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Over the summer season I’ve been reviewing the new Nano-Air Ultralight pieces from Patagonia, wearing them for all my guiding and personal climbing activities. It’s been up numerous big rock climbs, hiked the dog and stood on the top of Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. I barely take these things off (although luckily I have the hooded and non hooded versions so I have managed to wash them occasionally)!
My main “go-to” of the pair has been the Men’s Nano-Air® Ultralight Full-Zip Hoody so I’ll talk about that in most detail first.
It’s stretchy, very breathable, has an amazing cut for rock climbing, just enough insulation and, a hood that actually fits comfortably over my climbing helmet so that I can zip the thing up round my face, and still look upwards and side to side, completely unhindered.
The stretch comes from an outer fabric of 100% recycled ripstop polyester lining combining mechanical stretch, exceptional breathability and increased abrasion resistance. This abrasion resistance is something I can definitely vouch for, because as a full time mountain guide and someone who spends a lot of time climbing in their non-work time too, my clothing doesn’t normally get an easy ride. I’ve scraped up granite and rough limestone for an entire season and the hooded and non-hooded versions of this top, both still look great.
The stretchy cuffs are made from a wicking Capilene® Cool Lightweight fabric that extends up the forearms offering an increased ability to pull up the sleeves. This fabric works well and is very comfortable but does catch on sharp rock and “bauble” more easily than the main face fabric. I’ve also found it stretches and stays loose around the cuffs after a while.
The insulation in these pieces is actually pretty minimal, but is seems to hit the sweet spot in that, I never really overheat in it and it feels cosy enough when I’m stood still. A great balance if you don’t wanna be chopping and changing your layers all the time. Kind of like a windproof, but with the warmth of a fleece, but breathable and stretchy, all at the same time.
For the insulation, Patagonia say:
“FullRange™ featherweight insulation.
Featherweight, stretchy and breathable, FullRange™ 20 g/m² insulation that provides optimal warmth on the hood, shoulders, upper arms, chest and back; breathable inserts on the inside of the sleeves to evacuate heat and reduce the volume of material.”
Note that the insulation is zoned, meaning it hits the sweet spot in warmth to weight, allows greater breathability and helps with the range of movement. Plus there is no extra bulk.
Range of movement in these pieces is excellent and whilst both the hoody and pullover are fairly slim fitting (I normally just wear a base layer, long or short sleeved T-shirt underneath), overhead reach is incredible (not dissimilar to the M10 pieces), they stay put under a harness and the body doesn’t feel tight or restrictive. I’m 5ft 9inches tall and weigh 67kg and wear size Small.
One final detail is that both pieces have a single chest pocket that doubles as a stuff sack. This is perfectly sized to take “Pro Max” sized IPhone. The pocket has a clip in loop so you can clip it to your harness when stuffed or you can use the clip in loop for a phone tether if like me, you use your phone as your camera, topo and GPS and are afraid of dropping it.
Thinking about the Men’s Nano-Air® Ultralight Pullover, the main difference is the lack of a hood and full zip. Otherwise, the features are the same. Instead of a hood you get a comfortable zip neck that rises just to below the chin. The zipper is 2 way for venting and stops above the harness line for comfort. I’d say the Pullover is great if you want the cleanest possible harness compatibility and the option to not have hood bulk on every single one of your layers.
Patagonia said these pieces are: “designed to provide the perfect balance of breathability and the touch of warmth you need during intense activities in cool weather” but I’d say they go much further than this. For climbers these tops are amazing. A brilliant cut and minimal feature set that is aimed with the end user in mind, not the high street, but still looks really good too.
I can’t wait to use these pieces for ice climbing and ski touring in winter.
Patagonia Nano-Air Ultralight Hoody
Price: £220/€250
Weight: 249g
Patagonia Nano-Air Ultralight Pullover
Price: £180/€200
Weight: 218g
Kevin Avery is a British IFMGA Mountain Guide based near Chamonix France. He is available for guided rock climbing, ice and mixed climbing and ski touring. Contact him at truenorthalpine@gmail.com and follow him on Instagram @kevinavery.mountainguide
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