Early this yr, Patagonia supplied me a Nano Air Ultralight hoody for testing, so I rode it all through the spring and fall seasons. This hoody is a multisport garment, however its slim minimize, unrestricted mobility, and huge hood make it a possible choice for cyclists of any self-discipline.
Nonetheless, on my MTB rides, I discovered the Nano Air Ultralight hoody struggles to manage physique temperature while you’re working laborious throughout climbs. Regardless of being very skinny and lightweight, the hoody warms up rapidly and may’t dump physique warmth successfully, so it’s powerful to stay snug all through a journey with out eradicating it.
Patagonia Nano Air Ultralight Full Zip Hoody – Building:
The Nano Air Ultralight Hoody was constructed to offer somewhat heat whereas remaining extremely breathable. It’s compressible, stretchy, and light-weight.
The hoody’s shell and lining are constructed from 100% recycled ripstop polyester that provides mechanical stretch. Offering some heat is light-weight 20g FullRange insulation all through the hood, shoulders, higher arms, chest, and again. The underarm panels will not be insulated, and the decrease inside arms are fabricated from Capilene material, which is gentle, smooth, stretchy, wicks moisture, and dries quick.
Patagonia’s Mild Contact Enlargement Hood is designed to suit over a helmet, and the hood is certain with an elastic hem. A zipper storage on the chin retains the metallic zipper off your pores and skin.
The hoody is handled with a DWR end to withstand puddle splashes and lightweight rain. It options glove-friendly string pulls on each zippers, however there are not any reflective logos or particulars to boost your visibility whereas biking.
The Nano Air Ultralight hoody has one giant chest pocket to maintain small objects at hand, and the pocket doubles as a stuff sack for the hoody. The hoody packs into the pocket simply, and winds up about 10×5”.
Trip Impressions – Match and Options:
I’m 5’10” tall, and I’m sporting a measurement small Nano Air Ultralight hoody. General, the match is nice for me, however the physique has a fairly slim minimize! I’m a small man, and there may be not plenty of additional house within the torso. I wouldn’t put on something cumbersome beneath this hoody, however there may be ample room for a jersey.
The shoulders are roomy sufficient to not prohibit my movement in any respect, and the sleeves are lengthy sufficient to maintain my arms lined whereas driving. The hoody’s articulated patterning and stretchy materials additionally guarantee free motion. I actually just like the collar: I can pull it method as much as my nostril simply, so it’s nice for holding wind at bay. When zipped down it falls off to the edges and stays out of the way in which.
It’s a little bit of a stretch to get the Nano Air Ultralight’s hood over an MTB helmet. You are able to do it, however it could be a bit restrictive to journey with, relying on how giant your helmet is – the photograph above reveals me sporting my pretty slim Oakley DRT5 helmet. I nonetheless desire to have the hood for pre- or post-ride hangouts (or off-bike use). I’d be pleased to have two hand pockets, however holding issues lean, Patagonia went with out them for this piece.
Temperature/Moisture Regulation:
I started testing the Nano Air Ultralight hoody within the Spring, then rode it once more all through the autumn. One early take a look at journey was at roughly 10-12°C (50-53.6ºF). I rapidly found that regardless of being so skinny, this hoody retains plenty of warmth when you heat up inside it. After 20 minutes of climbing with a short-sleeve jersey beneath, I felt snug however was far more sweaty than I noticed. At that time, I stashed the hoody in my pack.
After a couple of comparable rides, I noticed I used to be underestimating how heat the Nano Air Ultralight hoody would get, so I stored that in thoughts for my fall rides. Maybe 8-10° was the candy spot for this piece?
Discovering the Nano Air Ultralight hoody’s excellent temperature vary proved a bit difficult. This fall I began sporting the hoody in temperatures round 10°, however as I tailored to cooler climate, I noticed that was nonetheless too heat.
Between a number of rides with lengthy or short-sleeved jerseys below the hoody, I persistently discovered it tough to maintain myself from sweating excessively after 15-20 minutes of climbing. Patagonia describes the Nano Air Ultralight hoody as a extremely breathable piece, however it struggled to vent warmth rapidly sufficient to maintain me dry.
