UKH

I've had a down nano puff vest for about 5/6 months and worn it on and off for that time. I currently live out in the middle east and tend to chuck it on at the crag when it gets chilly after dusk.

Firstly the down has become massively clumpy and sparse in places. Where I sometimes wear my backpack there is NO down at all...i've tried tumble drying it with a couple of tennis balls, but the back of the best is still downless.

Secondly rips are developing all over the jacket, particularly on the seams, but also on some of the internal panels. Feathers are poking out from the seams (and not just one feather)

I know this is a lightweight piece of alpine clothing; but really? It's almost trashed after less than 6 months. It spends most of its time folded back on itself in its own pocket in my bag.

Has anyone found similar or has someone been playing knifey games with my vest?

In reply to FreeloaderJoe:

The Nano Puff is synthetic so I'm not sure which jacket you're talking about, my Nano Puff jacket has seen a lot of use and isn't showing any major signs of wear at least.

Patagonia have an "ironclad" guarantee, if it doesn't meet your expectations/perform as required you can send it back to the retailer for repair, exchange or refund. In my experience, they are very good with this.

In reply to FreeloaderJoe:

The nano is synthetic, you seem to have a down jacket - but really for either you DON'T want to store them stuffed for longer than necessary. Just stick 'em on a coat hanger in the wardrobe and they'll last much better.

BTW, I have a IIRC puffball vest from Patagonia - and older version of the nano. It's maybe 10 years old and still works fine. I've always stored in unpacked though.

In reply to FreeloaderJoe:

Mine didn't last very long. Several rips after first day out. More rips after another one. Last time I saw it, it was tumbling down the south face of Marmolada (can't really blame the jacket for that one).

You seem to have the "down sweater" but I would assume the outer fabric is very similar if not the same. I guess lightweight means just that and it's not made to last. My partner referred to that jacket as Patagucci which I think accurately describes it's main purpose. Having said that, I had no issues with other Patagonia kit.

In reply to FreeloaderJoe: Return to Patagucci?

In reply to FreeloaderJoe: Yes sorry i meant the down vest not the synthetic one. Yeh I think i'll take it back to them.

Always very happy with the rest of my kit from them.

In reply to FreeloaderJoe: The guys at Patagonia usually take the performance of stuff really seriously. Do give them a bit of feedback - I did once and they were massively responsive

In reply to FreeloaderJoe:

I think you need to be realistic about several things.

firstly, it's very lightweight and so it's not going to be durable. If you wear a rucksac over it is going to stress the seams and they're bound to suffer.

Secondly, the down is in a series of tubes effectively and it will move along those. It doesn't take much to cajole the stuff into place, but if the jacket is then stored compressed then it's never going to recover well and will lose its loft.

As far as feathers poking out, you're bound to get some, and if you looked after it a bit then you'd even the down distribution out and most of them would pop back in.

In reply to nniff:

ye he hasnt taken best care of it buttt after 5/6 months isnt a reasonable time for seams to rip just from wearing a backpack every so often...
i have a had a mammut down for well over a year and have done a lot of walking with it and pretty much always have a bag on, if it started bursting at the seams and gone flat i wouldnt have been happy.
outdoor gear is very expensive these days and i think if people start accepting that every 6 months they have to bin something just because it came with a ''lightweight'' tag ... then it will be a bad day for all :/

In reply to FreeloaderJoe:

Indeed - but if it comes wih a 'lightwieght' tag expect to have to take a bt more care of it if you want it to last. As far as the OP is concerned, a bit of TLC easing the down back into place would work wonders