PAT COM REAL DEAL: The Patagonia MLC

Great deal right now on the beloved Patagonia MLC. I've discussed this bag on PatagoniaCommunity a couple of times--it's a Patagonia favorite. Down from the original $175 price tag, REI Outlet is offering it for $99.93. But wait, there's more! REI Outlet also has a 20% off coupon for one item from its outlet store. That would bring the price of the MLC down to about $80. That's not bad at all folks.

Interestingly, there's an updated version of the Patagonia MLC that's part of the fall collection over at Patagonia.com. It's now being sold for $160. Interested to hear from anyone who has either the old or new version.

New Product: The Patagonia MLC Dawn Patrol

(Photo from Patagonia.com)

Recently Patagonia took one of its popular items, the Critical Mass, and created a variation on it, the Vertical Mass. Seems like it was a popular concept because they've duplicated the strategy, this time with the time-honored and much-beloved MLC bag. The original MLC has been raved about for years (as has the relatively recent introduction, the MLC Wheelie) so for those MLC-lovers out there who just can't give too much TLC to their MLC, Patagonia's created the MLC Dawn Patrol.

This version is a backpack that is $35 less than the pricey $175 MLC but holds some 500 cubic inches less than the original. What many will probably love about it though is that it has a padded laptop computer pocket that will put the notebook-toting traveler's mind at ease.

Palo Alto Patagonia

Paid a visit to the Palo Alto Patagonia store Wednesday. I got there about 45 minutes before closing on a dreary, rainy day. The store is on Alma Street which is a pretty busy narrow street (had to wait to open my car door lest an approaching automobile convert my 4-door car to a 3-door car) just off University Avenue which leads into Stanford University. It's a great looking store that stretches pretty deep behind a fairly narrow store front.

It was the second to last day of the Winterfest Sale and I found that they had some gear that had long since sold out on the website like the old version of the MLC bag and some printed t-shirts. They also had a good amount of winter stuff like the Down Vest, Rubicon Puff, and so on. I liked the look and feel of the store and while I didn't come out with anything (still waiting for the new Critical Mass to come in and the Stretch Latitude jacket to go on sale), I did encounter some warm employees and a catalog (for some reason I never got the Heart of Winter catalog in the mail).

The buddy I was with was pretty shocked by Patagonia's prices and we had a good discussion about the environmental causes Patagonia supports and the R & D that goes into the products. He was convinced though that the bottom line was that Patagonia was out to make money and frankly, I couldn't refute that--what business isn't? However, without knowing much about the company, it's easy for people to look at the price tag and just see it as a rip-off.

THE Bag: the Patagonia MLC Bag

(Photo from patagonia.com)
The much-loved MLC bag from Patagonia is back and completely redesigned. That bag gets rave reviews from everyone who has it. The Patagonia blog, The Cleanest Line, has a review here. Be sure to read the comments on that entry for customer views on the MLC. I've wavered between getting an MLC or the time-honored Critical Mass. I'm leaning toward the Critical Mass. The MLC seems a bit more business-y (it's also $159 vs. $119) while the Critical Mass still has a college-student look and feel to it and let's face it, I'll use whatever I can to make myself feel younger.