Looking for a lightweight synthetic insulation jacket for cold weather rock and ice climbing. Packability and warmth to weight are most important. I was leaning towards the nano puff, but saw the marmot variant for the first time today.. Anyone have experience with either? Thoughts?
The Variant is a completely different tool than the Nano Puff - assuming you plan on wearing this layer beneath your shell, both would be viable options, but realize that that you can wear the Nano Puff OVER your shell - and use it as a light belay jacket in the summer - while the Variant is much more specialized - for a cold weather active layer worn under a shell the Variant gets my vote because it's very breathable power stretch in the arms and back, providing synthetic fill only in from of the torso - perfect for frigid ski tours gnarly cold climbs - but you need to wear a wind shirt (like the Houdini) over it at the very least in any sort of harsh weather.
The nano puff is great for temps between 20#35 degrees for active climbing worn underneath your soft shell or hard shell especially for the weight and how well it compresses. i used it last year on whitney in february with twenty plus winds and temps in the low thirties. i wouldnt wear it over any shell because it would get torn up. it doesnt have stretch at the arm pits so i went a size larger than i normally would.
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