Patagonia Debuts 100% Recycled Insulation: PrimaLoft P.U.R.E. Nano Puff Review

Patagonia’s ever-popular Nano Puff jacket becomes the first to sport PrimaLoft’s latest insulation innovation: P.U.R.E. Is it better? Is it warmer? We tested to find out.

New for 2021, Patagonia’s Nano Puff Jacket will feature PrimaLoft’s P.U.R.E. technology, gold-level, 100% post-consumer recycled polyester insulation. Previously, the Nano Puff was made with PrimaLoft’s Gold Eco insulation, at 55% recycled content.

The difference may seem small at first glance. But according to Patagonia, switching to PrimaLoft P.U.R.E. in the Nano Puff alone will reduce the brand’s emissions by more than 255 tons each year.

PrimaLoft’s P.U.R.E. (Produced Using Reduced Emissions) technology is a way of manufacturing insulation that doesn’t require heat. This reduces the carbon footprint of PrimaLoft’s factories and the footprint of the Nano Puff itself.

In short: Despite tech you can’t see and impact the end-user won’t immediately encounter, the Nano Puff with PrimaLoft P.U.R.E. performs at least as well as its predecessor. Fans of the Patagonia mainstay won’t be disappointed with the warmth, weight, or packability of this P.U.R.E-filled jacket.

Great for cool shoulder-season wear and even some harsh winter nights alike, the PrimaLoft P.U.R.E. NanoPuff paves the way for cleaner cold-weather apparel.

PrimaLoft P.U.R.E.: Different Process, Same Warmth

Like most brands, Patagonia updates many of its jackets year over year. The updates it made to the Nano Puff, in addition to the new insulation, include updates to its shell materials and new colors.

This jacket is warm! Seriously, the warmth really impressed us. I don’t currently own the previous year’s Nano Puff, but I do own a Nano Puff Vest that contains the same PrimaLoft Gold Eco insulation that Patagonia used before it switched to P.U.R.E., so I feel confident comparing the two.

Two of our editors have been wearing and testing the Patagonia Nano Puff with P.U.R.E. insulation throughout the winter. Plenty of time throughout Colorado’s back-and-forth season (including that 24-inch snow day we had) to test out its warmth factor.

This updated Nano Puff isn’t just warm, it’s toasty. In fact, if I had to knock it, I’d say PrimaLoft did a bit too good of a job ensuring the 100% post-consumer recycled polyester insulation held up against the frigid, dry cold.

The jacket features the same zippers, DWR coating, and pocket setup (two zippered hand pockets and an internal zippered pocket) as the previous Nano Puff. We didn’t notice any difference in the efficacy of the DWR/waterproofing in the new jacket.

If you handed us both jackets without telling us which was which, we probably wouldn’t be able to tell — or even feel — the difference. But that’s probably good news given how wildly popular Patagonia’s Nano Puff is.

Overall, I was very excited to test the new Patagonia PrimaLoft P.U.R.E Nano Puff — even more so once the temps dropped and snow started to fall. The jacket performed well, the insulation kept us warm, and it looks and feels just like the Nano Puff we all know and love. But it’s better.

Note: This is the first jacket in which we’ve tested PrimaLoft’s new P.U.R.E. insulation. We’re looking forward to trying out PrimaLoft P.U.R.E. in even more insulated garments as 2021 soldiers on.

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