Best clothing combo for my outdoor living? R2 + Houdini + Thermawrap Pro?

Sounds like a very affluent Hobo to me ? :>)

Larry

As one of those quotes was mine I thought I would respond.

I do a lot of buming around myself and I can say it really doesn't have to be an R2, any non face brushed fleece will work. You want as much pile as you can get for that windshirt to activate and it will be able to be used at higher temps because it will breath better. It is just that the R2 and Monkeyman do this really well. Even more so with the windshirt. Any thin nylon unlined jacket will work. The thing is the baselayer as most poly shirts start to stink out after a few uses. I usually use a 50/50 t-shirt as it provides some better stink control but even it gets overwhelmed. I wish I could find those really thin t-shirts like we had when I was in the Army. You stunk some but they dried really fast because they were so thin. I am going to try out that Nano-tex stuff but am not holding out much hope. For the rain just use a trash bag rainskirt and a cheap poncho/tarp with a $1 art supply visor. If you need shelter from the rain you can just set up the tarp and use the trash bag to cover you from right above your kness down past your feet from the rain and the trash bag will be vented also. For warmer temps you can use a space blanket with the clothes you have as it is warm and you don't care if you get a little bit damp from the condensation.

Personally I would just keep the fleece vest and add gloves and a hat. I really don't like synth because it doesn't have a long shelf life but if you can find one for $20 go for it. Same with down which gets wet easily. i wish there was a cheap product for that around freezing range that had a good shelf life but that is not the case. oh well.

Haha, Larry, a hobo can look quite affluent after a couple months of work and nothing to spend money on but nice gear :)

Bret, thanks for the tips. I was worried about the life of the synthetic. I'm still considering just doing all fleece plus windbreaker but the Thermawrap Parka sounds a lot warmer for its weight.

Well Steve that sounds like me back in my college days in the early
70's when I'd take my GI Bill student Loan money and buy rock climbing
gear and maybe then some food. :>)
For in camp and cold sleeping I have been just using my REI Polar Fleece for the last 15 years or so. It's getting a little thin after
all that time and I started researching some of the new (relatively)
Synthetic Insulations and found a deal on a Patagonia Puffball
insulated lightweight jacket. It's the Patagucci NanoPuff Insulated
Jacket. It's really pretty thin and doesn't seem to warm to me yet
but haven't actually worn it in the cold yet. It just arrived this
weekend while I was outta town. I typically don't carry a lightweight
Wind Jacket but use a Waterproof Breathable instead.
I hoped the NanoPuff with it's DWR shell would work well enough
without having to use a seperate wind shell.
The NanoPuff is roughly the same weight as my old Fleece alone.

Larry

I'm currently doing the same thing (sort of)- bumming around on a bike and working from the road. I think the system you've got worked out looks pretty good. You're layering in the right order. I would make sure your insulated layer has a hood; that makes a big difference for me. I find I don't need or want a hood on any other layers except insulation and raincoat.

Your system seems fairly reasonable. Personally, I would go with something that was a bit lighter (less warm) than the R2 like the R1 hoody (or the Cap 4 Hoody if you run as warm as I do), and then do a down puffy with a full zipper which you can ventilate appropriately and will be warmer / weight as well as a longer life than a synthetic.

–mark

Max, cool, I have a friend that lives on her bike. I just hitched down the 101/1 and I marveled at the touring bikers going up those hills. Christ. That doesn't look fun but I bet it is once you start cruising down it :)

Mark, thanks for the tip. I was actually thinking of getting the R1 with a Rab Alpine Generator since it has 100g PL1 in the body and 80 on the arms– I could ventilate it or zip it up as needed. I ruled out down since I figured I shouldn't rough up a nice down jacket and I'd need to be more gentle to preserve it but you're right.. less weight, more warmth, longer life, still modular. Something like the Montbell UL down inner?

