Patagonia Women’s Nano-Air Hoody – Flexible and Super Soft

Kate Agathon

I live in Colorado, where the unofficial uniform is a down hoody jacket. While I love my down, sometimes synthetic is just a better option for insulation; especially those aerobic activities that require a lot of range of movement. That’s why I was especially keen on trying the Patagonia Women’s Nano-Air Hoody.

Patagonia Women’s Nano-Air Hoody review

The Nano-Air Hoody is the jacket you grab for casual use, or aerobic activity such as hiking, snowshoeing, and nordic skiing on colder days.

 

Patagonia Women’s Nano-Air® Hoody

 

What I like about the Nano-Air Hoody is its simplicity. Three pockets (two front handwarmer pockets and a chest pocket) and a stretchy hood with binding. That’s it. I don’t need a ton of features. I just want to throw it on and forget about it.

The real story of the Nano-Air Hoody is its stretchy, ridiculously warm fabric. Because it feels super light (hence the aptly- named “air”), you wouldn’t expect the warmth it provides.

 

However, it is meant to generate heat while you’re doing aerobic activity. The 60-gram Full Range synthetic insulation provides consistent warmth, replicates the qualities of down, and repels light moisture effectively.

 

It is flexible, buttery soft, and does not at all restrict the range of movement. I appreciated its breathability in that I could wear it all day long and not have to pause and do the constant shuffling of layers.

 

However, during my review of the Nano-Air Hoody, I identified a few potentially disadvantageous items that I noticed.

 

First, the sleeves cannot be rolled up due to their snugness. Secondly, note it is a slim fit. On one hand, it is flattering to the body. However, if you want to wear another layer underneath, size up. Finally, I have a blue heeler dog. If you’re not familiar with the breed, it has a double coat and sheds like crazy. This jacket is a magnet for dog hair. These issues weren’t game-changers for me, but worth mentioning regardless.

 

Overall, I quite liked the Patagonia Nano-Air Hoody. It is a comfortable, overall midlayer jacket and a good alternative to down that provides warmth when you need it during aerobic activity.

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Kate Agathon

Dr. Of Stoke

Freelance writer, bicyclist, outdoor recreation enthusiast, social justice advocate, and mom to her furbaby, Utah the Adventure Dog.

 

A Colorado native, Kate considers the outdoors her mother ship. She brings her passion for bicycling, the environment, and issues of diversity to her writing. Her primary outdoor recreation activities are mountain biking, fat biking, snowshoeing, camping, peak bagging Colorado’s 14ers, road cycling, and Nordic skiing. After suffering two major knee injuries within four years, Kate hopes to return to alpine skiing next season.

 

Kate earned a bachelor’s degree in History from Colorado State University and later an MSEd and Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Purdue University. In addition to her education, Kate’s background serving on the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee and experience working for non-profits and bicycle sales well position her to bring depth and understanding to the complex changes currently taking place in the outdoor recreation industry.

We also heard she has a (slight) obsession for blue heelers.