NanoPuff or Down Jacket?

[Camino Chris]

Hello pilgrims,

I used a nanopuff style jacket as my outer layer on my last two spring Caminos and loved how it kept me warm in the early morning hours, yet scrunched up small and stayed wrinkle free in my pack after I warmed up an hour or two later.

I replaced it for my upcoming Camino this spring, only because a new color would be a nice change. (Yes, I know, if it aint broke, why fix it.) Anyway, I purchased what I thought was another washable, puffy, synthetic filled jacket similar to my other one. It fit like a glove and I loved the new color...Score! Not quite. It's been hanging in my closet for a few months and I recently discovered it is a down filled jacket, not synthetic, as I had never read the label (dumb me).

Since down is not supposed to get wet, I worry it will catch some rain before I can get my raincoat out and quickly turn into a soggy mess to deal with later.

Have any of you used a down jacket on the Camino? If so, has it been a good experience or a negative one?

 

[howlsthunder]

I do a lot of backcountry backpacking and hiking here in Alaska and I have a down Nano-Puff Patagonia shirt that I love. I haven't had issue keeping it dry as I usually am not wearing it while moving, so it's in the pack staying dry from any possible rain or sweat condensation. I usually wear it during breaks or at night - it's SO warm for its weight I never hike without it. That said, I HAVE hiked in downpours wearing it on colder days and really, so long as I make sure not to overheat (the biggest problem I have with down) and don't run around without my raincoat, I have yet to have a problem with it. For me the superior warmth-to-weight ratio is worth the risk.

 

[trecile]

I do a lot of backcountry backpacking and hiking here in Alaska and I have a down Nano-Puff Patagonia shirt that I love. I haven't had issue keeping it dry as I usually am not wearing it while moving, so it's in the pack staying dry from any possible rain or sweat condensation. I usually wear it during breaks or at night - it's SO warm for its weight I never hike without it. That said, I HAVE hiked in downpours wearing it on colder days and really, so long as I make sure not to overheat (the biggest problem I have with down) and don't run around without my raincoat, I have yet to have a problem with it. For me the superior warmth-to-weight ratio is worth the risk.

Nano Puff is not made of down. It is a synthetic fiber.

 

[linkster]

I think I am going to bring my Mountain Hardwear - Thermostatic Insulated Jacket (synthetic) rather than my down for the reasons you cited. Color was immaterial since mine are all black. Maybe you could bedazzle your old one (bling, patches, etc.).

 

[Camino Chris]

Nano Puff is not made of down. It is a synthetic fiber.

That's what I thought too. Glad you agree.

 

[Camino Chris]

I think I am going to bring my Mountain Hardwear - Thermostatic Insulated Jacket (synthetic) rather than my down for the reasons you cited. Color was immaterial since mine are all black. Maybe you could bedazzle your old one (bling, patches, etc.).

Good idea! We ladies can often be more fashion conscience than guys, or should I say vain!

 

[cher99840]

Good idea! We ladies can often be more fashion conscience than guys, or should I say vain!

I can not imagine even thinking about fashion while on the Camino or anytime my daily needs are in a backpack. Comfortable, serviceable, and clean enough. That's all I have time for.

 

[mspath]

I've posted this earlier but it is still relevant.

Here in France le look sport est trés chic ! Small fortunes are spent on monthly gym fees, hiking boots are often worn to stroll along the Champs-Élysées in autumn and winter, and multitudes wear designer backpacks. Attitude is all.

My first camino reinforced basic priorities the hard way. In Villadangos del Paramo glanced in a mirror one morning my face appeared tanned and slimmer; I briefly thought ‘not too bad, considering’. 10 km later after crossing the long medieval bridge at Hospital de Órbigo I lost my footing and fell head first onto the irregular pavement!
An egg quickly swelled on my forehead; by day’s end and for the next weeks I resembled Cyclopes with a vivid black and blue shiner. Indeed in my case "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall", Proverbs 16:18

Now after all these years and 10 caminos clean, matching hiking socks are the height of what I dare consider camino chic.

 

[Camino Chris]

I can not imagine even thinking about fashion while on the Camino or anytime my daily needs are in a backpack. Comfortable, serviceable, and clean enough. That's all I have time for.

Once on Camino I definately shift into comfy, serviceable, and clean enough mode, just like you do. I don't bring any frills, but before I go, well that's another story. Ha!