Also, I forgot to mention I have an Arcteryx Atom LT I found in Arcata. I don't know what condition the insulation is in but I'm gonna pick up a Houdini and see how low I can get combining it with the Atom. I wonder if Arcteryx will get the loft back to spec for a fee, like Marmot (they said they'd bring a bag up to spec for $30).

Marmot just cleans and dries it really well for the $30.

I have tried an RAB Generator and thought it was okay for insulation, it really didn't add a whole lot of warmth. I would follow Mark's Idea of getting a down jacket with a hood. The Houdini and the DWR on a jacket will keep light rain off of you and the down from getting wet and if it really pours, just go underneath a tree. It doesn't have to be a really expensive down jacket either. ArcturusBear on here sent me a down jacket he had found at Marshall's for $10. I cut out the liner and some other crap off of it and got a down jacket with a hood that is warmer than a Montbell UL Down Inner for about a pound. The UL really is not that warm, just a bit more than an R2 with a windshell. WalMart is selling something similar to the UL for $50 for a few more ounces.

@ Mark, yeah an R2 can get very warm but I don't put a shell over mine. The thing breathes too well so I can usually bleed off a lot of heat while moving. Pop on a shell and you can get roasty. And there is only a 1-2 oz difference between Cap4-r1-R2 but you get a lot more warmth with the R2 than the other two. But I do see where you are coming from.

> Something like the Montbell UL down inner?

The Mobtbell UL inner is the classic around here, but in the last few years there have been an explosion of UL down jackets, so of which are quite cheap like those found at Costco, Eddie Bauer at their off season sales, etc. I am currently using a Stoic Down Pullover which I go on clearance. I will replace mine when one of the jackets I really like the cut / weight of gets make with DownTek or better yet, the new water resistant treatment Patagonia is using.

I have an Arcteryx Atom which I use around town and as a light mid-layer skiing. It's a great piece for me because it's not that warm and I have a tendency to overheat. If I would going to guess, I would think the R2 might be equiv warmth or maybe be warmer.

Brett… yeah, the R2 has more warmth / oz than the R1 or Cap 4 and without a shell it's pretty air permeable which lets you vent. I tend to run warm and move fairly quickly which means that I want that layer light, highly air permeable, and something that moves moisture because even a 35F I can often find myself sweating once I have been moving for awhile.

–mark

I am the odd opposite in that I can be ice cold until I reach a point and then nothing can cool me down. For a fleece don't get the brushed stuff, get the pile stuff and throw a shell of some kind over it. With fleece you can always unzip and roll up to better vent when you need to to extend the range of the piece.

But again this is just to show that people can be different. But I would still suggest a down jacket with a hood that you can layer over your fleece which ever it may be and avoid the heavy downpours. Better if it is the water resistant stuff.

@Mark, what have you heard about the Pat stuff?

Thanks for the tips everyone! After hitting some cold weather here in Flagstaff, I have a better idea of what I need. None of the shops here had the R1 or R2 (Patagonia only had the cap4, and no Houdini) so I hit the by-the-pound Goodwill and picked up a light windbreaker and a fleece (brushed I think- does pile look a lot different?). I'm good in the Atom LT plus windbreaker down to 55 (then it gets chilly) but even with all my layers on plus a nostalgic cotton pullover, I'm chilly in the 40s.

That said, I'm gonna go with the Atom LT, the windbreaker, and pick up a hooded 5oz down jacket like you all suggested, like the Alpine Light. Or a cheap one I can find (no luck on that yet).

Thanks again for all the input- I'm really grateful!

Thermawrap pro is just now finding a home in my gear closet. After a couple especially wet trips I'm moving back towards synthetic gear for winter and wet fall and spring trips. The slight increase in weight is quickly offset by the safety and security of not having to worry about down gear wetting out.

Still looking for a lighter base layer than my r1

I don't think I'll encounter rain enough to be honest.

As far as something lighter than the R1, from my research and suggestions here, check out the Cap4.

Riding choo choos with arcteryx gear? Don't the oogs make fun of you?

I would shred a houdini really fast while traveling bum style – probably better to stick with a cheap windbreaker.