2013 Mid Layer Hoody Roundup / Contingency Plan

[A W]

Been a lot of threads on this, but I was hoping to put together a comprehensive list of the top options – now that the Capilene 4 is out of stock until Fall.

Wool:
Ibex Hooded Indie (16.6oz)

Fleece:
MEC T2 Hoody (5.6oz)
MEC T3 Hoody (7.2oz)
Patagonia Capilene 4 (7.9oz) (unavailable)
RAB Orbit Hoodie (8 oz) (women only)
NorthWest Alpine Black Spider Hoody (10oz)
Cabelas Expedition Weight ECWCS hoody (?oz)
Melanzana Micro Grid Hoodie (?oz)
RAB Baseline Hoody (12oz)
Patagonia Piton Hybrid hoody (11.2 oz)
Mountain Hardware Desna Hoody (12.3oz)
Eddie Baur Hangfire hoodie (15oz)

So Fleece and Material Experts: above these are arranged by (listed) weight, which I assume is a pretty good correlation with warmth – how would you stack these up in terms of breathability? Does any other company use the exact same fleece setup as the recent Cap 4?

*for personal reference: This will be over a Icebreaker Merino Base, and under a Patagonia Houdini, which is pretty standard.

[William Chilton]

If you want a truly comprehensive list, perhaps it should include the RAB Women's Orbit Hoodie (8 oz). I don't know why they don't make a men's equivalent.

[Brad Rogers]

Melanzana Micro Grid Hoody?

[A W]

Added both, thanks. I originally left off the Melanzana because the fit is less "tactical" (which in my mind makes it not ideal for 'layering'). Couldn't find a weight for it on their site.

[Justin McCabe]

No love for the Ibex Indie?

Not a microgrid obviously but, it's my go-to next to skin or second layer.

[Ozzy McKinney]

Cabelas Expedition Weight ECWCS hoody, uses some type of polartec grid, and comes in tall (which makes it far superior to other offerings :b )

[Serge Giachetti]

Add the patagonia piton hybrid hoody. Some retailers still have them. 11 oz w/ windpro panels. I like this piece b/c it gives you a little more versatility as a mid or outer. I like the T2/cap 4 grid as shoulder/winter base and I'd like to try the piton as a mid/outer.

edit: I'd also add the Vapour Rise lite alpine. I use it as my winter action layer, and I think it balances breathability/wind resistance well enough to work as a mid as well.

[Richard Fischel]

i always see it as nw alpine

[Adam Rothermich]

Another fleece option is the Eddie Bauer/First Ascent Hangfire. Mine weighs 15.8 oz in size large, so its on the heavier side but its quite a bit warmer and blocks the wind better than my Microgrid Hoody. Its stylish enough to wear around town if that's important too.

http://www.eddiebauer.com/catalog/product.jsp?ensembleId=37539

FYI my Large Microgrid Hoody weighs 10.2 oz.

Adam

[Rick M]

del

[Greg F]

The T2 is lighter weight than the Cap4. I believe the T3 is the same as the cap4 but might be slightly heavier. The T3 has the same spacing as the T2 but with thicker fuzzy parts.

Just look at the weights post and the T3 is much closer to the Cap4. You could ask on the MEC website what the fabric weight of the T3 is. They are usually quick about getting an answer back.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

EB Hangfire hoodie.

Varying weights of fleece for "heat mapping". 15 oz. men's Med.

[Serge Giachetti]

@rick. The jacket looks good, I'll check it out.

I'm still a little skeptical about the role of designated mid layers for 3 season backpacking. It ads redundancy, complication, and weight to your layering system. The base layer wicks, wind shirt for wind and mobil warmth, shell for the bad weather, and a puffy for stationary/sleep insulation.
Jordan and co make a strong case for this system from the get go: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/00036.html#.UScaYBy8xyU
and Nilsey, in more tech detail here: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=9378&disable_pagination=1

I'm not sure why polartec high efficiency gives us more reason to carry a mid. Polartec designed it primarily as a base, and the grid fleece wicks best next to skin. I don't think its lightness is a good reason to add it to the pack.

Of course there is a lot of ways to pack (I err on the side of simplicity), and great if it works in your system. Just thought I'd invoke some of that old gospel from our founding fathers. :)

…I'll add, from a purely functional standpoint, a piece that wicks, breaths, insulates, and still has light weather protection, like a vapour rise, boreas or piton makes some sense to me in place of a wind shirt.

[Rick M]

del

[A W]

Thanks for the input guys – added some of those pieces in there.

*For reference, so far my 'Capilene 4 replacement' is either the MEC T3 or the NW Black Spider.

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