Patagonia is a well-known outdoor clothing brand that prioritizes the environment over anything.
But do Patagonia products shrink? And should you try to shrink them or not?
Let’s find out the answer to these questions for the various types of clothing they provide.
Do Patagonia Shirts/T-Shirts Shrink?
Yes and No. Because Patagonia makes shirts using five fabrics – Nylon, Polyester, Organic Cotton, Merino wool, and Hemp. If your Patagonia shirt is made of 100% organic cotton or merino wool then it will definitely shrink a little when washing in warm water or tumble drying and if you do the same with Patagonia hemp shirts you’ll see the slight shrinkage.
However, if your Patagonia shirt is made up of Nylon or Polyester, artificial fibers will be hard to shrink because it is only on high heat; the contraction of the dimension of Nylon and polyester fabric can happen.
Read Also: Do Patagonia Jackets Run Small?
Although, If you want to wash your shirt in warm water or tumble dry without seeing shrinkage, you should buy Nylon or Polyester Patagonia shirts, and shirts with Nylon or polyester blended with cotton will get some protection from shrinkage when washing in warm water.
I insist you please take the advice of a tailor to make your Patagonia shirt to fit your size instead of trying to shrink it by using warm water or hot tumble drying because shrinking shirts using heat will lose the colors and the size may not be even.
Read Also: Are Patagonia Jackets Warm Enough For Real Life Situation? (With Table)
This is the table for some famous Patagonia shirts which can be shrunk or not
| Famous Patagonia Shirts | Fabric Used | Easy to Shrink? |
| Vjosa River Pima Shirt | 100% organic Pima-cotton | Yes |
| Sun Stretch Shirt | 52% recycled nylon/48% T400 polyester blend | No |
| Farrier’s Work Shirt | 55% industrial hemp/45% recycled polyester | Little Easy |
| Capilene Cool Shirt | 100% polyester | No |
| Capilene Cool Merino | 65% merino wool/35% recycled polyester | Somewhat Easy |
| Sol Patrol Shirt | 100% polyester ripstop | No |
| A/C Buttondown Hot weather Shirt | 100% organic cotton yarn-dyed plain weave | Yes |
| Henley Pocket Tee | 55% industrial hemp/45% organic cotton | Yes |
| Western Snap Shirt | Industrial hemp, polyester, organic cotton-spandex blend | Yes |
| Work Pocket Tee | 55% industrial hemp/45% organic cotton | Yes |
Do Patagonia Sweaters Shrink?
Yes, any Patagonia sweater can shrink; however, it depends on the fabric, how much it will shrink and how much heat and energy it will take.
The sweater comprises cotton, hemp, wool, cashmere, or any natural fabric. The shrinking can happen in hot water and tumble dry on high heat.
This happens because a natural fabric will lose its tension and return to its natural dimension when applied heat.
Suppose a Patagonia sweater consists of polyester in the majority. In that case, the shrinkage will be more difficult, thus taking more energy and very high heat (155-178°F), which is most likely impossible for a household dryer or iron to achieve due to safety measures. Thus you need to launder and wash polyester jackets many times in high heat to get them to shrink a little.
However, Suppose a Patagonia sweater uses Nylon in the majority. In that case, you can shrink it a little by laundering and ironing it multiple times in the highest heat setting because Nylon starts to turn yellow in the highest household heat setting and begin to lose its tension.
Here’s a table for you to look at as a reference to know which Patagonia sweater can shrink and which can not. Also, the table will give you an idea of how hard or easy it is to shrink any particular sweater. Because sure sweaters like Patagonia better sweater is very very hard to shrink, you should get the right size beforehand.
Read Also: Can Patagonia Jacket Withstand Freezing Temperature? (All Jackets Warmth Rating)
| Famous Patagonia Sweaters | Fabric Used | Do this shrink?, How Hard is it to shrink? |
| Better Fleece Jacket (Men’s/Women’s) | 100% recycled polyester knit fleece | Yes, Very Hard |
| Better Sweater Fleece Vest (Men’s/Women’s) | 100% recycled polyester knit fleece | Yes, Very Hard |
| M’s Recycled Cashmere Crewneck Sweater/Hoody Pullover | 95% recycled cashmere/5% wool | Yes, Very Easily |
| M’s Better Sweater Rib Knit 1/4-Zip Fleece | 100% recycled polyester rib-knit fleece | Yes, Very Hard |
| M’s Better Sweater Fleece Henley Pullover | 100% recycled polyester knit and rib-knit fleece | Yes, Very Hard |
| M’s Recycled Wool Sweater | 70% recycled wool/26% recycled nylon/4% other fiber | Yes, Easy |
| W’s Recycled Cashmere V-Neck Sweater | 70% pre-consumer cashmere waste, blended with 30% virgin wool | Yes, Very Easily |
| W’s Better Sweater Fleece Hoody | 100% recycled polyester knit fleece | Yes, Very Hard |
| Fog Cutter Workwear Sweater (Men’s/Women’s) | Body: 40% recycled cotton/30% organic cotton/30% recycled hemp blend Shoulder Enforcement: 100% recycled nylon | Yes, Not that Hard |
Do Patagonia Baggies Shrink?