 

[Cliff175]

I have a similar jacket. I'm leaving for the VDLP in March. I've been training wearing the nanopuff jacket. What I have found is I'm constantly readjusting my pack pack. The jackets material is very slippery the pack pack slips , out of position very. Annoying, uncomfortable.
I've switched to a fleece jacket, the pack pack doesn't slip out of position. Much more comfortable! Looking at the temperatures in Seville at present the nanopuff may be too warm anyway.
Just a note to inform you of my experience,
Enjoy your Camino
Cliff

 

[Deleted member 43985]

It's true that continued exposure to rain will nullify the down's insulating properties however most down jackets have an outer layer that should repel water long enough to get your rain shell on. My wife wore hers during our last spring Camino and had no issues at all. The nice thing about rain is that if it is a torrential downpour you can see (and usually smell it) coming giving you lots of time to put your rain gear on. If it not torrential, well, then you've got lots of time to put your rain gear on when you feel the first few sprinkles!!

If you want some extra peace of mind You could consider treating your jacket with a DWR spray before you leave home. I use Grangers to retreat all my Gor-Tex pieces but know there are other quality brands of tech wash and DWR out there like Nikwax, etc. Good luck!

 

[Camino Chris]

I've posted this earlier but it is still relevant.

Here in France le look sport est trés chic ! Small fortunes are spent on monthly gym fees, hiking boots are often worn to stroll along the Champs-Élysées in autumn and winter, and multitudes wear designer backpacks. Attitude is all.

My first camino reinforced basic priorities the hard way. In Villadangos del Paramo glanced in a mirror one morning my face appeared tanned and slimmer; I briefly thought ‘not too bad, considering’. 10 km later after crossing the long medieval bridge at Hospital de Órbigo I lost my footing and fell head first onto the irregular pavement!
An egg quickly swelled on my forehead; by day’s end and for the next weeks I resembled Cyclopes with a vivid black and blue shiner. Indeed in my case "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall", Proverbs 16:18

Now after all these years and 10 caminos clean, matching hiking socks are the height of what I dare consider camino chic.

I am a new member on this forum for only a week, but have been posting a lot. For those who have read some of my questions or comments, you've read that I wear shoes I already own, wear items out of my own closet, love resale shopping for the small things...and borrowed a back pack for my last two Caminos. I don't bring makeup or any other girly items (not that there is anything wrong with those who do). I wash myself, hair, and clothing with the cheapest shampoo. A colorful new jacket was my one and only indulgence.

That said, I do love your comment as it's "good food for thought" in our culture of forgotten simplicity that has been replaced with frantic over indulgence by many. Thank you, Margaret!

 

[Camino Chris]

I have a similar jacket. I'm leaving for the VDLP in March. I've been training wearing the nanopuff jacket. What I have found is I'm constantly readjusting my pack pack. The jackets material is very slippery the pack pack slips , out of position very. Annoying, uncomfortable.
I've switched to a fleece jacket, the pack pack doesn't slip out of position. Much more comfortable! Looking at the temperatures in Seville at present the nanopuff may be too warm anyway.
Just a note to inform you of my experience,
Enjoy your Camino
Cliff

Thank you for your input, Cliff. I don't know what a pack pack is, maybe an outer compartment you are referring to? My nano is slippery, but since I stuff it inside my backpack, so not a problem for me. I also bring a microfleece w/ neck zip which I wear under the nano as one of my many layers. I come prepared...too prepared maybe? Lol.

 

[Camino Chris]

It's true that continued exposure to rain will nullify the down's insulating properties however most down jackets have an outer layer that should repel water long enough to get your rain shell on. My wife wore hers during our last spring Camino and had no issues at all. The nice thing about rain is that if it is a torrential downpour you can see (and usually smell it) coming giving you lots of time to put your rain gear on. If it not torrential, well, then you've got lots of time to put your rain gear on when you feel the first few sprinkles!!

If you want some extra peace of mind You could consider treating your jacket with a DWR spray before you leave home. I use Grangers to retreat all my Gor-Tex pieces but know there are other quality brands of tech wash and DWR out there like Nikwax, etc. Good luck!

Thank you for the great information. I hadn't thought of treating it! My worries are dissapating quickly with your comments and great suggestion!

