Patagonia Piton Hoody?

A Euro like conversion in the Cascades for winter use?  TLT Ski boots with crampons,  Dynafit ski-mo lycra tights and a bright '80s retro colored Patagonia  Piton Hoody.  The perfect combo for that day!

I've likely had more info requests about this sweater than any one piece of clothing recently.  As a reference this one will likely become just as popular at the Atom Lt imo.  It is that good.  Mind you I originally thought the Patagonia video was purely hype by paid actors.  It is not.  May be I shouldn't always be so cynical.  These guys are not kidding you in the video.  The Piton is everything they are saying it is..

I really like and almost always use the R1 Hoody.  Have since the first versions.  Part of me really accepting a garment is finding a place in my system of winter clothing where the garment easily fits in.  The Piton is so versatile it immediately fit in.  The Piton sat on my gear table in a bag for a few weeks before me actually trying it out.  Once I did it has now gone every where with me much to my surprise.  I wasn't expecting much to be honest.   The Piton will work well as a base layer.  It will work well as a moderate weather "shell" or a piece of insulation under a shell in colder conditions.  I have used it as all three at different times already.  And I really like this garment.   No problem taking this one out 12 months of the year. 

Only down side I see is I wish it had two chest pockets and while they are there a hidden zippered fanny pocket would have been a great idea as well.  Just the 2nd chest pocket would add a lot to this one used as your outer garment.  A fanny pocket, done right, wouldn't be felt with a harness and would add some extra cross over advantages off route.  Done right you could easily use that fanny pocket with a harness for gels and bare essentials.  Even a lwt wind shell easy enough.

Easy to find right now around $120. delivered on the Internet.  Trust me on this one.  If you own a R1, use it and  like it,  this one you'll love.

Back story?

Remember that I only write about things I think are stand outs.  Which is the reason you see a post about the Piton and not the OR Radiant Hybrid Hoody.  My first impression of the Patagonia Piton was it was a expensive version of a sweater I already owned, the Radiant Hybrid Hoody.  In the black color my Piton sat unopened on my table for a few weeks.  Then since I didn't think I would ever use it I exchanged the black one for the blue and green color which would make better photos on the blog.  Glad I did.  I have used the OR Radiant Hybrid Hoody a lot over the last year.  First purchased along with 3 other hoodies to find a replacement for my now stinky R1s.  Out of that bunch of hoodies only the Radiant Hybrid still survives in my gear closet.  I use it for cold and wet weather running mostly with nothing under it.  So while good for running I found it pretty limited in my own use, compared to say the R1.

They could almost be made from the same pattern.  Pocket is reversed on the chest.   Neck zipper is off set on the OR and it has thumb cuffs.  But the material is slightly different. And the "vents",  wrist to waist on the OR don't seem as comfortable or as stretchy to me as the Patagonia does over all.  I like it but nothing I would have ever written about either.  I have been wearing the Radiant Hybrid Hoody all day just to see if my original impressions were still true.  They are.

Among other things I prefer on the Piton is the fabric mix and the center zip which makes a usable collar on the Piton with the hood down.  A left and right chest pocket would have been better imo than just the one.  At least it is on the left side.  OR's Radiant version has it on the right hand pec......which is backwards for anyone right handed.

The hood is good over a helmet.  And you can get an idea from the picture of just how high the collar will come if the hood is left down.  One of the "big" features that really turned my head past the Radiant's off set zipper.

I was originally going to make a ripping comparison of the OR Radiant Hybrid Hoody to the Patagonia Piton.  Where the OR piece was to be the landslide winner and @ a better price point.  Imagine how surprised I was to NOT have "just another runner" in the Piton!  I have plenty of gear to run in but few bits of gear I really like to climb in.   Once I realized just how good this piece of clothing was for me and more importantly how easily I could incorporate it into my clothing system, I ordered a black one as well on line at a discounted $116. price.  I'll wear them both out eventually I suspect.