Yes, the Patagonia baggies made up of natural fabrics like organic cotton, hemp, or the blend of hemp and cotton will shrink very quickly when washed in hot water or tumble dry in high heat.
Though, it has some disadvantages because shrinking baggies in hot water may result in color leakage and uneven shrinking. After all, shrinking with this process can relax the fabric in unwanted places and thus cause uneven shrinking.
So, a better way to make your Patagonia baggies fit you is to contact a sewist who can do some tweaks here and there according to your waist, hips, and legs to give it an even and attractive fit.
Below is a table to help you choose Patagonia baggies according to your shrinking wish.
Go with hard-to-shrink baggies (usually synthetic fabrics) if you want to wash or swim in reasonably warm water.
The Patagonia baggies or shorts made up of Nylon generally come with quick-dry technology.
| Famous Patagonia Baggies | Fabric Used | Easy to Shrink? |
| Baggies Shorts | 100% recycled nylon | No |
| Island Hemp Baggies | 55% hemp/45% organic cotton | Yes |
| Barely Baggies | 100% recycled nylon | No |
| M’s Baggies Lights Shorts | 100% recycled polyester ripstop | No |
| M’s Baggies Naturals Shorts | 55% hemp/45% organic cotton | Yes |
| M’s Baggies Jacket | 100% recycled nylon | No |
Do Patagonia Synchilla Shrink?
No Patagonia Synchilla does not shrink because every synchilla pullover, vest, jacket, glove. booties, cagoule, and pants Patagonia make are either made of 100% Nylon or 100% polyester
Among nylon and polyester synchillas, polyester requires a very high temperature to relax to shrink. Because polyester is predried at a very high temperature which a household dryer or iron can not reach thus, it is a practical ‘no’ for polyester Patagonia synchilla’s shrinking.
However, with nylon synchilla, there is still a possibility of shrinking at the peak of the dryer’s temperature because Nylon can’t be held under tension in higher temperature ranges.
You can use the table below to reference the Patagonia synchilla, which uses Nylon and Polyester.
| Famous Patagonia Synchilla | Fabric Used | Easy to Shrink? |
| Synchilla Snap-T Fleece Pullover | Body: 100% polyester Pockets: 100% nylon | No |
| Classic Synchilla Fleece Jacket | 100% polyester | No |
| Classic Synchilla Fleece Vest | 100% polyester | No |
| Shelled Synchilla Reversible Vest | Shell & Trim: 100% nylon Lining: 100% polyester | No |
| Synchilla Snap-T Fleece Pants | 100% polyester | No |
| Synchilla Fleece Gloves | 100% polyester | No |
| Kids’ Unisex Synchilla Fleece Cagoule | Body: 100% polyester Pocket:100% nylon | No |
| Baby Synchilla Fleece Booties | Body: 100% polyester Soles: 3% nylon/33.7% polyurethane/13.3% spandex | No |
| Shelled Synchilla Jacket | 100% nylon Baggies™ shell fabric | No |
Do Patagonia Flannels Shrink?
Yes, all Patagonia flannels can shrink because all the Patagonia flannels are 100% made of organic cotton, which can be shrunk very easily in hot water and tumble dry on heat.
Because it is 100% organic cotton, it is not treated with any chemical, which may result in more than 10% of cotton shrinking.
In Patagonia flannels, you’ll be more likely to see length shrinkage than the widths, not because it is the fault of Patagonia but because it is the nature of 100% organic cotton fabric.
That’s why with 100% cotton garments, the washing is recommended in the cold to lukewarm water and using a line if possible to dry the clothes instead of tumble drying. And the same is applied to all Patagonia that have organic cotton.
If you’re running out of time, then use the dryer with an air cycle with no not heat to dry out the flannels.
