I haven't put the Fat Pat through its paces yet, but there is no doubt that the Fat Patrol will cast a lot better into the wind than the regular Patrol. It is more or less the weight of the 345 Patrol but in the shorter length of the 285. At this time there isn't a lighter model but there is a second version coming in 6 weeks which is slightly longer and heavier. They look pretty similar, so I'm guessing the differences are more in the balance and action.
There is also a new version of the Atomic Pile in the works too.
Cheers
Duncan