Patagonia Ultralight down Shirt vs. nano vs Ultralight jacket

Come to Reno, and I'll take you to the outlet so you can fondle both of them.......Yes, we live THAT close. 

Don't you need to decide if you want down or synthetic first? And there are other options if you don't see what you like from Patagonia--my gear freak friend (guy has something like thirty packs) claims to have done extensive research and determined that Montbell makes the best puffy.  He's strange in many other ways, too.

Finn,

Is Patagonia telling you that the effective warmth of the Shirt and the Nano is about equal? I've no experience, but, calling a jacket "ultra light" seems to differentiate it from a full puffy intended as an outer layer. Did you look at Pattagucci's web site to see if they do a full puffy?

I've used a Nano all season and it's a great layering jacket under a shell, and, also much warmer when used as an outer layer than I would have predicted. My thinking is that down is too warm for layering unless it's a vest. Of course, I don't ski much in Co. where cold is a bigger factor.

I don't know anything about this, but I looked at the pictures.  It looks to me like they put a full zipper on the shirt, and then someone told them they would have to call it a jacket. 

Hmm, somehow, I forgot my wife has the Patti down ultralight Jacket with a full zipper. It is slightly more dense than my Nano, but, far from a full puffy down jacket. I would expect it to be warmer than my Nano. As she is not a skier, can't provide any feedback as to how it performs on the mountain.

I'm not going to be much help here, but I feel compelled to offer a little maxim that I'm fond of: layer warmth is a function of thickness, all other things being equal (shell material, construction features, etc.).  Put another way, an inch of synthetic insulation is no more or less warm than an inch of down or an inch of wool batting if the garment is constructed the same and has the same shell material.  

So with that in mind, Mr. Finndog, the thing for you to do is to determine 1) what level of warmth you want, 2) whether you want the garment to be lighter (down) or better in moist conditions/cheaper (synthetic), and what features you want (zip, shell material, pockets, etc.).  Then whip out the gold card and have a purchase moment.  

Oh, and down compresses smaller and easier than synthetics if that matters to you...but you knew that.  I could be wrong about this, but I think my Nano Puff p/o works a little better than down as a midlayer because it compresses less under my shell.  

I've only tried the nano but I wonder if the difference between shirt and jacket besides the zip is the fit-the shirt being intended to be worn over fewer layers than the jacket. Maybe a jacket one size down would work as a shirt for you--if your arms aren't too long.

Just compare fill weight down shirt vs. down jacket should tell you what you need to know.   

I own and love the shirt. I have fondled the down jacket and nano and based on my hands on assessment, they two down garments look about the same in terms of thickness. The nano looks thinner. ;)  

I just "upgraded" to a nano puff cause I got a good deal at 6pm.com on it and needed a new down jacket. I LOVE IT. It is just enough for freezing weather and makes a great stuffable, light jacket for the backcountry pack. I just hiked Shasta and Lassen with it. SOLD. I love it. Not for those 20 degrees freezing days, but under a shell it's great. I have a Puff Ball jacket, it's not as warm as that, but packs down about 1/4 the size. 

Good for what it's made for I think! Get one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Living Proof 

Hmm, somehow, I forgot my wife has the Patti down ultralight Jacket with a full zipper. It is slightly more dense than my Nano, but, far from a full puffy down jacket. I would expect it to be warmer than my Nano. As she is not a skier, can't provide any feedback as to how it performs on the mountain.

Have the nano and have borrowed a friend's ultralight jacket. Nano is definitely not as warm as the jacket by a fairly big factor. But it is what i use for layering and have very rarely needed more...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finndog 

I just found this on the Pati FAQ's.

 

"The Men's Ultralight Down Jacket in size medium will have 85 grams of down whereas the Men's Ultralight Down Shirt will have 56.5 grams down insulation. The stuff sack for the ultralight Down Jacket is about 8"x 8" and for the Ultralight Down Shirt 5.5"x 5.5" when empty and layed flat. The Jacket version will be warmer."

 

However, in the Instant chat session, the tech told me the UL jacket was the same as the UL shirt.  Again, i keep getting inconsistent answers from them.

 

So just for kicks, I logged back in and was told by another tech the Nano is lighter than the UL jacket so I am beginning to beleive the Nano is a good option. that would give me the shirt, nano and puff. Covered.

As a mid layer, I don't think there is a lot of difference between the down shirt and a fleece other than the pack-ability (and wind-proof-ness) and potentially a bling factor. ;)