You can use the table given below as a reference to check some of the famous Patagonia flannels and their shrinking ease.
| Famous Patagonia Flannels | Fabric Used | Easy to Shrink? |
| M’s Lightweight Fjord Flannel Shirt | 100% organic cotton garment-washed flannel twill | Yes |
| M’s Natural Dye Fjord Flannel Shirt | 100% organic cotton flannel | Yes |
| W’s Long-Sleeved Fjord Flannel Shirt | 100% organic cotton flannel | Yes |
| M’s Long-Sleeved Fjord Flannel Shirt | 100% organic cotton garment-washed flannel twill | Yes |
| Insulated Fjord Flannel Jacket | Shell: 100% organic cotton yarn-dyed flannel Lining: 100% polyester plain weave | Yes, but don’t do it |
| Fjord Flannel Patchwork Scarf | 100% organic cotton flannel | Yes |
| W’s Driving Song Flannel Shirt | 100% organic cotton peached flannel | Yes |
| M’s Lightweight Fjord Flannel Hoody | 100% organic cotton garment-washed flannel twill | Yes |
| W’s Heywood Flannel Shirt | 100% organic cotton twill flannel | Yes |
Do Patagonia Shorts Shrink?
Yes, some Patagonia shorts are made of organic cotton, which can shrink quickly, but most Patagonia shorts are made of Nylon and Polyester, which are hard to shrink on low heat.
Thus if you want, you can shrink the organic Patagonia shorts in hot water and then tumble dry on high heat, which can shrink them up to 10% or more.
However, I would recommend you to contact a tailor or seamstress to see whether they can correct its fit according to you or not.
And if they say no, then return your Patagonia shorts and order another pair that you think might fit well.
| Famous Patagonia Shorts | Fabric Used | Easy to Shrink |
| M’s Nine Trails Running Shorts | 91% recycled polyester/9% spandex stretch-woven blend | No |
| M’s Lightweight All-wear Hemp Shorts | 76% organic cotton/24% hemp | Yes |
| M’s Stand Up Shorts | 100% organic cotton canvas | Yes |
| M’s Quandary Shorts | 95% nylon (65% recycled)/5% spandex | No |
| M’s Strider Pro Running Shorts | 100% recycled polyester ripstop | No |
| M’s Stretch Planing Boardshorts | 91% recycled polyester/9% spandex | No |
| W’s Nine Trails Shorts | 91% recycled polyester/9% spandex | No |
| W’s Quandary Shorts | 95% nylon/5% spandex | No |
| W’s Strider Running Shorts | 100% polyester | No |
| W’s Fleetwith Shorts | 91% recycled polyester/9% spandex plain weave | No |
| W’s Slub Woven Shorts | 100% organic cotton slub-woven | Yes |
| W’s Stretch All-Wear Shorts | 98% organic cotton/2% spandex stretch plain weave | Yes |
Do Patagonia Fleeces Shrink?
If you have read this article completely, you might notice that in the fabric used section, I used the word ‘fleece’ several times in Patagonia sweater and synchilla.
Now you might be wondering, do the fleeces play a role in the shrinking of Patagonia. Do Patagonia fleeces shrink?
The answer is No. You can’t shrink the Patagonia fleeces because they are used with polyester, unlike any fabric, and thus takes a very high temperature to relax its structure and shrink.
And the heat a polyester fabric requires generally can not be attained by household iron and dryers. Even if you somehow managed to generate at least 155-178°F of heat, there are many chances that your fleece jacket, sweater, or synchilla won’t be good enough to wear in public.
Thus, a better way to shrink or fit the Patagonia fleece is to contact a sewist to help your yarn fit you.
And, if that does not work, return it to Patagonia or get used to wearing it a little loose which is not a big deal.
Conclusion
I hope I can help you at least figure out whether to shrink Patagonia or not.
Let’s conclude it- does Patagonia shrink? It depends. It will shrink quickly if the Patagonia clothing comprises cotton, hemp, cashmere, wool, or any other natural fabric. However, if Patagonia clothing is made up of Nylon or Polyester, then it is almost impossible to shrink that Patagonia.
Read Also: Are Patagonia Jackets Warm Enough For Freezing Temperature? (Read Before You Buy)
Michael is heavily inclined towards traveling to natural places and documenting cultures/people from different parts of the world. He also loves hiking and camping and is spirited toward all outdoor activities. He will share his passion for outdoor life and brands or products we use outside our homes. He has good research skills, and that’s why you can see why his articles are packed with info that is factual and not readily available. He also has the vision to travel the whole world and share it with all readers of Outdoor Favor.
