synthetic material of choice for jacket with frequent stuffing/unstuffing

Apex would be best Mike. Polartec Alpha is very good under compression but has a low Clo.

Stephen- who makes jackets using Apex? tia Mike

fleece … polartec thermal pro ;)

ZPacks are expected to release one sometime soon (or not so soon?), supposed to be very lightweight. Kifaru makes one which is quite heavy here. I’ve also read that many manufacturers use the material but call it a different name, something to do with licensing? On their website they list some of the products: here, but probably not all of them are APEX as there are also CONTUR, PRISM and COMBAT varieties that can be used.

Hi Mike, One thing to remember that a beaten Primaloft parka might still be warmer than an Apex one.

how will it be used ? In static situations or dynamic situations ?

Use will be mostly static (glassing), occasionally on the move in very cold temps Stephen interesting. I thought climashield was close to primaloft in warmth Is Arcteryx core loft climashield?

OK. Then I would recommend indeed a synthetic insulation. No, Coreloft is not Climashield as it is a staple fiber insulation, but Thermetek is (Prism). Insulation values: – Primaloft Gold/One: 0,92 CLO/oz – Climashield Apex: 0,82 CLO/oz – Primaloft Silver/Sport: 0,79 CLO/oz – Climashield Prism: 0,76 CLO/oz

while Primaloft Gold/One has a better initial CLO, Primaloft Silver/Sport will maintain its CLO better after repeated compression cycles.

I have good luck with compression on Sport.

"OK. Then I would recommend indeed a synthetic insulation. No, Coreloft is not Climashield as it is a staple fiber insulation, but Thermetek is (Prism). Insulation values: – Primaloft Gold/One: 0,92 CLO/oz – Climashield Apex: 0,82 CLO/oz – Primaloft Silver/Sport: 0,79 CLO/oz – Climashield Prism: 0,76 CLO/oz" Woubeir, Do you know where Primaloft black falls in the above continuum and in regards to durability?

Well, actually there's Black Insulation Hi-Loft (CLO 0,57; former Infinty) and Black Insulation Eco (don't know the CLO but assume it's somewhere around that of Infinity). As regards to durability, no idea as I used neither.

Thanks for providing the clo numbers for the Hi-Loft. Richard Fischel, do you know if it is less susceptible to compression degradation? Edit – But I guess at that clo it is getting closer to Apex?

Eric, what thermal pro jackets are you using? I just bought a melanzana high loft hoodie and at 14 ounces in size medium, layered under a shell this thing might just shatter the idea of puff being much warmer for the weight than fleece. It's 300 weight pro.

Apex for sure. The Kifaru is pretty light given the insulation weight and fairly burly fabrics.

I was actually thinking of maybe grabbing one and cutting out the roo pocket, would probably save a good few oz it being 1000D cordura!

Eric, what thermal pro jackets are you using? I just bought a melanzana high loft hoodie and at 14 ounces in size medium, layered under a shell this thing might just shatter the idea of puff being much warmer for the weight than fleece. It's 300 weight pro. ive got a dead bird and a marmot both thermal pro… forgot the models as theyre a few years old … personally i find a fleece and windshell isnt too far off from my atom lt …. not to mention i can wear em in town or with a pack for years without worrying about killing the coreloft (we can always dig up that thread of the dead bird representative telling a BPLer that wearing coreloft while sitting down and driving yr car for an hour or two a day will kill it in a few months) actually i just used the dead bird fleece and my not so breathable OR helium the other day … and it was even warmer … i suspect the lower breathability of the helium adds quite a bit of "warmth" in static situations i honestly dont think ill buy another synthetic jacket for quite a while … if you want to keep the insulation in tip top condition, it means you shouldnt wear it for normal use around town … ;)

It appears there is a wide open niche for a lightweight Apex jacket/parka. There is an outfit in CZ that builds a nice looking and light Apex hooded jacket, but no vendors stateside. Thru Hiker sells Apex, but while they have a Primaloft "kit" for a jacket, no "kit" for Apex Any of you entrepreneurial types, here's your chance :)

According to their website, the Thru-hiker Maxima Jacket Kit can be ordered with 2.5oz APEX, 5.0oz APEX, or 6.0oz Primaloft Sport

Mike, AsTucas (who posts here) in Spain (but ships to the US) builds Apex trousers, might be worth asking if they would build an Apex jacket.

whoops- missed that on Thru-Hiker Stephen- thanks for the lead

Hi Mike, What's your weight limit?

I believe (and hope) that As Tucas will stock such an Apex jacket.

Stephen- would like to get the jacket into the 10-12 oz give or take a little I’ve sent this outfit an email- Tilak (in CZ) an email on their Ketil jacket- looks pretty close to what I’m looking for- Apex, hood, slash pockets and under 12 oz