Responsible Performance | Field Testing At Patagonia

You tug up and cinch down your hood, turn away from the stinging bullets of spindrift and climb upwards, while dark clouds brood above. Of all the things on your mind at that precise moment, the environmental responsibility of your jacket probably isn’t at the top of the list of your priorities. For the time being, you are focused on staying warm, dry and safe in the mountains. It’s one of the reasons that the GORE-TEX brand and Patagonia are so well respected in the outdoor world. Their names have become almost synonymous with reliability, performance and quality.  

Using the original 2-layer ePE construction that was first launched in 2022, and with the GORE-TEX brand providing trial fabrics and Patagonia’s team creating prototypes, GORE-TEX performance 3-layer version of New GORE-TEX products with ePE membrane was developed. Now garments could go further, in more extreme and extended conditions.

Remember, Patagonia does not test products on their customers. Fortunately, Patagonia and GORE-TEX had a team of ambassadors and athletes to put the new fabric through all the rigours that technical mountain sports inflict on our garments. 

Patagonia Alpine climbing ambassador, Matt Helliker sums up the value of the process. “When things are looking really grim, if you’re feeling very vulnerable in the mountains and you’re wearing something that makes you feel secure, it’s going to help you survive, right? I just think it will make you feel pretty indestructible.”

Fellow ambassador and Head of European Field Testing, Jon Bracey, adds “the primary role of a Patagonia ambassador to give feedback on the gear, and help develop functional, trustworthy kit. Alongside the Ambassadors, most of the testers are mountain professionals like guides, accompagnateurs, and ski patrollers. Plus a few ski and climbing bums! It’s essential that testers are out in the field every day, have a good eye for detail, and are open minded. 

“For new products or fabric innovations and concepts it might be a few years of collaboration and prototype testing before we see the final product. We are incredibly lucky to have the ‘Forge’ which is our state of the art R&D lab. Some incredibly smart scientists and engineers working here are a crucial part of what makes Patagonia who it is, and will continue to be a world leader in development of responsible clothing.”

So, from the maritime winters of Scotland to the worst weather that the Alps and the greater ranges had to offer; New GORE-TEX garments with ePE membrane had to shrug it all off. The end result was a fabric worthy of the GORE-TEX brand’s ’Extreme & Extended’ performance standard, with Patagonia being one of a few selected brands to use it in their new outerwear from this winter.

Regular washes and reproofs not only maintain the optimum performance of your garment, they also extend its life. And as far as sustainability is concerned, there is no bigger win than putting off replacing an item for as long as possible.

Finally, should the worst happen and your garment gets ripped by a rogue crampon, say, Patagonia’s Worn Wear programme has your back; they’ll do what they can to repair the item.