Gear Photo
packs down smaller than a bottle of beer
By Ty Nelson
Ranked #9 - Men's Down Jackets
January 18, 2011
The Patagonia Down Shirt is the latest in Patagonia's lightweight insulation collection, and as far as we know it's the lightest down piece on the market right now. It's truly a shirt - no pockets, but comes with it's own stuff sack. In comparison to Patagonia's Nano Puff, the Down Shirt is half the weight. Feels like nothing when you pick it up or put it on, and is super comfortable to wear. Throw it on over a long sleeve base layer and you're good to go into some pretty chilly temps. The shell fabric is a lightweight nylon that's very durable and abrasion resistant. Just a little bit of 800 fill down gives you great warmth without overheating, and once packed away the shirt takes up practically no room in a pack.
View Details: Patagonia Ultralight Down Shirt - Men's
Helpful Votes: 6 Yes
Change me.


Comments Last Reply: February 29, 2012 By: Dianoda
If you're looking for a down piece lighter than this jacket, check out Mont Bell's Ex Light Down jacket, which weighs in at 5 grams lighter, and has a full zipper. Also costs $85 less. http://www.backcountry.com/montbell-ex-l ight-down-jacket-mens
Helpful Votes: 6 Yes
The MontBell does look nice but is probably little overly puffy to really be a direct comparison to the UL Down Shirt. Plus, the down that Patagonia uses comes from humanely raised birds and the garment is recyclable at the end of life. That is worth the premium to some.
Helpful Votes: 4 Yes
I feel like a dork for talking 1/10's of an ounce, but Patagonia has actually measured the medium Down Shirt to be at 5.6 oz.
Helpful Votes: 4 Yes
You're not a dork. Simon is touting the five gram difference, so it's obviously important to someone. It's nice to have someone give us a hard number on the Patagonia piece. You have always been the go-to-guy for firm info on Patagonia gear, and we appreciate that. Thanks Ty.
Helpful Votes: 9 Yes
Obviously, a 5 gram difference between garments matters only to the vast minority of ultralighters. My point was only to highlight the (in my opinion) outrageous pricepoint of this jacket in comparison to comparable garments. The post was entered twice as a glitch, and I found that BC.com won't let you remove comments.
Helpful Votes: 1 Yes
Nice! And a great beer, too.
Helpful Votes: 0 Yes
even on sale, Patagonia is over priced. I see a lot of woman wearing they're stuff? Maybe its a coincidence but most Patagonia colors I've seen on garments look to be a bit feminine to me?? To each there own I guess....
Helpful Votes: 0 Yes
Some things to consider: the Mont-bell's larger baffles provide about twice the lofted thickness compared to that of the Patagonia. So for basically equivalent weight, the Montbell is a warmer piece and full-zip. The lighter fabric in the Mont-bell is possibly less durable, but then again, neither option would hold up very well to constant abuse.
Helpful Votes: 0 Yes