REASONS TO BUY
Warm for its thickness
Well-fitted hood needs no beanie
Good everyday versatility
REASONS TO AVOID
Challenging to pack into its own pocket
Expensive for just okay performance
Patagonia Nano Puff Hoody - Women's Review
A solid everyday jacket but without the comfort or design features that would make it worth the high price tag
The Patagonia Nano Puff Hoody uses synthetic insulation.
Credit: Patagonia
By Maggie Nichols ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ December 1, 2022
RELATED: Best Insulated Jackets for Women
Our Verdict
The Patagonia Nano Puff packs solid warmth for a jacket this thin and is a longtime favorite for many. It has a well-fitted hood that is still protective even without a beanie, and it offers pretty good weather resistance and is versatile enough for everyday use. However, it's not that easy to pack into its own pocket, and it's a bit heavy for lightweight missions. And while it performed okay in our testing, it doesn't stand out in any way in this category of impressive jackets. For this mediocre performance, it's one of the more expensive options we tested. But if you've tried it on and love how it fits, perhaps it's worth the cost to you.
Editor's Note: This article was updated on December 1, 2022, to include results and comparisons from our latest round of testing.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Patagonia Nano Puff Hoody is a lightweight jacket with a relaxed slim fit. Its exterior is made of 100% recycled polyester and it has a single bungee adjustment point in its hem. It has three pockets — two zippered hand pockets and one chest pocket. This chest pocket doubles as its own stuff sack.
The Nano Puff isn't a bad jacket for casual wear, it's just a mediocre performer at a high cost.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Warmth
The Nano Puff Hoody is decently warm, considering how thin it is. It has a slightly longer torso that's about average among models we tested and offers some added protection in the back with a moderate drop hem. The hood is fitted and can be worn over a thin beanie but keeps the wearer protected even with a bare head. The cuffs end with an elastic band cover that holds the sleeves above your hands. All in all, this jacket provides just average warmth.
The Nano Puff hood is very fitted and can be challenging to wear anything underneath - but is a great option for a warm hood.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Comfort
The exterior of the Nano Puff has that classic puffy jacket swish feeling and sound. It's a relaxed slim fit with a slightly tapered waist that leaves some space underneath for non-bulky layers. Our testers had some gripes with the lack of space across the shoulders, which becomes particularly noticeable when reaching our arms forward. A single adjustment point to the bungee running through the hem adds some flexibility to the fit, but in our experience, it requires two hands to loosen and readjust when needed.
The sleeves of the Nano Puff are long enough for everyday use, though the lack of shoulder mobility makes this not a jacket we're excited to recreate in.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Weather Resistance
The drop hem and adjustable bungee within make the Nano Puff better able to block the wind than many with less coverage. A full length wind guard helps secure the zipper. Up against precipitation, the Nano Puff performed admirably, beading raindrops and resisting water soaking in. It is covered by an excessive number of baffle seams, though, which are susceptible to becoming weak points for severe weather down the road.
The Nano Puff fabric repels water, but with so many baffle seams, we're not convinced its integrity will last the years.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Weight and Compressibility
The size Small Nano Puff we tested weighs 11.6 ounces, which is just slightly above average for our lineup. It packs away into its internal chest pocket, with a carabiner loop for easy clipping when you're done. We had a challenging time getting this jacket to zip into its pocket, requiring excessive effort in stuffing and using our knees to squeeze it smaller while we zip it shut.
Getting the Nano Puff into its chest pocket requires quite a bit of cramming, squeezing, and targeted effort.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Breathability
Here again, the Nano Puff performed about average in our testing. It lacks any features that would aid in breathability and instead is helped along by its general thinness. Loosening the hem bungee cord can be helpful, depending on how tight this coat is on your body. But it's not winning any awards for being a breathable model.
The Nano Puff has a single adjustment point for its hem bungee cord - which is very long and difficult to loosen again without using both hands.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Should You Buy the Patagonia Nano Puff?
If you've found a Nano Puff in a store nearby and you love how it fits and feels, it may be the right jacket for your everyday use. It's not a technical layer and lacks many features of mobility, breathability, and portability that we look for in an adventure jacket. It's also on the expensive side for its overall lackluster performance, and we're just not convinced it's worth the money.
What Other Insulated Jackets Should You Consider?
The Patagonia Nano Puff is a decent everyday jacket with a mediocre performance. If you want a more technical jacket that's ideal for layering, check out the Arc'teryx Atom Hoody. Or for a great coat that's warm and impressively weather resistant, we love the Patagonia DAS Light.
We like the Nano Puff, we just don't love it.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Side-by-Side Comparison
Compare Patagonia Nano Puff Hoody - Women's versus top competing products:
—Maggie Nichols
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