Patagonia Men’s Capilene® Air Hoody – As Good as Merino Air?

The new Patagonia Capilene Air baselayer line up is the bee’s knees.  It features 3D knitting and a mix of merino wool and recycled polyester fabrics. It stretches and provides great warmth while remaining breathable.  Awesome!  So awesome that it sounds familiar….. Sounds like the Merino Air from Patagonia.  Which, is a good thing!

Features of the Patagonia Capilene Air

Capilene Air is a mix of 51% merino wool and 49% recycled polyester fabrics.  Much like the Merino Air of the past.  Patagonia uses 3-D knit structure to create a perfect fit while eliminating seems.  They blast air into the 18.5-micron merino wool to loft it up like popcorn, creating layers of insulation.  The fabric has a very soft feel and did not irritate me when wearing it for days on end. The Capilene stretches like crazy.  So you can tuck it into your pants and never worry about restriction during activities.

Capilene Air on left, Merino Air on right

That sounds just like the Merino Air

Yes, it sure does.  Personally, I loved the Merino Air line up (read our review here).  After I tested the hoody and crew neck for Patagonia, I went back and bought 3 more!  I spent the majority of the last 3 winters in the Merino Air garments.  I was bummed to see the Merino Air discontinued.  Once we laid eyes on the Capilene Air at the Summer Outdoor Retailer Market, we knew it would be a great replacement.

So what is different from the Merino Air?

As far as I can tell, the main difference is the box stitching in the Capilene Air.  The Merino Air had a zig-zag pattern.  Some guys might not have liked that.  I don’t really see much difference.  Check out the pics for comparison.  I also do not feel any difference.  That is great, as I loved the Merino Air.  I picked up a Women’s Capilene Air bottom for my wife and noticed it had the same zig-zag pattern as the old Merino Air.  So, perhaps, some men complained about the zig-zag pattern?  Not really sure why, but the box pattern does look pretty sweet.

Women’s Capilene Air on left, Mens in middle, old Merino Air on right

Review of the Patagonia Capilene Air

As I loved the Merino Air, I too love the Capilene Air.  I was sent a hoody and bottom to test out and have been using them on most splitboard and winter camping trips.  The hood on the hoody is my favorite.  It can be worn in a few ways and always comes in handy when a storm blows in on a ridge.  The crew neck is great for mixed us – time in the mountains and the city. The bottoms are warm and comfortable.  They are a bit too warm for my liking on aggressive backcountry tours, but perfect for winter camping and lounging apres ski.

If you loved the Merino Air line, then you will love the new Capilene Air.  Available in Mens Hoody $149, Mens Crew $129, and Men’s Bottom $129.  Women get the Hoody $149, Crew $129 and Bottoms $129 as well.

Riley dog likes the Capilene Air as well!