The choice between the Patagonia Nano Puff and Down Sweater will depend strongly on your use case. But for the money, the Down Sweater may offer better value. Here’s why.
Quick Comparison of Nano Puff vs. Down Sweater
- Insulation: The Down sweater has 800-fill-power insulation, while the Nano Puff is a synthetic jacket with 60-g PrimaLoft® polyster insulation. As a result, the Down Sweater is far warmer, while the Nano Puff may be more weather resistant.
- Price: The Patagonia Nano Puff retails for $239 while the Down Sweater retails for $279.
- Durability: Both jackets are made of 20 denier face fabric, which provides substantial durability.
Nano Puff vs. Down Sweater Warmth
Your choice between the Down Sweater and the Nano Puff will strongly depend on the temperature range in which you plan to use the jacket and activities you like to do.
For casual wear around town on chilly nights or hiking and other medium output activities down to the upper 40s to low 50s, choose the Nano Puff. For a true cold weather jacket and activities down to the mid-30s, choose the Down Sweater.
I’ve owned both the Down Sweater and Nano Puff jackets for several years. After camping, climbing, and hiking in both, I can easily say the Down Sweater is significantly warmer.
The Down Sweater, paired with a midweight baselayer operates well into the 30s if you’re active (ex. hiking contexts), and into the mid-to-high 40s if you’re stationary. The Nano Puff operates well with a single baselayer into the high 40s-50s, for low to moderate output activities like walking. But below that, you may get chilly.
I personally run pretty cold, so when I walk my dog in the tee shirt and Nano Puff in the high 50s with a slight breeze, I find it’s not a good enough layer.
The warmth difference between the jackets should come as no surprise. In general, industry experts agree that down has a higher warmth-to-weight ratio than synthetic fill, which brings us to the nerdy technical breakdown.
Technical Differences and Design
Insulation and Shell
The Nano Puff has 60-g of PrimaLoft® Gold Insulation Eco, which is Patagonia’s 100% postconsumer recycled polyester insulation. The Nano Puff also has a polyester shell and lining.
Meanwhile, the Down Sweater has 800-fill-power 100% Responsible Down Standard down. Its shell is made of Patagonia’s NetPlus® 100% postconsumer recycled nylon downproof ripstop.
So what does this all mean? The Down Sweater has beefier insulation. The shells are similar synthetics (and both within the same ballpark of durability with their 20-Denier composition), but keep in mind that in general, nylon is stronger than polyester.
Similarities Between the Jackets
Both jackets are packable into the internal zipper dump pocket. Both have DWR finish, adding a bit of a water repellent capability, and both have more or less the same style of zippers and hardware.
Fit
I find the fit of the down sweater a bit more snug than the Nano Puff. In the women’s versions of both jackets, I find the Nano Puff fits a bit looser and is boxier throughout the body, though I wear the same size in both (XS for me at 5’5″).
Value and Comparisons to Other Jackets
In my experience, in windless conditions, the Nano Puff is a redundant and less versatile layer. It offers basically equivalent or marginally better warmth to a good fleece like the Patagonia Better Sweater ($159) or even a thicker old hoodie lying around. As a result, I’d say the value is lower for the $200+ price and you can get by without this layer.
In fact, if you’re looking for an intermediate warmth step between the Nano Puff and Down Sweater, you might check out the well-priced REI Co-Op 650 Down Jacket ($129). If you have a bit more cash to throw around, the Arc’teryx Atom Hoody is a massive upgrade to the Nano Puff and great for active pursuits when the Down Sweater would be too hot.
In contrast, in terms of warmth and function, there are few substitutes for the 800-fill Patagonia Down Sweater besides an equivalent 800+ fill puffer like the Himali Accelerator ($310) or Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer ($330). Compared to these similar options in its weight class, the Down Sweater offers solid performance and Patagonia-style durability.
As a result, I argue the Down Sweater vastly outperforms the Nano Puff in terms of value for the money and overall warmth.