 

[Purple Backpack]

Love my original Nano hoody. It's been worn to death and now needs a zipper repair and a few hole patches here and there. So I replaced it with an Arc'Teryx Atom LT, on sale, a couple of years ago. Similar warmth to the Nano but the exterior is "grippy" rather than "slippy". It was pricey, even on sale, but on a price per wear ratio, the Atom is down to about .50 cents/wear with a lot of use left in it. Arc'teryx fits me better too, with longer arms and torso.

Between the downie and the Nano, Nano, IMHO.

 

[Jo Jo]

We take down jackets. You have to be careful in the rain, but it is almost always too hot to wear a down jacket under a rain coat anyway. The reason down is problematic for the backcountry is that if it gets wet, getting it dry again can be impossible and you may have no shelter in which to dry out and get warm. On the Camino, lots of shelters. Some with electric clothes dryers. And good down is about half the weight of synthetic. Take the down. Chris already has a jacket, but for anyone reading this who is thinking of buying, the two lightest I know of on the market today are Luke's Ultralight and Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisper.

Buen Camino,
Jo Jo

 

[SabsP]

I've posted this earlier but it is still relevant.

Here in France le look sport est trés chic ! Small fortunes are spent on monthly gym fees, hiking boots are often worn to stroll along the Champs-Élysées in autumn and winter, and multitudes wear designer backpacks. Attitude is all.

My first camino reinforced basic priorities the hard way. In Villadangos del Paramo glanced in a mirror one morning my face appeared tanned and slimmer; I briefly thought ‘not too bad, considering’. 10 km later after crossing the long medieval bridge at Hospital de Órbigo I lost my footing and fell head first onto the irregular pavement!
An egg quickly swelled on my forehead; by day’s end and for the next weeks I resembled Cyclopes with a vivid black and blue shiner. Indeed in my case "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall", Proverbs 16:18

Now after all these years and 10 caminos clean, matching hiking socks are the height of what I dare consider camino chic.

As ever the voice of reason and wisdom.
Merci!!

 

[Glenn Rowe]

I've posted this earlier but it is still relevant.

Here in France le look sport est trés chic ! Small fortunes are spent on monthly gym fees, hiking boots are often worn to stroll along the Champs-Élysées in autumn and winter, and multitudes wear designer backpacks. Attitude is all.

My first camino reinforced basic priorities the hard way. In Villadangos del Paramo glanced in a mirror one morning my face appeared tanned and slimmer; I briefly thought ‘not too bad, considering’. 10 km later after crossing the long medieval bridge at Hospital de Órbigo I lost my footing and fell head first onto the irregular pavement!
An egg quickly swelled on my forehead; by day’s end and for the next weeks I resembled Cyclopes with a vivid black and blue shiner. Indeed in my case "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall", Proverbs 16:18

Now after all these years and 10 caminos clean, matching hiking socks are the height of what I dare consider camino chic.

Well-said!

 

[HikeTall]

Due to me going veggie(a personal journey so no judgements on anyone), I have started to switch out all my leather hiking shoes for synthetic as well as my down jackets for synthetic. I've got 2 nano puff jackets from Patagonia now and I love em. I love how they not only keep me as warm as my previous down jackets, but they don't lose their warming ability if they get wet. For me, that's huge. Nothing worse than getting caught in the rain on a hike. So I'd be a synthetic convert even if I wasn't a veggie. It just does everything down does and more.

 

[J Willhaus]

We had light down jackets, but shipped them ahead after a few days. Did not wear them. We started in midMay. We both wore the lightest weight merino hoodies made by Ibex most mornings. We have a lot of Ibex and Icebreaker wool wear due to our camping addiction. No problem with it getting wet. Dries fast. Very light. Also wore a white PFG shirt (pro fishing gear with SPF) most days to keep the sun off my arms sort of like a light jacket.

 

[Lisa HS]

I had my Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer jacket. Washable down, weighs almost nothing and packs down to almost nothing. Nice and warm without being too hot. Not problems with it getting wet....just threw on my rain jacket if I felt rain starting. Really. Loved it.

 

[howlsthunder]

Nano Puff is not made of down. It is a synthetic fiber.

That's what I thought too. Glad you agree.

HOly cow I cannot believe I conflated the two - you are correct. What I own and was meant to be describing is indeed ultralight DOWN.

 

[Redvespablur]

I had down 800 Northface puff for May Norte /Primitivo. I was never cold enough when hiking to wear although it was handy a few evenings après hike. I think the amount of wet you might experience between rain starting and goretex wearing is not enough to be too worried about. The surface of my jacket not water prooof but certainly modestly water resistant.