Aug 31

Aug 31 Patagonia Recycled Nylon Parka (2020)

Alex Rakestraw

Lifestyle, Review, Trench

Patagonia Recycled Nylon Parka (2020)

Type: Trench / Use: Lifestyle / Face: Nylon / Insulation: n/a

Technologies: Recycled Baggies shorts

Price: $189.00

Hey, guys!

It’s a long jacket… made outta shorts!

That’s it. That’s the tweet.

Patagonia’s Recycled Nylon Parka is a simple, 70s-inspired long coat – and yes, it is literally made from shorts. Baggies, to be exact.

While the typical Coatcheck starts off with a tech breakdown, there’s just not too much runway on this one. The face fabric is a recycled nylon made from Patagonia’s Baggies shorts. Behind it lies a recycled poly mesh. Elastic cuffs and a drawcord-palooza (hood; waist; hem) provide dynamic, adjustable, military-inspire- I’m kidding. They’re drawcords.

A light DWR finish caps it off with some light weather-resistance.

For that stealth bomber’s worth of features, you get a long jacket… that’s perfectly wearable! The Recycled Nylon Parka makes for a lovely wind barrier with the sort of roomy, oversized drape you’d expect from a hoodie. Four oversized slash pockets flank the sides of a full-length double zip, giving the whole Parka an aura of immediacy. It’s you, a layer of shorts fabric, and then a whole bunch of carrying space.

It’s what the kids call, “a lifestyle piece.” And there’s a cool, fashion-clouty story to tell people who complement it. You guys like Baggies? Well, you’d never believe it but THIS PARKA IS MADE OUT O-

I wanted to spend most of this review talking about the jacket’s styling since that’s basically what it’s for. This blog has already gone down the rabbithole on where Patagonia fits in the whole fashion-function debate. To summarize: appearances matter. And on its lonesome, this is quite the nice piece.

The Recycled Nylon Parka is a hits parade of retro design cuts shaped through the prism of Fitz Roy. Snap-T buttons and the two-tone yoke anchor it to the Pata-verse. That rat’s nest of cords? As an homage to a pre-laser-cut outdoors world, it actually works.

There’s a certain precision clumsiness to it all: a high-quality rendering of wide tolerances, with oversized stitching on every seam. My favorite detail is the terra cotta hit on the storm flap. It’s almost – dare I say – organic. With the long chest lines and analog rendering, the Recycled Nylon Parka is classically handsome. If you’ve got a wardrobe full of chunky knits and corduroy slacks, this might be the first non-waxed cotton coat in your rotation. If you dress like a Gallagher brother, it fits just as well.

As great as it looks, however, it’s not exactly versatile. In my experience, the Recycled Nylon Parka only works with bottom halves that can match its Sierra Club striping. Black pants are out. HOKA Tor’s are questionable. Tan, olive, navy, tout c’est bien. Even better if it’s got cargo pockets (shoes definitely included).

Because of this, Patagonia’s post-consumer parka can cut a frustratingly narrow mold. The immediate comparison to this piece is an M-51 fishtail: similar color, similar long-lines, same drawcords galore. And yet, the Recycled Nylon flounders in the same streetwear scenes where the fishtail swims. I pride myself on not bricking fits. Long story short, the black jeans/Reeboks combo I tried to force this parka onto didn’t leave the house.

My take on it is that the strengths of the jacket are also its flaws. The Recycled Nylon Parka is, quite literally, an upcycled homage. There’s just no edge! A supple nylon exterior and mineral two tone grant it a certain Columbine softness that makes it lovely with pile fleeces. But if you leave the universe of the Patagonia catalog, it’s just a tough nut to crack. The lack of tech is another such double-bind. Super comfortable for the day-to-day (especially with sweaters). But man oh man, does its modesty make it harder to justify.

The good news is that, at $189, that justification is far from a federal case.

So what to think of the Recycled Nylon Parka?

In summary, it’s a handsome outdoors-adjacent long coat made from shorts. If the looks (or the story) intrigue you, Pata’s parka makes for a great casual piece to complement sweaters and Sebagos, if those alone.

Just keep in mind that it won’t head off more than light fall drizzles. When the weather turns inclement, you might need to grab the pants trench instead.