Skip to my Initial Report- November 30, 2009
Skip to my Field Report- February 3, 2010
Skip to my Long Term Report- April 5, 2010

Performance in the Field

Rock climbing at Mt. Woodson, California

I have worn the Nano Puff in temperatures ranging from the low 60's F (16 C) to 22 F (-6 C). I have worn it with various layering combinations. For instance, on a recent backpacking trip the Nano was worn over a light silk base layer and a synthetic mid-weight Capilene layer. On this trip at around 23 F (-5 C) I found that I had to wear a shell over the Nano in order to keep me warm. I had the neck zipped up and I was not chilled. While hiking at night I wore the Nano with a light-weight wool base layer top. Before and after cycling I would wear it over a wool or synthetic cycling jersey.

On one of my night hikes and while hiking to climbing locations, I over heated in the Nano, even with the zipper open. I removed it and stored it in the storage pocket. I was able to easily store the jacket in the pocket without any struggle to fit it in there.

Sometimes I wish the Nano had hand pockets, especially at base camp. I know this would add extra weight and bulk to the jacket. I am learning to live without the pockets; I am just thinking it would be a nice feature. When I have the chest pocket full of odds and ends it gets kind of bulky and it looks weird. But, it is functional. The pocket is deep enough to hold items that I want to have accessible, quickly. Such as extra gloves, lip balm, snacks, tissues, and my MP3 player.

To me the Nano Puff appears slightly bulky at the bottom. But, it does not feel bulky at all. While wearing the jacket I have full movement of my shoulders, the sleeves do not ride up and they are a perfect length for me. However, when I am taking the jacket off, I feel as though I am limited with my shoulder motion and I have to squirm in the shoulder area.

I have washed and dried the Nano three times by following the care instructions on the tag. The jacket handled washing and drying well with no stretching or shrinking.

One of the quilting threads has come become unstitched at the thin wrist cuff. This tread has pulled out about 3 stitches. I am going to contact customer service about this issue. Since the tread started to come out at the cuff I am thinking this is a manufacturing defect as the cuff is not torn or damaged. I will just have to see what customer service says.

The Nano was worn in a light misty rain and was exposed to ground snow and water while at base camp. When exposed to light water the exterior appears to be wet while the inner lining remains dry. The jacket was not exposed to heavy rain or snow during the testing period as I did not want the jacket to wet out since it is not waterproof.

I am pretty impressed with the Nano Puff. It packs down small and gives me plenty of warmth down to about 23 F (-5 C) without needing a shell layer on top.

Performance in the Field

I contacted Patagonia customer support in regards to the pulled thread on the sleeve. The representative was friendly and helpful. I was told that it would take approximately 6 weeks to receive the jacket back from repair. I decided that I could easily stitch and reinforce the pulled thread. So, I bought some matching thread and stitched four stitches on the sleeve, and to this day it has held up well. Some of the other threads on the quilting are fuzzy, especially on the sleeves and the shoulders. The recycled polyester material of the Nano is not showing any signs of wear, even after rubbing against bushes and shrubs while hiking. I am concerned about the fuzzy threads. This makes me think the jacket is more delicate than the other jackets that I own. I have washed and dried the Nano following the care instructions about five times since receiving it and there are no signs of stretching or shrinking.

Since I have been wearing the Nano in temperatures in the upper 40's F (4 C) and in the 50's F (15 C), I have not missed the lack of hand pockets. However, I still think hand pockets would be a nice addition to this jacket, especially when it is worn in colder temperatures without a shell on top.

When I get too warm wearing the Nano, I stuff it in the chest pocket (that is a stow pocket too) and toss it in my pack. It is still very easy to stuff in the stow pocket, with no struggle at all. I wish all my jackets were like this.

The Nano is not waterproof; it is marketed as having a DWR (durable water repellent) finish. I hiked in a misty rain while wearing the Nano and it did not wet out. But, in a light rain it wetted out on the shoulders and the sleeves. It was raining lightly at Maple Springs while I was mountain biking and I was not smart in my clothing selection that day. I was cold because my socks, legs, and shorts were wet. I decided to change into something dryer after my ride before packing up my vehicle. I had the Nano in the car and I thought I would put it on to help warm me up. While packing up the car I started to feel wet on my shoulders and my arms. The Nano got wet all the way through in these areas. I wore the jacket home, wet; because I needed the warmth since my core was cold. When the Nano becomes wet the water does not seem to bead off even with the DWR finish. And I would not consider the Nano to have much of a wind blocking property. In a light breeze I could not feel the air penetrate through the fabric, however in a consistent wind or in wind gusts I could feel the air penetrating through the fabric.

During the long term report I layered silk and wool tops beneath the Nano and I was warm. While hiking uphill at Orchard Hills I became uncomfortably warm while wearing the Nano. I did not want to take it off because I knew I would be going back downhill soon. It felt steamy inside the jacket even with the zipper opened. After reaching the top of the hill it was dark and we had to hike back to our starting point. I was glad I did not take off the Nano as it was getting chilly. My clothes underneath the Nano were not excessively wet from sweating. There were a few damp areas, but that was it.

In the chest pocket I am still only placing a few small items in it. I do not like the look of the added bulk when I have larger items in the pocket. Generally I put my lip balm, a few tissues, and my MP3 player in the chest pocket.

Summary

I love the Nano! It is one of my favorite insulating jackets. One of my favorite features of the Nano is how light weight it is. It packs down small and is versatile enough to wear additional layers as needed to keep me warm. I like the cut and the styling of the Nano, and I just love the color. I get so many complements on this jacket when I am wearing it on the trail. Now, I would love it even more if it had hand pockets. I hope the Nano holds up for many years.