A Brave New Fleece
Nick Yardley, Yorkshire, England

Dear Patagonia,

In December of 1986, I left the dark, dripping, wet landscape of my native Yorkshire, England and arrived wide eyed in New England. I had two backpacks and $500 in my pocket and couldn’t have been happier.

I worked at a climbing school that had its office at the back of IME, THE climbing store in North Conway, NH and a Patagonia dealer. Everyday as I walked into the store my eyes fell on a Patagonia Snap-T fleece jacket. To me it stood out as a prime example of this brave new world I had arrived in. I purchased it with my very first paycheck in the USA ― I was sleeping on a mattress and barely had a couple of dollars to my name.  That jacket was my constant companion for 7 years. Here it is living every Brit climber’s dream, road tripping across the country and sleeping in the desert. Oh, the car cost $450 ― my second purchase in the states.

―Nick