This Friday, Patagonia will donate 100% of sales to environmental groups. This post attempts to answer two questions:
1) Do the organizations Patagonia supports benefit the environment?
2) What are Patagonia’s best products?
1) Do the organizations Patagonia supports benefit the environment?
2) What are Patagonia’s best products?
The answers to these questions could be dozens of pages long, but I’ll be very brief.
 |
| Crossing an unfrozen river last Sunday in a 500 thousand acre state park adjacent to Anchorage (an excellent conservation effort) while thankful for warm Patagonia gear. Photo: Katie Strong |
Do the organizations Patagonia supports benefit the environment?
Mostly, yes.
I’ve worked for two grassroots environmental organizations that Patagonia funds (Alaskans First Campaign and Trout Unlimited Alaska) and I’ve volunteered with a third (Sugar Pine Foundation). However, the experience that makes me qualified to answer (part of) this question is my final project in Brad Cardinale’s Conservation Biology graduate course at University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment. I spent so much time researching Patagonia grant recipients to see if they were donating to organizations that practiced effective conservation that I barely studied for and failed the final exam. But I got an A+ on the project! The key takeaway from this research is Patagonia would benefit from restructuring their grant program such that decision-making occurs at their corporate office by environmental professionals, not by untrained clerks at their retail stores. They build employee satisfaction and boost local marketing by spreading out the bulk of environmental dollars to their stores, where staff vote on small donations to local organizations. It would be better, for the environment, if Patagonia thought about the big picture and directed their money to landscape-scale conservation projects and organizations (more effective than saving small parcels of land, specific species in small areas, or doing small restoration projects, all of which are primarily done by small local groups). This is not to say that all local conservation organizations are bad. The problem is that many do not have a big picture, global systems understanding of environmental issues, and money is inevitably spent on projects that appear meaningful but are in fact minimally effective.
Another problem with Patagonia's grant program is most conservation recipients are only awarded a small sum of money. In 2013, the data I looked at, the median award was only $6500. That’s only enough to hire two $12 per hour interns for the summer.
The two organizations I’ve worked with have been funded by the Ventura office, with large donations, and are nothing short of fantastic conservation efforts. One was preventing a Delaware-based company from mining through a salmon stream and exporting massive quantities of low quality (especially polluting) coal exclusively to China. Another was helping to prevent the largest open pit copper mine from destroying the headwaters of the world’s most productive, long-term sustainable salmon fishery (Bristol Bay, which provides about two-thirds of the Lower 48’s sockeye salmon supply…a couple billion pounds of fish each year). Patagonia still supports both of these efforts, which are ongoing and may take many more years to resolve.
In sum, when it comes to conservation grant recipients, Patagonia should put more money into fewer projects with greater conservation value.
Conservation is one aspect of their grants program; they also focus on climate change, renewable energy, and social causes, which I haven't spent time researching.
In total, Patagonia has donated $7.1 million to environmental causes through the grants program--a respectable amount that has had a significant impact primarily in the U.S.
Beyond the grants program, Patagonia is arguably the industry leader in reducing the social and environmental impact of its products. I’m confident that no other outdoor gear company does anywhere near as much good for the environment as Patagonia.
Environmental improvement is a nice benefit to buying from Patagonia, but it should not be the primary reason to support them. We should buy the products that best fit our needs.
Environmental improvement is a nice benefit to buying from Patagonia, but it should not be the primary reason to support them. We should buy the products that best fit our needs.
 |
| Hanging out in the desert in the Patagonia's Lightweight Merino shirt, which like many merino wool shirts, is far too fragile for long-term use. Mine lasted less than a year. Now, I've abandoned this type of shirt in favor of the Patagonia Lightweight Capilene Crew, which is almost as comfortable and lasts three to five times longer. |
What are Patagonia’s best products?
From touring their design studios and chatting with many of their ambassadors and designers over the years (I’m expecting an update from one soon about the engineering feats in the Grade VII parka), to testing dozens of their products head-to-head with the competition, I have a good handle on how Patagonia’s hiking and climbing gear compare to the broader market. I’m clueless about their fly fishing and surfing gear.
