Patagonia Dual Aspect Jacket | Review - Outdoors Magic

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Waterproof Jackets

Patagonia Dual Aspect Jacket | Review

A high-performance technical mountain shell that delivers full-on storm protection in an industry-leading sustainable package

Why We Chose It: Fully-featured, protective, eco-friendly

It sometimes seems that Patagonia is as much an eco-initiative as an outdoor brand. The company’s strident position on a wide range of environmental issues is truly commendable, having campaigned on everything from land preservation in the US to wild river conservation in central Europe. Over the last few years, Patagonia has also become well known for contributing all its Black Friday sales revenue to environmental charities. In addition, it’s a Certified B Corporation, the founding member of 1% For The Planet and is aiming to become carbon neutral by 2025.

The company is also strong on transparency. Their website will tell you exactly where and how every product in the current range is made and manufactured. Patagonia’s Worn Wear initiative is also designed to maximise the lifetime of its products by repairing and recycling outdoor gear – you can buy used kit, trade in old gear and send off damaged items to be fixed. 

Photos: Chris Johnson

In an era of so-called ‘green-washing’ by many consumer brands, it’s refreshing to think that Patagonia walks the walk as well as talking the talk. The latest Dual Aspect jacket is a case in point. It’s a highly technical alpine climbing shell that has been built with performance in mind – but crucially, that hasn’t meant compromising on the brand’s sustainable ethos.

What Is The Dual Aspect Jacket Best Suited To?

This is a jacket that is intended to deliver full storm protection in the worst possible weather, with a construction designed specifically for freedom of movement during technical mountain pursuits, specifically Alpine style climbing. Of course, plenty of other high-end outdoor brands promise exactly the same thing with their top-end shells. What sets the Dual Aspect apart from most of the competition is that this impressive bit of kit has an equally impressive and all-encompassing approach to sustainability.

Eco Credentials

Patagonia’s commitment to finding less environmentally harmful waterproof solutions has meant reducing its reliance on ingredient brands like Gore-Tex and instead developing its proprietary tech – namely the wonderfully-named H2No Performance Standard Shell.

OM tester Sarah with the Dual Aspect in Snowdonia.

Such is the case with the Dual Aspect jacket, which employs a 3-layer H2No Performance Standard fabric made from a 100% recycled nylon ripstop face with a slick jersey backer, a waterproof/breathable PU-based membrane and, as of 2021, a PFC-free durable water repellent finish.

“It’s many eco credentials make it more than worthy of a place in our Green Gear Guide.”

The garment is also Fair Trade Certified sewn in Vietnam, with the membrane supplied by Toray industries in Japan. Both factories are audited and monitored for their ethical standards.

Oh, and if you need a pair of hiking pants to go with your new shell, it’s worth noting that two other pairs of pants from the current Patagonia range – the Altvia and Point Peak – feature the same PFC-free DWR treatment, as well as recycled fabrics. 

Somewhat surprisingly, Patagonia has been one of the slower brands to move to PFC-free waterproofing. Until now, they’ve stated that the alternatives to PFC-free DWRs haven’t been up to scratch, making for garments that don’t last long enough. So this is a big move for Patagonia.

And the brand seems confident that its new PFC-free DWR is up to standard. Apparently, in the process of its development, more than 20 prototypes and competitor products were taken to northern Scotland to climb in the notoriously cold, wet and windy conditions of Ben Nevis and the Cairngorms. This allowed them to subject every product to the same prolonged exposure in the alpine environment and directly compare the performance. After that, they say they walked away “confident that the new, fully PFC-free materials perform as well as the best fabrics in the industry.”

Construction and Performance

All the details that you’d expect in a technical mountain shell are present and correct. That includes a helmet-compatible hood with a laminated visor and reinforced brim, plus two-way adjustment. There’s a two-way main zip, two chest pockets with storm flaps; two watertight handwarmer pockets (placed high so as to stay clear of a harness or pack waistbelt), two-way pit zips for ventilation, engineered underarm gussets for added reach without hem lift, low-profile Velcro cuffs, a hem drawcord and a built-In RECCO avalanche reflector. All that in a shell that tips the scales at under 500g.

The face fabric is made of 30-denier ECONYL nylon. That’s the only area where the specs perhaps fall down compared to some rival shells, which might use a 40-denier or even an 80-denier fabric for added durability. Of course, the trade-off is added bulk and weight, as well as reduced breathability. Patagonia are balancing all those factors with protection and durability here.

Verdict

With an array of features, the Dual Aspect jacket is well equipped for technical use. It’s certainly capable of taking on the worst UK hill and mountain days, and in fact is likely to be overkill for easier hikes. But if you’re a keen summit-bagger, climber or mountaineer looking for a reliable but eco-friendly shell for the biggest days, it definitely merits a closer look. And of course, we really like the fact that in terms of construction, this jacket is PFC-free and incorporates recycled nylon, as well as being Fair Trade sewn. All those credentials make it more than worthy of a place in our Green Gear Guide.

Patagonia Dual Aspect

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