Marmot Reactor vs Patagonia R1

According to this chart, they should be about equally warm. http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=18950&skip_to_post=147100#147100

Might also check an Army Navy surplus store, Rothco etc. make a microgrid fleece that's functionally identical to the R1, but it's 25 bucks instead of 100.

thanks for the advice – i'll see what i can find. $100.00 is expensive for some water bottles :)

They are both polyester, but the Marmot is 100W microfleece where the Patagonia R1 is gridded Polartec Power Dry fleece. R1 is spendy stuff, but it traps a lot of warm air in those grids and transfers moisture well and gives more effective loft than Polartec 100. 100W fleece has never seemed as breathable to me and kinda sweaty.

IMHO, the Marmot is overpriced for what it is unless you found a good sale. You can get 100W fleece tops pretty cheap. If want an alternative to R1, look at Power Stretch fleece, which I think is a bit warmer than R1 and very comfortable— perfect to sleep in. Unfortunately it isn't any less expensive.

6PM.com had some deals on R1 pullover tops ($72) and they have some Outdoor Research tops with their "Radiant LT Fleece" for $35-$40.

i wouldnt pay more than $30 for 100 wt fleece … places like lands end, ll bean, cabela, EB, old navy have 100 wt fleece for < 30$ all the time .. sometimes less than 10$

for polartec powderdry R1 copies .. i wouldnt pay more than 50-60$ … llbean, cabelas, military stores, mec, rei etc .. all carry versions for substantially cheaper

cabelas, llbean, rei, mec, nothing in the price ranges stated here. lands end has a $40.00 fleece that looks like it weighs 2 pounds (it's double sided!) weight is an issue, i have a 6 year old REI fleece that weighs 19 ounces, i wanted something lighter and the Reactor and R1 come in under 14.

i found the R1 and Reactor for much less than REI, even with the upcoming 20% off. might have to hit Burlington Coat Factory and see what they have, i'm not going near the mall with the Old Navy…

maybe i need to look at some other option?

my shoulder season layering system is:

med weight merino wool ss shirt
med weight merino wool ls shirt
old, tired, heavy REI Muir Woods fleece (at rest or camp only)
primaloft vest (at rest or camp only)
if really cold no fleece or vest – primaloft puffy instead
marmot pre-cip shell w/hood

check again?

http://tinyurl.com/7w5zovd
http://tinyurl.com/6ndg9n8
http://tinyurl.com/77qz7bm

Dude, $80 for a Marmot 100wt fleece? For real? I'm surprised they are trying to pull that one off.

IMO, unless you start getting into the high-end fabrics (e.g. polartec power dry, powerstretch, or thermal pro), the generic stuff is pretty much the same as Polartec branded stuff. 100wt fleece is pretty much just that. Yes some will be more pill-resistant than others, but they perform similarly.

I've seen Cabelas sell fleece for extremely low prices (even polartec branded stuff). There's a ton on sale right now in Eric's mentioned price range. I too would never pay more than 30-40 for 100wt or 200wt fleece.

As others have mentioned, there is no comparison between R1 power-dry and 100wt fleece. They have their own unique applications.

two pullovers and a lined jacket which might be pretty heavy. i'm not a fan of pullovers, i'll keep digging. there is an Eddie bauer jacket that is 100w and $40.00 plus shipping ;)

my wife told me about an Old Navy that is not at the mall, we are going on Wednesday.

i hate the mall.

Powerdry or Microgrid >>>> generic fleece.

I found a very nice lightweight fleece at Old Navy for $9.99 on clearance. It weighs in at 14.40 ounces, exactly as much as the $90.00 Marmot Reactor. It has a draw cord at the bottom, a wind flap behind the zipper, and the hand warmer pockets are above the backpack hip belt area. It is from their active wear brand, I can't find it on their website, but it is pretty darn nice for a tenner.

Thanks for the suggestions.

glad u found a deal … i wore my 19$ old navy puffy cragging the last few days … abraded it a bit, spilled some sbucks on it … and ya know what? … i dont care one bit

it works just as well as my dead bird one ..

money saved is more money for trips

yes, money saved is more money for gas to get to the trailhead!