Patagonia DAS for /2014

It was brought to my attention this morning (1/3/13) that the new DAS pictured and described here is available now from Patagonia mail order.



As anyone who reads the blog likely knows I have not been a big fan of the DAS. That said knowing full well it is likely the most widely used belay parka made. Helps that it was the first belay specific parka styled after Mark Twight's writing in EXTREME ALPINISM to be marketed. A "new" insulated puffy pant that is better fitting and designed for climbers will be welcome by anyone using them for that purpose.



Good as the DASwas in the past and is likely to be in the newestgeneration, shown here, there are always things to improve upon in a very competitive field.



The infohighlighted below came from an unknownreader of the blog four days after the original post was made and is a must read. (the entirecomment is below) I have missed the boat before and it will likely happen again. Nice to have a little help once in a while. I done a bit of editing here as well from the original piece.I may not agree with everything in quotes here ( and I bet Acrteryx doesn't either if the Duelly is an example) but I don't have the technical background to dispute any of it either. Great info either way and I do appreciate the input.Easy enough to check out the differences in varying Primaloft insulations and how warm they are for the weight. What they cost is a totally different story and a little harder to get a hand on.



"Synergy is a continuous filament insulation, which is fundamentally different
from PL1 and every other short staple polyester fill. For starters, it's
bulkier, which at first blush would seem to be a negative attribute, but for a
garment like the DAS, which requires a boat-ton of polyester fill, a bulkier
insulation has some advantages. For one, it breathes better—there's more space
between the polyester fibers—and insulation that breathes better is going to
retain less moisture, thereby staying lighter throughout the day. Also, an
insulation that breathes better is going to dry your action-suit out quicker
because the climate within your layers will be less humid. Lastly, and least
importantly, a continuous filament insulation is going to be more durable, which
is certainly not a bad quality to have in a garment that's intended to go in and
out of your pack all day.

One idea that Twight makes clear in his book is
that in order for your system to continue to push moisture all the way into the
air, your insulation must get more breathable the farther away it is from your
skin. This explains why Patagonia has chosen PL1 for their Nano line, PL Sport
for the Micro line, and Synergy for the DAS. Each insulation is loftier than the
next, make sense? It's also why Patagonia includes a thin layer of PL1 on the
inside of the DAS—it's the layer that's closest to your skin and the one that
will come in contact with the most moisture. "



Some of the Patagonia sales pitch below from another source and the technical details. Be sure to read the info posted previous on Primaloft insulation to put the newest combo into perspective. Only 60gPrimaloft 1 in this version and a 120g of Primaloft, "Synergy".



"They're updating their DAS and also releasing DAS pants. I know
you're not a big fan of the DAS, but supposedly the fit is completely being overhauled and is not quite as baggy. Also, it's being updated to use only 60g of PL1 and 120g of PL Sinergy, which has a much lower CLO value. Overall, sounds like it's getting slightly lighter but also slightly less warm. My math says that 120g of Sinergy is the same as 95g of PL1 (CLO .73 vs PL1 CLO of .92), making the new DAS have only the equivalent of 155g of PL1 in the torso and 95g in the arms (current DAS has 170g in torso and 133g in the arms). DAS pants have 100g of PL1."




"For full-on alpine conditions, the DAS Parka is our warmest insulated
jacket made with high-loft 120-g PrimaLoft® Synergy insulation throughout, added PrimaLoft® One insulation in core areas, and a lightweight, PU-coated nylon ripstop shell that is durable, highly water-resistant and windproof. FABRIC: 1.2-oz 20-denier 100% nylon PU-coated ripstop with a DWR (durable water repellent) finish. Insulation: 120-g PrimaLoft Sinergy 100% polyester; torso additional layer: 60-g PrimaLoft One 100% polyester"