Here are the currently available products I own from Patagonia:
I buy my jeans from Patagonia because they’re made with organic cotton and Patagonia will repair them for free. I’ll send them in to repair the knees first, then the butt, and by the time the pockets wear out I call it good and send them back for recycling.
Many of my casual button-up shirts are from Patagonia. The quality in some is absolutely fantastic. The styles change annually, however, and with casual clothing, style is the main driver of purchasing decisions--that's up to you!
A wind shell for just about everything. Incredibly versatile fabric with what I think is the most versatile wind shell design. Mine is six years old, stained, torn, repaired, loved to death, and still going strong.
Wind pants. My favorite backpacking pants. Also excellent for trail running. Patagonia has repaired mine twice such that a single pair has lasted three years and a couple thousand miles of walking and far more bushwhacking than I initially thought they’d handle.
Best value high-performance cold weather baselayer. Period.
Ditto for your legs.
Lightweight Capilene Crew
This is my most used shirt. It's cheap and much tougher than lightweight merino models, which I've stopped buying because of their poor long-term value.
Luxury wool baselayer for expeditions or around town. I only use mine for extended multi-day trips in cold weather. (It’s more cost effective to put the wear and tear on the Capilene Thermal Hoody.) My mom owns two and uses them exclusively around town and for traveling—she LOVES the comfort and aesthetics.
 |
| 90 miles and lots of vicious brush in the Escalante River (we walked from Highway 12 to Coyote Gulch) put an end to Sarah's well loved Houdini pants. Even though she asked for a repair, Patagonia replaced them free of charge. |
Highest performance cold weather midlayer for hiking and climbing. I don’t recommend the original Nano Air because the Arcteryx Proton LT Hoody is more durable and performs equally well if not better.
Ditto for your legs. A bit of a luxury purchase; best for active use in very cold weather or saving weight on a trip that’s very challenging for you.
The best overall synthetic insulated parka. If or when BPL publishes the 13 reviews I wrote for them, you’ll see why in detail.
DAS Pants (not currently listed on their site; likely sold out)
Best insulated pants for multi-day winter trips in uncertain weather. No one else can match this combination of weather resistance and low weight. For example, Black Diamond uses cheap fabrics and a lower warmth to weight insulation and Arcteryx goes too heavy with ultra-tough and pricey Gore Windstopper that will last many times longer than the insulation inside, i.e. a lighter fabric would be better.
Best ultralight, durable rain shell. Patagonia reduced weight and cost, compared to Gore-Tex products, by using their own H2No waterproof breathable membrane. I’ve been very impressed by the redesign.
The best all-purpose down parka. It’s impressively sophisticated compared to the $450 competition. Go with the Feathered Friends’ Hooded Helios if you have a short torso and you’ll save $100. Go with Montbell’s Frost Line if saving money is your highest priority.
The single best down parka on the planet. That’s my preliminary conclusion from testing almost all the best in the world (others are en route).
I’ve had various version of these for years and love them. The Arcteryx Phase SL material might be better, but I haven’t tried them because these work well for me and they're cheaper.
Black Hole 120 Liter Duffel
I got this for free in 2013 and have patched about 20 holes in the bottom. I don’t recommend it because it’s so fragile compared to other expedition duffels. The best long-term value option I know of is an American-made duffel with much better fabrics that are also made in America: the Cilo Gear Large Duffel. Hyperlite Mountain Gear, if you have cash for the best, makes a duffel that’s lighter and tough, and $525.
 |
| This is one of my favorite Patagonia casual shirts. It's soft, cozy, and is made with organic cotton. |
Here’s what I don’t own but recommend:
Excellent value, aesthetics, and quality. This should win the ‘best down jacket’ award for the general populous—everyone that doesn’t prioritize weight savings over all else.
Lightweight fleece. I wore this non-stop for a few years before switching to the Capilene Thermal Hoody, which I prefer. If you want something warmer and a bit heavier, this is a great value. Another way to think about this is: it’s a budget (less warm but more durable) version of the Nano Air Light.
Lightweight durable fleece. The R1 fabric laminated to a softshell. If you’re hard on your gear and don’t need the highest warmth to weight ratio, this is a great jacket. No one else makes anything like it.
0 comments:
Post a Comment