Waterproof/breathable or sil-nylon for shell hood?

[Rusty Beaver]

I have a one-piece Gore-Tex mountaineering suit that's missing the hood. This suit is uninsulated and will be used for winter snowshoeing in blizzard conditions.

I'm going to make an uninsulated hood but have not decided on the materials. The materials I have on hand are heavy Gore-Tex and 1.1 oz sil-nylon. Which material should I make it from and why?

[Bob Gross]

It makes good sense to use a hood fabric that is similar to the rest of the jacket.
I've worked with lightweight sil-nylon, and I find it to be a real pain due to its slippery nature. Which fabric you decide upon might be based on your sewing skills.
The overall size of the hood is not much, so the use of one fabric or another won't make all that much difference in overall weight.
–B.G.–

[Rusty Beaver]

Your thinking is along the same lines as mine. However one thing I'm wondering: How important is it to have a "breathable" hood on a garment like this?

[Brad Groves]

"How important is it to have a "breathable" hood on a garment like this?"

Well, the rest of the garment is breathable, too… sure makes sense to keep w/the pattern. Also note that the head produces a lot of sweat. Think about your sweaty areas when you're working hard: feet, groin, armpits, forehead/neck, small of back. No disadvantage to making your hood WPB. Might make it more manageable to keep the hood up in variable conditions, whereas you'd keep a bit much humidity/heat in w/sil.

[Roger Caffin]

Well, assuming you do mean sub-zero blizzard conditions, then you maybe don't need the waterproof bit? But if you are snowshoeing, you might be working hard and sweating a bit?

Under such conditions I would suggest either the Gore-tex or an uncoated fabric with a very good DWR. A hat over it might be a good trick to keep the snow off anyhow. And leave room for something warm underneath it too.

Cheers

[Rusty Beaver]

I'll probably use a waterproof breathable.

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