Patagonia Micro Puff

Field Notes:

We’ve been loving this Patagonia puffy from the skin tracks of Colorado to the crags of California. Our tester has been relying on it heavily throughout a road trip from Canada to Mexico. If we were to pick a single puffy to recommend across all pursuits, this Patagonia piece is our overall top choice.

Pros:

The weight of the Micro Puff is cloud-like and nearly negligible. The featherweight puffy is hardly noticeable in your pack or even across your shoulders, however, zip up the quilted jacket and you’re instantly aware of the lofty warmth of Patagonia’s synthetic PlumaFill insulation. PlumaFill is built to mimic down’s basic composition, except where natural down clusters break apart, PlumaFill is a continuous, almost cotton-candy-like synthetic material. An ingenious step forward that’s been the talk of the industry in 2018, PlumaFill’s a packable, lightweight synthetic option that’s still warm when damp and even gives dry down a run for its money.

Our testers loved the baffle structure and cut of the Micro Puff, especially the snug, under-the-helmet hood. The Pertex Quantum fabric was a delight to the most tactile of our testers—it was even comfortable and warm when used after surf sessions against bare, wet skin. Finished with a DWR treatment, the 100% nylon fabric performed well in wet conditions, too.

Cons:

The 10-denier fabric is not the most durable, and we’ve had a couple rips throughout our testing. However, that’s nothing that Patagonia won’t happily fix if a piece of duct tape won’t do the trick. The main point we’d make in the cons category is that the Micro Puff is not a heavyweight puffy: while it’s warm when used correctly (say, with a wool base layer and a waterproof outer shell), it’s not a standalone puffy during moderate activity in colder weather.

Favorite Feature:

The insulation itself. Patagonia’s new PlumaFill recipe earned five stars from our team.

Tester Quote:

“I’m in love with this no frills puffy. I wear it everywhere—snowboarding and splitboarding, international travel, cold-weather surf trips. It’s a new favorite for me, and I love how light it is and how small it packs. I can’t recommend it enough.”