Should you don’t take away this hoody as quickly as you get heat, inside minutes you’ll be sweaty inside it. On most of my take a look at rides, in temperatures right down to 7°C (44.6ºF), I needed to take away the hoody and stash it away throughout my climb.
I did attempt totally opening the zipper as an alternative of eradicating the hoody, and this was pretty tolerable, however my armpits, arms, and again stayed hotter than I might have appreciated. Opening the Nano Air Ultralight’s entrance zipper will assist cool your chest and stomach down, however the hoody’s slim match doesn’t permit a lot airflow elsewhere. The non-insulated panels below the arms don’t vent warmth in addition to I might have hoped.
The Nano Air Ultralight hoody does soak up moisture fairly nicely. I observed after one climb my jersey felt damp, however the hoody seemed and felt surprisingly dry. Since this layer heats up so rapidly, that’s really a bit problematic, because it tempts you to put on it till you’re already too sizzling. After getting sweaty, I wound up feeling a chill throughout some trailside breaks with the hoody off.
As temperatures dropped, I finally wore the Nano Air Ultralight for a journey at simply 4-5°C (39-41°F). That is the closest I obtained to discovering a ‘candy spot’ temperature-wise, however it nonetheless wasn’t completely excellent. I used to be much less chilly than anticipated driving to the trailhead (with a long-sleeve jersey beneath), because the hoody does block wind pretty nicely.
After quarter-hour of climbing with the hoody’s zipper partway down, I used to be somewhat sweaty, however to a suitable diploma this time. I then climbed one other part of path and remained pretty dry and never overheated. Earlier than descending, I zipped the hoody again up, and I stayed snug via the descent and pedal house. It appeared I lastly discovered a temperature the place the Nano Air Ultralight hoody wasn’t overheating me, however it rode a high-quality line: It was simply heat sufficient to stop a chilly begin on this journey, and after I stopped for breaks I used to be cooling down rapidly.
The underside line is I can’t nail down a temperature vary that may permit you to put on this hoody all through a whole journey. It heats up surprisingly rapidly, however doesn’t breathe nicely sufficient to maintain you from sweating. I did two comparability rides in my 7mesh Spruce hoody, and it felt hotter out of the gate, vented my physique warmth significantly better, and stored me drier than the Nano Air Ultralight.
Should you don’t journey with a pack, the Nano Air Ultralight hoody could possibly be difficult to work with. In case you have the choice, your greatest wager is to tug this layer off after some climbing and perhaps put it again on for descents.
Climate Resistance, Packability, and Sturdiness:
One factor I used to be impressed with was the Nano Air Ultralight hoody’s wind resistance. I by no means observed air chopping via it whereas I used to be descending, or standing round organising photographs. Solely a robust, chilly wind may threaten to relax you on this gentle hoody. The tall collar could be very protecting too; It successfully blocked wind from getting down my neck and by no means felt bunchy or annoying.
The Nano Air Ultralight hoody’s DWR coating obtained splashed fairly good on one muddy journey. The hoody does resist splashes nicely, not one of the moist spots soaked via, and the mud splatters washed out. I did discover water droplets beading up on the shell in misty situations.
After many rides with hydration packs (and my digicam pack), the hoody’s again panel isn’t exhibiting any put on or material pilling in any respect. In reality, there isn’t any injury to be discovered anyplace on the hoody, so it has confirmed to be very sturdy.
So far as packability, the Nano Air Ultralight hoody does pack up pretty small. Any medium-sized backpack will swallow it simply, and I managed to stuff it into my smaller Camelbak Chase vest.
The Nano Air Ultralight Full Zip Hoody retails for $249. There are 5 totally different colours out there for males’s fashions (I examined Smolder Blue), and sizes vary from XS-XXL. Girls’s fashions are additionally out there: Patagonia provides 4 colour choices in sizes XXS-XXL.