Patagonia

Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia's founder, started climbing in 1953 and began making pitons in 1957 after going to a junkyard and buying a used coal-fired forge, an anvil, some tongs and hammers, and teaching himself the art of blacksmithing. By 1970, Chouinard Equipment had become the largest supplier of climbing hardware in the USA. It had also become an environmental villain because its pegs were damaging the rock. After an ascent of the degraded Nose route on El Capitan, which had been pristine a few summers earlier, it was decided to phase out of the piton business. Fortunately, there was an alternative: aluminium chocks that could be wedged by hand rather than hammered in and out of cracks. They were introduced in the first Chouinard Equipment catalogue in 1972. Chouinard Equipment later became Black Diamond.

The clothing business started small with a few rugby shirts imported from the UK. The name Patagonia was chosen as it was decided the range should not be exclusively for climbers and Patagonia was pretty much unknown territory for everyone in those days. Fleece clothing (then used by fishermen) soon followed and then new materials such as polyester for base layers began to be used. During the '80s bright colours were introduced into a world previously dominated by greens, browns and blues.

In the late '80s Patagonia started using recycled material to make some of its clothing, a process that has accelerated in recent years, and also decided to donate 1% of its sales to ecological good causes, which has done ever since, most notably by buying up vast swathes of wild land in South America and then donating them back to the country concerned as national parks.

Patagonia make brilliant outdoor clothing and equipment but there are some other very good reasons to support them as a company which are partly why Needle Sports has such a major stockist of their range for so long.

Patagonia Men's Sizing	XXS	XS	S	M	L	XL	XXL	XXXL
Chest	31" - 33" 79cm - 83cm	34" - 35" 86cm - 89cm	35" - 37" 89cm - 94cm	38" - 40" 96cm - 101cm	42" - 44" 106cm - 111cm	46" - 48" 117cm - 122cm	50" - 52" 127cm - 132cm	54" - 56" 137cm - 142cm
Neck	13½" - 14" 34cm - 35cm	14" - 14½" 37cm - 38cm	15" - 15½" 38cm - 39cm	15½" - 16" 39cm - 41cm	16½" - 17" 42cm - 43cm	17" - 17½" 43cm - 44cm	17½" - 18" 44cm - 46cm	18½" 47cm
Sleeve	31" 79cm	32" 81cm	33" 84cm	34" 86cm	35" 89cm	36" 91cm	37" 94cm	38" 96cm
Waist	26" 66cm	28" 71cm	29" - 30" 74cm - 76cm	31" - 33" 79cm - 84cm	34" - 36" 86cm - 91cm	38" - 40" 97cm - 101.5cm	42" - 44" 102cm - 107cm	46" - 48" 117cm - 122cm
Inseam	30" 76cm	31" 79cm	31" 79cm	32" 84cm	33" 84cm	33" 84cm	33" 84cm	33" 84cm

Patagonia Women's Sizing	XXS	XS		S		M		L		XL
US Size	US00	US0	US2	US4	US6	US8	US10	US12	US14	US16	US18
UK Size	UK4	UK6		UK8		UK12		UK14		UK16
Jeans Size	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34
Chest	31" 79cm	32" 81cm	33" 81cm	34" 86cm	35" 89cm	36" 91cm	37" 94cm	38½" 98cm	40" 102cm	42" 107cm
Hips	33½" 85cm	34½" 88cm	35½" 90cm	36½" 93cm	37½" 95cm	38½" 98cm	39½" 100cm	41" 104cm	42½" 108cm	45½" 113cm
Waist	24½" 62cm	25½" 65cm	26½" 67cm	27½" 70cm	28½" 72cm	29½" 75cm	30½" 77cm	32" 81cm	33½" 85cm	35" 90cm	37½" 95cm
Inseam (no options)	30" 76cm	31" 79cm	31" 79cm	32" 81cm	32" 81cm	32" 81cm	32" 81cm	32" 81cm	32" 81cm	32" 81cm	32" 81cm
Short Inseam	30" 76cm	30" 76cm	30" 76cm	30" 76cm	30" 76cm	30" 76cm	30" 76cm	30" 76cm	30" 76cm	30" 76cm	30" 76cm
Regular Inseam	32" 81cm	32" 81cm	32" 81cm	32" 81cm	32" 81cm	32" 81cm	32" 81cm	32" 81cm	32" 81cm	32" 81cm	32" 81cm
Long Inseam	34" 86cm	34" 86cm	34" 86cm	34" 86cm	34" 86cm	34" 86cm	34" 86cm	34" 86cm	34" 86cm	34" 86cm	34" 86cm

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