New Patagonia parka packs a punch
28/02/2013
Weighing 18 ounces (510 grams) and insulated with Patagonia's plasma-treated, water-repellent down, the Belay parka is “100% independently baffled and differentially cut without a single shortcut where a seam has been sewn through”.
Randy Harward, vice-president of advanced research and development at Patagonia, said: "Patagonia has insisted on taking an intensive scientific and holistic approach to do more, but with less environmental harm. Even with these stringent guidelines, we've developed the highest-performing down technology available anywhere. This has been a five-year R&D project in the making, and we are eager to integrate this technology into future styles beyond the Belay parka."
Patagonia’s water-repellent down has 1000-fill-power. Encapsil patented technology uses a silicone-based chemistry that is free of fluorocarbons.
The down is sent through a proprietary machine and agitated with low-level radio frequency waves until the surface of the down's molecular structure begins to shift. A tiny amount of siloxane is then deposited onto each plumule of down, adhering to its changed molecular structure in a virtually permanent way. The result is down that is hydrophobic, stronger and loftier by 25%.
"This is the most challenging design project I have ever worked on," said Casey Shaw, advanced product engineer at Patagonia. "To design this parka, we had to develop new construction techniques that would allow us to maintain perfectly baffled chambers, while insuring low bulk and realistic production capability for the factory. Given the complexity of this parka's design, our team had to fly to the factory to guide them through the intricate construction and assembly techniques to ensure the correct execution of the design."
The shell fabric is an ultralight 10-denier Pertex Endurance nylon ripstop with a polyurethane dry coat, providing excellent water repellency. The hood is baffled and helmet-compatible, with a single drawcord that provides a small draft collar of down around the face, creating a microclimate to help prevent frostbite on exposed skin.
Variegated baffles across the parka are smaller in high-compression areas to help keep down from shifting, and a double-baffle wind flap behind the zipper completely seals out cold and wind. Exterior hand pockets are independently insulated to retain warmth even when open, and the high positioning keeps them away from the harness line. A pull-system at the hem allows for adjustment of the drawcord from inside or out, eliminating harness entanglement, and a mini-snowskirt keeps out wind and snow from below without compressing the down in the lowest chamber.
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