Besides just staying tucked in bed all winter, the best way to stay warm outside is to invest in an insulated jacket or midlayer. When choosing the correct piece for you, one of the first questions you should ask is whether you want natural down or synthetic insulation. The best option is dependent on the type of environment and activities you plan to use your product for.

The world of waterproof shells can be very confusing, especially because of the unique technology and terminology that, without a certain level of knowledge, seem like another language.

Patagonia is no exception to this; H2NO, 3-Layer, 2.5-Layer, Waterproof/Breathable, are all terms that we use on a regular basis. For most, what really matters when looking for a rain jacket is: Will it keep me dry? Will it be breathable enough? Is it durable?

Patagonia is in business to save our home planet. It’s a zinger of a mission statement, wouldn’t you agree? It’s clear in purpose, yet ambiguous in practice. What are we saving? How do we save it? Can we truly save it all? Is big business and capitalism really the answer to our environmental crisis? Can we really keep extracting and producing and selling all while causing no unnecessary harm’?

Well, we have to start somewhere. And Patagonia is changing the landscape, not only in the political and capitalistic sense of the word, but also physically.

What do I mean when I say that Patagonia is changing the physical landscape?

I’m talking about farming. Industrial agriculture contributes to a whopping 30% of carbon emissions, 70% of fresh water use, and 60% loss of biodiversity. Overall, that accounts for 25% of total emissions driving climate change. Fiber production, the raw materials used to make our clothing, is no exception to these statistics.

As a lover of my home in the Green Mountain State, I have a deep appreciation for using Patagonia products to go with me on all of my adventures, whether it's for everyday lifestyle, road biking, running, backcountry and cross country skiing or hiking in all parts of the country!

Patagonia's mission of protecting nature by using sustainable materials to produce long-lasting products encompasses my lifestyle. I am consistently in awe with the beautifully crafted pieces of clothing from Patagonia. I would love to share my Five Hiking Essentials and why they are important for me.

Baggies have been around for generations. There are few pieces of clothing that can last as long, and transcend style and function, as much as the Baggies. It has been almost 40 years since the first pair were produced. Between then and now, countless adventures have been had and memories made. They are the ultimate fun-hogging short, designed and built for all activities and purposes.

For the past 36 years, Patagonia has been funding grassroot environmental organizations in an effort to, as their mission reads, “to Save our Home Planet.” Skirack and Patagonia Burlington have been fortunate to be a part of this effort through grant support to the Intervale Center. In recent years, the grant has been given to the Intervale Center’s Conservation Nursery, whose focus is to raise and plant tens of thousands of native trees every year to support and improve water quality in Vermont. This has also been put forward to sequester carbon, fight erosion and build a better wildlife habitat.

This year, we are happy to announce that through Patagonia’s Action Works Grant Program, Skirack and Patagonia Burlington have been able to once again show our support with a grant of $20,000 to the Intervale Center: to support not just the continuation of critical conservation projects through the nursery, but to expand into supporting the organization’s broad range of conservation and agriculture projects aimed to strengthen community food systems. The grant is providing core resources to maintain the best services they can to their farmers, improve land and water quality, and bring more people into the good food movement.

It is no secret that the past year has been challenging for everyone and through Patagonia’s grant program, the Intervale Center is able to continue their hard work and efforts, while also planning for the future health of their organization.

Last year, I was headed into my very first Vermont winter, and I was nervous. I grew up in California where winters are an entirely different thing. The weather changes slightly (I’d say it gets crisper, not quite colder), but mostly, we pray for rain that rarely comes. For the most part, I comfortably survived the season with my Mom’s old Better Sweater, one good pair of wool socks, and the occasional rain shell.

In the months approaching winter, I had a number of conversations with Vermonters who spoke of the snow and the cold with endearing reverence. They recalled epic adventures in the Green Mountains in sub-freezing temperatures with fierce wind chills, and I would grimace behind my mask. Whenever I voiced my skepticism, I was enthusiastically reminded about the importance of proper gear. I came to understand that with the right layering of the right gear and a good attitude, even I, a scared and stubborn Californian, could learn to thrive in a Vermont winter. I set out to upgrade my wardrobe, and did so with a few principles in mind.

The gear I wanted needed to be versatile, durable, effective, responsibly produced and repairable.

As a human race, we have a plastic addiction rooted in consumerism and fossil fuel extraction. Collectively, we continue to remove vast amounts of carbon from the Earth to create products that are over-consumed and eventually, the resource-intensive products get thrown out as waste.

It’s likely you’ve seen photos of trash filling our oceans, strangling wildlife, and piling up on shores. What was once considered pristine areas of our planet are now filling up with our trash from all over the world. We are all connected by and responsible for this global plastic problem. Depressing, right?

Fortunately, Patagonia is paving the way for a more environmentally-conscious clothing industry with a variety of solutions to combat waste.

I always thought the idea of skiing uphill was silly, absurd even. That’s what chairlifts are for, right? Who would subject themselves to that level of torture, right?

I have never thought of myself as particularly “active,” at least in the physical realm. I love being outside; a nice day hike in the summer and fall? Sure! Shredding down the Green trails in the winter? Sign me up! I guess I would have always considered myself an outdoor leisure enthusiast. Nothing stressful, nothing too physically involved, a nice dose of fresh air to keep the mind sharp.

Then the pandemic hit and it seemed as though all of my leisure activities slowed down - too much for even my liking. My daily walks throughout March and April were necessary, but not enough. A trip to the grocery store felt a little too riveting for what it should be. Throughout the spring and summer I craved a type of stimulation that would make the days pass by a little faster. Finding a swimming hole or hanging out on Lake Champlain was great, usually my favorite parts of summer - but it wasn’t enough to replace how I found stimulation in other ways, like grabbing a drink with my friends, walking up to campus for my classes, seeing my family on a more regular basis, traveling, etc.

Aside from how rewarding those first human-powered turns felt, the thing I remember most from my first time alpine touring is that I was hot -- ripping off layers and unzipping vents at a pace much higher than I had expected -- and then I was cold -- really, really, finger-freezingly, bone-chillingly cold.

After that first time out, I thought that maybe skinning just wasn't for me. I couldn't handle the swing from high-output climbing, to standing dead still, to zipping downhill in temps capable of frostbiting cheeks or a nose in just a few minutes. Fortunately, I found it in myself to take the plunge into the backcountry a couple more times. Over the course of a couple more tours, I found out that it was not that I was simply not cut out for alpine touring, but rather that I didn't really know how to properly layer my clothes for such a wide range of needs and experiences.