Every once in a while, you buy a product that turns out to be worth every penny you paid and then some.
I was out walking for an hour or so today ahead of tonight’s ominous wind chill advisory when it occurred to me that I really love my Patagonia R3 fleece jacket. It’s simple, lightweight, and it stands up admirably against Wisconsin’s winter cold. Then I tried to remember how long I’ve had it. Let’s see — I bought it just before we got our car, so this has to be winter number five.
Yeah, I know. I’m a slave to the whims of fashion.
A little over five years ago (apparently) when I was shopping for a jacket, I knew I wanted something easy to move and drive in, and one that would not be so bulky and clumsy on a plane. Yet I also still needed maximum warmth and wind protection, so I started investigating what skiers and climbers wear.
At about the same time, I saw profiles of two men on TV news shows.
One was a 60 Minutes story called “The Mensch Of Malden Mills,” about Aaron Feuerstein, the CEO of Malden Mills Industries in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Malden Mills is the original manufacturer of Polartec® polar fleece, the absolutely amazing, warm-yet-light fabric. A patent misstep allowed competitors to produce similar fleeces, Feuerstein said, “But that’s OK. We just make it better.” Even more incredible is the story of how he kept all of his employees onboard and kept his company in Massachusetts despite a devastating fire in 1995.
The other piece (something like this one from CBS News Sunday Morning), was about Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, Inc. His accomplishments as both an outdoorsman/climber and an entrepreneur are awe-inspiring, and Patagonia is thought of as a model of corporate and environmental responsibility.
Since Patagonia is also one of the manufacturers that uses genuine Polartec, I obviously wanted to buy that product. Their selection has expanded over the last five years, but I see they still carry the Men’s R3® Jacket (there’s also a Women’s R3®). The three zipper pockets look reinforced now, and there’s slightly more collar, but otherwise it appears to be the same jacket.
The R3’s warmth is fantastic and it stops wind like magic. You can wear any nylon shell over it in the rain, or wear it all by itself otherwise. It takes almost no room in an overhead compartment, and it’s easy to carry.
Now I’m tempted to snatch up one or two more, to stockpile in case Patagonia discontinues them.
That could take me into 2018.
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