As an avid buyer of Patagonia clothing (for decades now), I’ve always been curious about the brands other items. I’ve had a few of their bags and accessories, but last year I got my first ever Patagonia blanket, the Macro Puff Quilt.
After using the Macro Puff quilt for a few months, here are my thoughts.
Macro Puff Basic Info
The Macro Puff is a lightweight down-style quilt that is covered in a slippery nylon-like material. It included a packable back which will nicely compress the blanket, making it ideal for camping and other scenarios where space and weight need to be minimal.
The materials found in the Macro Puff are the same found in Patagonia’s high-end Micro Puff hoodie (which I also own), which are one reason why the quilt costs a pretty penny ($249 direct from Patagonia).
Macro Pull Filling
The Macro Puff quilt is filled with Patagonia’s synthetic PlumaFill insulation. This is a super light, ultra-fine filling that has the lightness of down but the warm-when-wet quality of wool.
This being a quilt, the insulation is quilted, though it uses small pockets like the Micro Puff, not pipes like the Down Sweater, or baffles like a normal quilt.
The told weight of the quilt is a superlight 777 grams or about 1.7 pounds. A similar sized wool camping blanket is usually about 4 to 4.5 pounds.
The specific filling is 135-g PlumaFill, which is 100% polyester, so this product is vegan-friendly but doesn’t have the appeal to many of us that high-quality down does.
Macro Puff Shell
The exterior of the quilt is made of a nylon ripstop material known as Pertex Quantum. It’s naturally water-resistant because it’s nylon but it’s also given a “DWR” (durable water repellent) treatment. This treatment may not be something you want to see in your fabrics or couches, but it does add to the functionality if you plan on using this outside or camping.
The shell has loops at the corners so you can fit it to a pad of some kind, but realistically I’ve found them to be the most useful for hanging as I don’t have any pads that match the quilt’s 83″ by 69″ dimensions.
Verdict
The Macro Puff is well made and quite handsome in person, but it’s not a perfect product. It’s light, packable, and it’s surprising tough but it’s not very heavy and it’s not super warm.
This is lightweight camping blanket that is not enough for winter camping. It’s basically a 3-season blanket and will do in place of a sleeping bag in the early fall, all summer, and late spring. It’s not sufficient for us alone when you are at home in houses that are kept under 65 degrees F (unless you are otherwise bundled up).
A major downside is that the blanket is incredibly slippery. When combined with the light weight, it’s prone to slipping right off the bed. This isn’t an issue when you are camping and sleeping on the ground, but many times it will slide right off when you are sleeping. Similarly, if you are using hammock when camping, you’ll need to tuck it under you, or it will come right off in the night.
So, all told, this is a nice product but it’s not the near-perfect item you might be expecting if you are buying it based on your love of the Down Hoodie or Micro Puff jacket as I did.