s a simple jacket with a high collar, front zip with baffle behind, elasticated cuffs, hem drawcord, two handwarmer pockets and an inside pocket into which it can be packed.
The handwarmer pockets are partly cut off by a hipbelt. They can still be used by pulling the jacket up slightly, but it would be nice if they were a little higher. The quilting is unusual, consisting of distinctive brick patterning to stabilise the insulation. Only on the sides are the usual long horizontal stitch lines. The jacket is lightweight at 370 grams (size L), and it packs away into a tiny bundle.
Performance
I’ve worn the Nano Puff a great deal over the winter and it performs really well. It’s soft and comfortable to wear. The fabric is windproof and breathable, and sheds light rain. When wet it’s still quite warm and dries quickly. Warmth is similar to a heavyweight fleece, but the Nano Puff is windproof, and much lighter and more compact. The Men’s Large fits me over a medium-weight fleece. I’ve mostly worn the Nano Puff as a shell jacket, only donning a waterproof jacket over it in really severe conditions. As the weather warms up, I think I’ll find it a bit too toasty for walking in. Then I’ll carry it for rest stops and in camp on overnight trips.
The environmental credentials are great, and the performance is too. I think this is an excellent lightweight insulated jacket.
Fabric: BAM 74% organic cotton/25% bamboo viscose/1% elastane; DU/ER 70% cotton/28% Coolmax polyester/2% Lycra
Jeans for the outdoors? That’s a definite no-no, isn’t it? ‘Cotton kills’ and all that. Certainly, conventional jeans are restrictive, cold when wet, slow-drying, heavy and generally not very comfortable in the hills. I wouldn’t consider them. However last year I was offered for test not one but two pairs of jeans designed for outdoor use. My initial reaction was ‘thanks, but no thanks’.
I knew what jeans were like. But these were ‘outdoor’ jeans. I should try them before passing judgment. After all, that is my job. So I said yes and soon received pairs of BAM 73 Zero Denim jeans and DU/ER Performance Denim Relaxed jeans.
Design and performance
Both pairs look like conventional jeans – same cut, same pockets, same colour. They don’t feel like them, though, due to the stretch component. They move with you. In fact they stretch more than I do. They don’t perform like standard jeans either, as each pair has a substantial wicking component and is comfortable over a wide range of temperatures. Only on hot days have I got at all sweaty in them as the fabrics are quite thick and warm. Mostly they’ve been very comfortable. The fabrics are fairly windresistant though not fully windproof. In really cold winds overtrousers are needed.
Overtrousers are advisable in rain too as the fabrics do absorb a fair amount of moisture, as expected from the high cotton content. They don’t feel that unpleasant when wet, but drying time is slow.
In terms of performance there’s little to choose between the pairs. Having been alternating them for months I often forget which ones I’m wearing. They even weigh exactly the same. Both pairs have proven tough so far and neither pair needs washing often as the BAM’s bamboo viscose and the DU/ER’s Coolmax polyester are both anti-microbial.
Environmental story
The BAM 73 Zero Denims cost less and have a great environmental story behind them. BAM set out to make the most sustainable jeans they could as an alternative to conventional ones. To start with, BAM’s jeans use 74% less water than conventional ones because the organic cotton needs 90% less irrigation and bamboo doesn’t need any irrigation at all. Water is also saved by not bleach washing the jeans.
73 Zero Denim jeans are also more easily recyclable than conventional jeans as they have no rivets or hardware, just one metal button that can be unscrewed. Only the zip needs to be cut out before recycling the jeans. The name 73 Zero refers to the fact that 73% of clothing ends up in landfill or is incinerated, and this needs to be reduced to zero. On the back pocket there’s a pattern inspired by the global temperature rise from 2006 to 2020.
The DU/ER jeans don’t have the environmental story of the BAM ones, but they are tough and comfortable and should last well. They come in Slim and Relaxed Fits. I went for the latter as I simply prefer looser legwear. However, the stretch is such that the Slim ones would probably be as comfortable.
Over the months I’ve worn both pairs for hillwalking and even ski touring, and
I’ve found them to be fine. I think they are practical hill trousers that just happen to look like jeans. I’d choose the BAM ones for the environmental aspect. In terms of performance, there’s no difference.