Thermawraps are getting heavy!

Nm

Interesting – I didn't catch the distinction between the "pro" and regular versions. Looks like there's no lightweight hooded Thermawrap anymore?

Nm

The Thermawrap Pro parka uses 80g/m2 I believe, so there's some extra weight there.

Extra 40% off Backcountry outlet (clearance) using coupon code save40 if they got your size for the sale price.

The Thermawrap PRO seems more comparable, on paper, to the Arcteryx Atom SV hoody which I found to be very warm for the weight. So at 18oz, the Thermawrap pro packs a lot into those extra ozs. The older Thermawrap was 50g, so not as warm.

If you're looking for a lighter synth hoody in the 60g range, check out the Atom LT, which is 13oz. I prefer the Atom LT to the Nanopuff for several reasons, one being overall fit and finish. The Nanopuff is boxier in cut and the box stitching that holds the primaloft one in place tends to fray fairly quickly in the chest and arms from use. Both are really good synthetic layering pieces, I just find the Arcteryx to be a little more polished overall. Atom LT also packs down into a smaller package for storage in a pack, but not by much. If you can find the Nano in your size at a considerable discount, you can't really go wrong with it as a light weight synth parka.

I wish I never read these posts… Nothing but trouble…

@LunchANDYnner — thanks for the code — it worked.

2 notes …

– the atom sv has 100g/m coreloft vs. 80g/m exceloft ….

– the atom LT has the breathable panels in the side which affects the "warmth" for static situations

;)

Thanks, Eugene. In general, Patagonia stuff fits me better than ArcTeryx (I have wide shoulders relative to my chest size) so the "boxy" fit works pretty well.

I'll try to check one out in person.

Agreed! I'm starting to think I should keep the Thermawrap pro and get a lighter non hooded pullover for the summer…

Nm

Plug for the Atom SV, I freakin' love it.

:)

I went the more cheaper route with a MH Thermostatic hooded jacket. Just got it last week so haven't tried it out yet, however it's supposed to get down into the mid 30s where I'll be doing an overnight this coming weekend so I'll see how it does.

Got mine new for $90 at BergsSkishop.com . I think they have an extra large and a small left (I bought a medium so I can layer under, but the sleeve length is more like a small, which is perfect for me but not so much for taller people).

It's 60g/m2 of MH's thermic micro (2013 uses their newer Thermal Q stuff) and the medium jacket with tags and labels still on weighs 10.2 oz on my scale, so pretty good for a full zip hooded jacket.

folks …

remember that a lot of these proprietary brands, we dont know the clo values of the insulation

PL1 – 0.92
PL Sport – 0.79
PL Eco – 0.68

Exceloft – 0.68 back a few years ago … who knows if its been updated

coreloft – dead bird claims its within "5% of PL1", but they refuse to release any real specs or tests as far as i know … who knows

thermic micro and other brands – no one knows, manufacturers refuse to tell you

so basically all other things being equal, a 100g/m pl1 jacket will be 70% more insulative than an 80g/m montbell jacket, assuming the old exceloft insulative value

now of course other things such as the fit and construction matter …

but unless you find a jacket VERY CHEAP, dont put up with insulation no one really knows the value of …

marketing departments want to confuse you and stop you from comparing against their competitiors …

;)

Very good point, Eric. Wish all the companies would list the Clo values of their insulation, but we can assume none of the house brand insulation is close to PL1, because if it was close or higher, they'd be advertising that like crazy.

Also wish down fill weight and product weight for each size would be listed. I like how GoLite lists how much fill is in their down products up front.

Nm

Anybody have an opinion on warmth of tw pro vrs alpine light parka (which I own)?

Ian you might have the 2012 Montbell Thermawrap Pro jacket – the 2013 is supposed to be a few ounces lighter like the pre-2012 Montbell Thermawrap Hoody which is excellent warmth for the weight, with 80g insulation throughout and a highly wind-resistant shell fabric (as Dave Chenault noted in an article, the shell material plays a big role in the warmth of synthetic insulation jackets, as does other factors like cut/fit). Montbell was selling both at the same time until just recently.

For a great overview of synthetic insulation jackets, check out: http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2012/12/synthetic-insulation-60g-to-100g.html

Dane says he found the Montbell Thermawrap Pro Hoody even warmer than the Arcteryx Atom SV, though I was surprised by that. The 2013 Thermawrap Pro Hoody and the older Thermawrap Hoody are both a few ounces lighter than the Atom SV.

I'd love to hear from someone else in addition to Dane who has tried the current 2013 Thermawrap Pro Hoody, Atom SV Hoody and Rab Alpine Generator Jacket (listed from lightest to heaviest).

no doubt theres other things that matter other than the value of the insulation ….

but then i never hear on BPL "hey this jacket only has 650 fill down and less down to boot, but it fits me better, feels warm and has a better shell than that 900 fill down jacket, so ill pay the same price"

what you DO hear is "OMG OMG OMG that 650 down filled jacket is like $30 at costco, hell of a screaming deal, its not 900 fill down, but for that price i dont give a dammn !!!"

its interesting how its different for synthetics … i take it as a sign that the marketing departments campaign of withholding REAL information as working

;)

Eric, I agree with you on most points, especially on the discrepancy between price, spec, value of synthetics and down on this forum.

I will say this though, Dane over at coldthistle has been playing around with new montbell clothing and he's been surprised by the warmth of the garments. He unscientifically claims that for their lower weight/area rating they still stack up well against PLone. That is their 50g/m2 ~ to a 60g/m2 and 80~90 and so forth. I tend to trust that guy since he spends so much time out of the "lab" testing gear.

I tend to just lump synthetics into the category of "I'll be colder or heavier, but I have more insurance if weather turns gnarly" and then stick with the 10oz, 16oz, and "heavy" weight classes for choosing synthetics (not too different from my down criteria actually).

As long as your moving enough you don't get cold ;)

Nm

my my my … how weve forgotten about the infamous 30 dollah costco down poofay already

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/forum_thread/54208/index.html

;)

Nm

the atom lt has fleece side panels …

it removes some insulation for it …

also the thermawrap pro is 80gm vs 60 gm …. even assuming the dead bird is 10% within PL1 … and that montbell hasnt updated their insulation the last few years …. the montbell would be theoretically "warmer"

now compare it against something in a similar overall weight like the atom SV … and it might be different

dont get me wrong … other things matter, especially fit … snug means warmer

but then i dont see BPLers applying the same standard for down jackets … where they obsess over the down fill power AND the amount of fill, and the baffling, etc ….

buy synth cheap IMO … cause unless its one of the known insulation types, its a box of chocolates, no one really knows how well it insulates … and youll wear it out regardless

it aint something to pass down to your kids

;)

Nm