Home / Outdoors / Clothing

Patagonia’s New Waxed Cotton Jacket Looks Like a Classic in the Making

Why this modern take on an old-school jacket matters more than you might think.

beige jacketPatagonia

By Jack Seemer

Published

·

Updated

Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

A product can matter for a variety of reasons. Perhaps it addresses a problem. Or maybe it just looks cool.

Patagonia’s new Lightweight Waxed Cotton Jacket, recently released as part of its fall and winter collection, does both. In fact, it could replace that old Nano Puff in your closet as the most important piece of outdoor gear you own.

The problem with synthetic jackets

To understand the why behind Patagonia’s new jacket, you have to understand something else: PFCs and PFAS, aka “forever chemicals.” (I know … bear with me.)

PFCs and PFAS are everywhere. In our products. In our water. Hell, they’re even in our bodies; the Environmental Working Group estimates that 99 percent of Americans live with some level of these dangerous chemicals trapped inside them. And no, they never, ever leave.

rain jackets
PFCs and PFAS — aka “forever chemicals” — have been used for years to weatherize jackets.
Photo by Chandler Bondurant for Gear Patrol

The thing is, PFCs and PFAS are also incredible. Developed decades ago, they can repel water and oil on, say, a nonstick pan or your favorite waterproof jacket. The latter isn’t just convenient. In the outdoors, it can save lives.

Patagonia Lightweight Waxed Cotton Jacket

All of this brings us back to Patagonia. The company has pledged to eliminate PFCs and PFAS from its catalog by 2025 and products like the Lightweight Waxed Cotton Jacket are part of its strategy for doing so, without abandoning customers who count on DWR membranes.

The foundation of the Lightweight Waxed Cotton Jacket is a 6.9-ounce ripstop cotton exterior that’s weatherized with a plant-based wax derived from food-industry waste.

beige jacket
To weatherize the lightweight cotton ribstop exterior, Patagonia opted for a plant-based wax derived from food-industry waste.
Patagonia

Waxed cotton is a natural alternative to synthetic DWR and it’s been used by sailers for hundreds of years. Now, Patagonia hasn’t been around that long but, according to the brand, its team spent upward of a decade developing a modern take on the centuries-old technology.

The jacket has some other tricks up its sleeve, too: it features a three-panel hood for improved weather protection; a soft interior lining comprised of hemp and cotton muslin; bellow pockets for added convenience; and, of course, it’s PFCs- and PFAS-free.

beige jacket
Roomy bellow pockets are convenient — and comfortable.
Patagonia

Availability and pricing

The Lightweight Waxed Cotton Jacket is available now for $369. It comes in four colors, including Slab Khaki, Forge Grey and two different blues.

Inside it, a tag reads, “Over time, waxed cotton inherits marks and creases, building character and its own history with each wear.”

In other words, the Lightweight Waxed Cotton Jacket might just be a new classic in the making.

Read More