Patagonia unveiled its breakthrough FullRange insulation—a temperature regulating, four-way stretch material that can be worn continuously during aerobic, stop-start activities in the mountains, and mitigates the need to eliminate and add layers. The material, developed by Toray Mills in Japan, is made in the same way as traditional fill insulation, but with an added proprietary element that gives it stability against fiber migration and allows for better stretch and recovery.
For its Fall ’14 debut, Patagonia has applied the FullRange insulation to its men’s and women’s lightweight Nano-Air hoody and jacket. Nano-Air garments have a 60-gram installation weight to suit a wider range of temperatures. A blend of hydrophic fibers repels moisture, while the FullRange insulation maintains warmth.
Jenna Johnson, Patagonia’s business unit director for alpine, said the company knew it had something special as soon as it began to field test the Nano-Air hoody. “We’ve created an entirely new category of synthetic insulation with the Nano-Air products. The feedback we’ve received from our ambassadors has been incredible—you put it on and leave it on. It’s already hard to imagine climbing or skiing without it,” she said.
Patagonia climbing ambassador Mikey Schaffer confirmed the insulation’s effectiveness. He said, “With previous insulated jackets, I’d constantly be putting the jacket on at a belay and then taking it off before I started climbing. None of that is necessary with the Nano-Air Jacket. Having such a breathable jacket nearly eliminates the chills you get after sweating hard. The Nano-Air is definitely one of the most versatile jackets I’ve ever worn.”
The Nano-Air line is available now on Patagonia’s e-commerce site. Retail prices are $249 for hoodies and $299 for jackets.