Climbers, Skiers, hikers, and more know Patagonia for outdoor gear and apparel with a mountainous point of view. Now, it’s voyaging into uncharted waters. Patagonia this week launched a new version of its old sailing kit, designed for harsh adventures on open water.
The Big Water Foul Weather kit was created through a collaboration between the Polynesian Voyaging Society and Patagonia’s Forge Advanced R&D team. The kit includes a jacket ($550) and bibs ($650) for both men and women. As Patagonia describes on the brand’s website, they were “designed to laugh in the face of the toughest weather Mother Nature can throw at them.”
Patagonia has made fully submersible duffel bags in the past, and even fly-fishing waders and commercial fishing outerwear. And this isn’t the first time the brand has made this sailing kit, either. The first Patagonia Foul Weather kit was released decades ago but was discontinued. Now it’s back but for a limited run.
As the name implies, the Big Water Foul Weather Kit was made to handle rough seas and white-capped waves.
Hitting the High Seas in Patagonia Style
When the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS) approached Patagonia with the idea of creating a line of sailing outerwear, they’d already tried everything else. There was no commercial sailing gear on the market that was robust enough to withstand the outright abuse their gear takes on their trans-Pacific voyages.
Currently, the PVS crew is rounding out a 4-year Moananuiākea voyage. They’re circumnavigating the entire Pacific Ocean celestially in traditional Hōkūle′a boats. These double-walled canoes are made with an abrasive epoxy and have sand-coated decks for traction out on the water.
So, the sailors needed something extra tough, highly durable, and fully functional. But Patagonia claims nothing available could meet the demands.
Designing the Big Water Foul Weather Kit
Patagonia Big Water Foul Weather Jacket
Specs
- Weight 35.30 oz.
- Material Durable, 4-layer H2No Performance Standard shell made of NetPlus 100%
- Hood Stowable with integrated cordlock adjust and laminated visor
- Cuffs Articulated with internal wrists gaskets to keep water out, cinch system to adjust tightness
- Fair Trade Certified sewn
Prior to setting out on this massive adventure, PVS challenged Patagonia to create a foul weather kit. They wanted something that could withstand sailing the Hōkūle′a and keep its occupants protected from nasty ocean weather. Patagonia stepped up to the plate.
The brand’s Forge Advanced R&D team got to work. It consulted all of its previous experience making fly-fish, snow, alpine, and surf equipment to do so. And it started designing the bibs and jacket that would become Patagonia’s first-ever Big Water Foul Weather kit. When the PVS finally set sail, they were all wearing Patagonia.
Patagonia Big Water Foul Weather Bibs
Specs
- Weight 41.6 oz.
- Material Durable, 4-layer H2No Performance Standard shell made of NetPlus 100%
- Suspenders Adjustable for customized fit; can be cinched closed to keep water out
- Opening Deep center front zipper for ease of getting bibs on and off over layers
- Cuffs Articulated with internal wrists gaskets to keep water out, cinch system to adjust tightness
- Fair Trade Certified sewn
Interestingly, the brand noted in the press release announcing this new kit that, “while Patagonia is excited about this new kit, this does not represent a move into a new sailing product category for the brand.”
So, don’t get your hopes up that there’s more where this came from. This specialized sailing kit from Patagonia could be the brand’s last, as well as its “first.”
Circumnavigating the Earth’s Largest Ocean
The PVS is expected to complete its latest voyage on August 30, 2023, ending in Tacoma, Wash. Founded in 1973, the organization perpetuates the art and science of traditional Polynesian voyaging and the spirit of exploration it embodies.
“Before our ancestors set out to find a new island, they had to have a vision of that island over the horizon,” said Myron Pinky Thompson, a former president of PVS. “They made a plan for achieving that vision; they prepared themselves physically and mentally and were willing to experiment, to try new things. They took risks. And on the voyage, they bound each other with aloha so they could, together, overcome the risks and achieve their vision.”
It’s those values that PVS aims to cultivate and nourish: seeking, planning, experimenting, taking risks, and caring for each other and the planet.
This latest OVS voyage covered 43,000 nautical miles and took 47 months. They had a crew of 400. They visited 36 countries and archipelagoes, nearly 100 indigenous territories, and 345 ports along the way. And the goal wasn’t just to finish — but to inspire people along the way to build a better future for the planet, and to care for and protect nature.
On its website PVS wrote of the journey: “This is our most difficult voyage yet because the destination is not ours. It will be the most difficult island yet to find because it is the future of island earth.”
For more information on the PVS and their latest voyage, visit the organization’s website. To learn more about the Patagonia Big Water Foul Weather kit, check out the brand’s page for the kit.
