Windshirts?

to anyone who has hiked the PCT, do you think it's necessary to carry something like the montbell thermawrap just for sleeping? or does that ever become a piece of clothing you actually wear while hiking?

Hey Erin,

I can't speak from firsthand experience (as far as thru-hiking the PCT), but I'll be doing it this year. I have hiked with the Houdini. I've had mine a couple months now & been able to test it out in all kinds of weather. Really like it. I don't have firsthand experience with the others, but if I can answer any questions regarding the Houdini I'd be glad to.

As for the Thermawrap, include it at least for the Sierra portion —> north. Depending on what else you have in your gear list, I'd want a good insulator along. I'm bringing my Nano Puff, and am expecting more than a few nights of using it while sleeping. Mine is a 1/3 zip, so when I hike in it it can get warm. A full zip would give more ventilating options. I've hiked a lot in the San Bernardinos & Sierra, Tahoe & Yosemite especially. Bring it, bounce box it if weather hits a nice stretch, but have it along.

I have a Houdini and love it. The hood is especailly awesome and adds a lot of warmth.

As for a jacket to sleep in, it depends on how warm your bag is and how warm a sleeper you are. I used a 30-degree WM bag on the PCT, and I'm a cold sleeper. So I definitely needed my Thermawrap for sleeping since we had many nights below freezing in the Sierra. Also, the Sierras aren't the only cold spot on the trail–we had nights below freezing in April in SoCal.

You might want to also take a look at the Pearl Izumi P.R.O. Barrier Lite Jacket. Size large weighs in at 2.4 oz. No hood and it has a very trim fit. The thing I like the most, along with the trim fit, is the back drops down a bit and tapers to the the front which gives better coverage when crawling around on the ground, etc. I personally do not like like hoods on most wind shirts. I had a couple of Marmot and GoLite wind shirts whereas the hood really didn't button down well when not in use. In high winds they would come loose and slap my face.

http://www.pearlizumi.com/publish/content/pi_2010/us/en/index/products/men/ride/apparel/6.-productCode-6546.html

driclime is more of a light softshell as it has micropile inside … IMO more for cooler temps

id have to be pretty cold before wearing something like a thermawrap while hiking

I saw quite a few people with windshirts on various parts of the PCT. I never had a use for one. A few times I got cold sitting around in the sierra. I just put on my rain shell. Also helped for mosquitos. I did take a houdini through the glacier peak wilderness, but again, I only used it when resting to keep the mosquitos away.

I haven't hiked the entire trail, so maybe there are areas/times where it is useful. If you want to go without a rainshell then I could see wanting a windshirt. If you do take a rainshell, then the windshirt is mostly redundent, offering only marginally better breathability. You can get a pretty light rainshell these days too.

But to answer your question, I used a Houdini. I mostly use it for winter trips, climbing, etc. And then only for day trips where I know for a fact that it won't rain.

I had a dedicated shirt for hiking, usually a button up sun shirt or a very thin long sleeve shirt. I had a separate baselayer shirt for sleeping in to keep my down bag clean. I only had to hike in the baselayer a few times. I think it was nice to have when going up Whitney at 3am. I never wished for anything more.

I did take a Montbell Alpine Light for the Sierra and it was nice. Maybe a touch overkill. I replaced it with a Montbell UL Down Inner.

Everyone has their own layering strategy to adapt to the wide array of temperatures encountered. Mine was a hiking shirt, and sleeping shirt, and light insulation for breaks.

I don't leave home w/o mine- summer or winter, day trip or week long trip- probably the most versatile bit of kit I own- yeah it cuts wind, but it also sheds light precip pretty darn good too- as mentioned above a good remedy for biting bugs too. All this while being very breathable (also vents nicely w/ the full zip if needed). Having a hood is also very handy- personally I wouldn't get one w/o it.

It's often the lone layer I need to add to be warm- hiking or at camp. If it's really cold, layered over (or under) your puffy layer makes a big difference. I've worn mine in my sleeping bag as well (unexpectedly really pushed my sleeping bag rating one night).

I use a exlite for my insulating layer for 3 season stuff, I'd think it would work well on the PCT, but possibly a primaloft garment might be better due to the moisture??????

1. Patagonia Houdini: two thumbs up
2. Montbell Dynamo: dunno
3. Marmot Driclime: nice, but you are committed to the fleece lining and weight. I prefer the Patagonia Alpine jacket which has pockets and a bottom drawstring for the same weight. Neither is as versatile as a simple wind shell with an added wicking layer, which is already carried. Like soft shells, I put them in the day hiking category.

Using windshirts takes a little mind-bending: it is a layering garment and not like an insulating jacket. I wear one with base layer alone, mid-weight fleece like Power Stretch, or an insulating vest. I like a full zipper and light color for maximum versatility. It is the first go-to top I reach for and is so small that it rides in any handy spot in my pack-du-jour.

I happen to use a rather heavy GoLite "original" as it has zippered hand pockets, hood, and drawstring waist. My recommendation is to get a Montane Light Speed or the Patagonia Houdini. Study the reviews for breathability—- some brands/models are saunas.

Hi Erin,

To reply to your first question:

I am not familiar with the Montbell Dynamo but I do have a Patagonia Houdini and a Marmot Driclime. I chose the Patagonia Houdini on my PCT thruhike because it was considerably lighter than the Marmot Driclime (this was in 2008 so I think it was a savings of around 9 oz.). However, to be fair, a friend of mine used a Marmot Driclime on his PCT thruhike and seemed happy enough.

I imagine the advantage of either piece depends on the rest of your clothing system. My "baselayer" was a nylon long-sleeved button-down shirt, so even though I used the Houdini at some point nearly every day (e.g. in the morning or at camp), for the most part it lived in my pack. Conversely, my friend's baselayer was a short-sleeved t-shirt so he tended to live in his Marmot Driclime and didn't suffer the penalty in packweight (disclaimer: obviously he didn't wear it every day in the desert.)

I also hiked without any bug repellent (mainly to simplify logistics), so for me the other big advantage of the Houdini over the Driclime is the Houdini's hood.

To reply to your second question:

I used a Montbell Thermawrap vest. I used it when necessary to extend the range of my sleeping bag (a Golite Ultra 20) but it was also pressed into service once or twice during hiking. The main advantages for me of the Thermawrap was that being synthetic insulation instead of down, it was more likely to accept the sweaty trials of hiking gracefully. I also, felt more comfortable having a synthetic insulation piece to complement my down bag.

Have fun!