Opinion: Praising Patagonia for preserving my puffy

Good gear isn’t cheap, but I believe it’s worth every penny. Forget the upfront cost. I’ll willingly plunk down my moola for a quality product that’s built to last a lifetime, figuring that I’ll win the cost-per-year game in the long run.

What’s that you say? Nothing lasts forever?

True dat. That’s where Patagonia’s “ironclad guarantee” comes into play: “We guarantee everything we make. If you are not satisfied with one of our products at the time you receive it, or if one of our products does not perform to your satisfaction, return it to the store you bought it from or to Patagonia for a repair, replacement or refund. Damage due to wear and tear will be repaired at a reasonable charge.”

I recently tested Patagonia’s guarantee when the zipper blew out on my beloved Nano Puff Hoody. Even though I had no record of the many-years-ago purchase, I went online and printed out the convenient return form and sent off my hoody. A few weeks later, it came back home with a new zipper. Free of charge. With a nice note card thanking me for having my gear repaired.

Patagonia believes in keeping its gear in use and out of the landfill. In addition to offering hassle-free returns and repairs, the Worn Wear section of the company’s website provides tips for garment care and DIY repair guides, should you feel up to tackling a given repair job yourself.

You can purchase gently used Patagonia gear through the Worn Wear website. The used items come from a trade-in program whereby Patagonia retailers accept used gear in good condition in exchange for credit in Patagonia retail stores, on wornwear.com and on patagonia.com.

Patagonia’s Worn Wear Mobile Tour travels throughout the USA and Europe repairing the company’s gear on the spot and living the mantra: “repair is a radical act.” How cool is that!

More than making some of my favorite gear, Patagonia lives and breathes its mission statement: “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.” I find that refreshing.

Check out this video about Patagonia’s Worn Wear program: