EB Microtherm VS Igniter

I have the Igniter. It's a little bulky IMO to be layering a down garment over it. On the other hand, I don't think I'd ever buy a down garment for active wear (i.e., sweating). Down absorbs moisture readily and is hard to dry out in the field. I have skied in my Igniter. As for packing, nothing packs smaller and retains its loft better than down. But by "staying packed," do you mean storing packed? I wouldn't do that with either one.

My buddy uses the Igniter jacket and like Todd stated it is bulky and it more of an "throw over everything" jacket than a midlayer piece and I honestly don't know enough about the new Microtherm jacket to really comment, but I would say that it is more suited to wear as a mid layer underneath a shell on those really cold days and breathable enough to wear as an outer piece while active.

THe Microtherm is certainly more versatile but the Igniter is more of a camp/stop piece that would go over everything.

I didn't find the Igniter to be bulkier than a fleece. I get cold a lot easier than most people. I like the Microtherm concept, but the lack of a draw cord or elastic at the bottom makes it quite useless for me on it's own. My lower back is exposed and I get cold.

I just want the lightest ski setup, that's not restricting my movement. I don't expect the use this setup overnight in the backcountry. I can deal with having to dry it every night.

Initially I was looking at the nano puff, but it fits me very poorly.

I have the Igniter and it is 6.5"x7" when packed in the supplied stuff sack.

The rest is the old down/synthetic debate. I see it this way: down for cold dry climates and maximum loft/weight; synthetic for wet humid climates and rugged use.

I couldn't imagine skiing with the Igniter unless it was really cold. Nice on the lift line though. I would be wearing a base layer with a synthetic mid layer like R1, Cap4, or Power Stretch under the eVent shell while active.

I would love to see a real comparison of down and synthetic in regard to compression cycles, loft retention and service life.

Wow dunno where you guys ski, but at -20C and lower plus windchill there is no way id ski with just a base layer, fleece and shell. To manage sweat I will look into a vapor barrier vest.

I tried the Igniter again, and I must say it doesn't feel nearly as nice as the Microtherm.

Yeah, -20c would have me looking for more layers :) Sweating at that temp is a problem. What are others in your area using?

Dunno, but I often hear "Damn it's cold". I used to use a nike skin tight shirt, MEC T3 base layer, a very thick furry fleece that's way warmer than polartec thermal pro. On those cold days I used to trow the MEC Tremblant vest on top of all that. It worked well, but it was very restrictive.

I considered a heated vest, but I cringe at that idea.

How much insulation would I loose if I went with MEC Uplink jacket? http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/MemberPicks/Climbing/PRD~5017-624/mec-uplink-jacket-mens.jsp

It only has 40G of primaloft one. It's quite similar to the nanopuff but it fits me a lot better,

EDIT: Found the answer

Primaloft One is .84 clo/oz
800+ fill power down is 1.68 clo/oz

Microtherm has 2.7 ounces of down
Uplink has 1.41 ounces of primaloft

However considering sweat I am starting to lean towards the Uplink. The uplink will probally keep me warmer in some instances considering it has a drawcord at the bottom.

The uplink is basically the equivalent to a lightish fleece plus windshirt

To compare the igniter is 100gm, nano 60gm, uplink 40gm

The uplink is a good piece of gear … But its really a fleece replacement