I took two lightweight sleeveless shirts and decided to turn them into a very breathable, synthetic insulated vest.
The inside of the vest is a thin REI brand 56% Tencel, 30 something percent poly, and spandex rest. It's got a decent drying time, good breathability, somewhat decent odor prevention, and it's strong and durable and fairly light weight considering how much semi-natural fiber it has in it.
The outside is a thin 100% polyester sleeveless shirt that is very breathable and quite light.
Sandwiched between the two, just on the front, is 2.5 oz Apex insulation. I sewed the shirts/Apex material together at the neck opening, the sleeve openings, and the bottom of the shirt. The Apex seems fairly well stabilized that way, though when i wash it, i will hand wash it.
The combo is extremely breathable. It's got the breathability of your average fleece, but warmer for the front core area of the body than most fleeces.
The reason why i only did the front, well because i created this to be an active layer for winter backpacking which is my favorite, and when i have a pack on, i don't need any extra insulation in the back. I've had a number of mornings where i wished i had had something besides my down jacket for more serious insulation, for staring off, going down long hills, straight ways, etc, but also wished i had more than my windshirt, baselayer, and lightweight mid layer. Granted, going uphill i only usually need the baselayer and windshirt, but with the extreme breathability and flexibility of this system i don't have too worry much about over sweating in it–just keep the front unzipped and with any breeze or wind, will stay cool enough.
Why no sleeves? Because i want maximum breathability for one, for two, i would be wearing a long sleeve baselayer underneath the vest and with a windshirt combined, i'm usually fine if my front core, hands, and head is warm to around 20 degrees or so. I'm thinking about some making UL Apex inuslated sleeves, using some breathable ripstop nylon (non calendared and non factor DWR coating) to go in combo.
I will post pics and weight tomorrow. I kind of consider this the DIY/MYOG answer to the over priced Polartec Alpha stuff. I would guess that the Polartec stuff would probably be a bit more durable long term, but i like the flexibility of this combo. Can combine with with a windshirt, or not, or partial (unzipped).
