Warm hiker, cold camper layering question

Sierra = mostly dry = down, in my book. Montbell Mirage, Rab Neutrino, Golite Bitterroot, etc. Seems like a pity to not camp super high because your jacket isn't quite warm enough.

A mirage would be plenty warm for what you expect to see, and very light too. That plus a cheap/light Target fleece (under $20) should probably cover much of your proposed hiking conditions give your parameters. I'm pretty similar and am actually thinking of moving to to a similar setup myself once I can justify buying more down jackets…

I feel your pain — I am exactly like that! Last August in the Sierras I took a Ghost Whisperer down jacket, and found that it was not warm enough (I like to camp near those gorgeous high alpine lakes). This summer I'll be taking a much warmer down jacket — something similar to a First Ascent Downlight (whereas the Ghost Whisperer is more like their MicroTherm). It'll be worth the extra 5 oz to me.

What do you carry for rain gear?

If you are a warm hiker, all you will need during the day is a base layer and rain jacket/windshirt.
Instead of layering a midlayer, you should go for a heavier down jacket. The heavier you get with a down jacket, the more warmth per ounce you are getting because of the base shell weight. Plus you can always sleep wearing that down jacket if you need extra insulation.

The Montbell Mirage looks outstanding, and it sounds like you have good justification to buy one. Use this warm puffy around camp and at rest breaks on the trail (on cool days). Pair that up with pretty light baselayers (one SS, one long sleeve) and a suitable shell (windshirt perhaps on a lot of occasions).

The Mirage that Dan mentions is a very nice piece, I can highly recommend it.

Thanks everyone.

Seems like the montbell mirage would be a great choice. Hopefully I can find one for slightly cheaper than list price! My graduate student salary won't be making me rich unfortunately!

My current rain gear is a Patagonia rain shadow. I'll upgrade eventually but for now it does the job just fine.

Valerie- its funny you mention the ghost whisperer because that's the exact jacket I have that doesn't feel warm enough for me!

I plan on getting a windshirt, leaning towards a rab alpine right now unless I can get my hands on a pre-2013 houdini in good condition. Not likely though. Since I haven't hiked the sierras a ton at this point, I'll probably carry a mid layer still. If I end up never using it then I'll start leaving it and just carrying the down jacket. Part of me likes the comfort of knowing I have an piece that can insulate when wet though, but I'm still on my east coast mindset right now :)

Two questions before i give you a proper answer

– what layers do you usually wear when moving out of those you listed

– when you stop are you damp from sweat … Of are you still fairly dry

;)

You should get warmer pants as well as or instead of a warmer jacket. What are you used to carrying for your legs?

I'm a little bit that way myself – I'll often find myself wearing less than my companions on the trail and more in camp.

Like you, I run hot when active and quickly spin down to very cold when inactive. During spring and fall I use an Arcteryx Atom SV (100g/m2) and in winter I use a Patagonia DAS Parka (180g/m2).

I find that in shoulder season the Atom SV is quite sufficient and as the season gets warmer I switch to the Nano Puff (60g/m2). In the winter, no reasonable amount of clothing will keep you completely warm while static, and I find that 180g of insulation is enough to stave off discomfort long enough to get your camp chores and eating done.

These aren't the lightest or most compressible but I like synthetic jackets as I often don them while I am still a little sweaty and they do a good job of drying me out. Additionally (shamefully), my down jackets are all hoodless!

I do have insulated pants and like them for winter but I find them a hassle to put on and off, so I've been working with one of the cottage makers of UL gear to make something less annoying but still warm.

I do not bother with fleece unless I expect to be wearing it while hiking. I do sometimes make an exception to carry a lightweight fleece if I expect a lot of cold rain, since it keeps you much more comfortable under a hard shell in those cold, wet conditions.

This is probably a silly question, but is there a warm down jacket that is reasonably priced?

Eric- I don't get particularly sweaty. Not sure why.. but I've never been a big sweater.

I don't plan on hiking in dead winter anytime soon… most likely late spring to early fall. Because of that, I only carry a baselayer + pants as my bottoms.

i would get a down poofay with 4 -6 oz of 800 fill down personally if you arent in a humid climate

the moment you stop zipper up … and if you stop for anything more than a few min put on your poofay

you can find stuff on sale on the time on the various sites, i use an EB FA downlight hoody which has around 4 oz of down

theres tons of others around, order from somewhere with free return shipping and youll be fine … there likely stuff for 50% off if you look around

;)

Put an advert up on Gear swap and you would get a very
Reasonably priced down parka.

I hike in a light baselayer and I have a warm down jacket when I am resting. If it gets colder than that I hop in my sleeping bag. No extra layers necessary.

I prefer the R1/Power Dry or Power Stretch over 100w fleece. Land's End has had some good deals on their light fleece tops that are made with Polartec Aircore 100.They have them on sale right now too– like $20.

http://www.landsend.com/products/mens-polartec-aircore-100-half-zip-fleece-pullover/id_241574

If you run cold, do consider a puffier version than a Nano Puff. If you use a windshirt, the 100w fleece with a windshirt is nearly as warm. I like 100g Primaloft jackets and there are lots of versions out there. There should be good sales coming up on down "sweater" style jackets if that is your preference.

Dale-

Is the power stretch material in something like this worth the price over something like the link you posted?

http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=18336546&lmdn=Brand

I'm on a budget, like I mentioned, but I'd like to get something that could last me reasonably long and be versatile.

Golite's Roan Plateau for 130 bucks is a lot of coat for the money. Now is a good time of year to look for sales on "winter" coats. Patagonia's Micropuff is going for 139 on their site, Black Diamond has their Stance Belay Hoody for 137, etc. The Stance wouldn't be quite as warm as the Roan, but is a very nicely cut and detailed coat.

Thanks for the response Dave. Do you know anything about the uniqlo down parka? Its getting some attention in the Gear Deals section right now and is only 60$…

If you're on a budget, snag one of those $20 Land's End fleeces and then watch like a spider for a deal to fall into your web.

Power Stretch is spendy stuff. The bargain is to find one of the military ECWCS Power Dry fleece tops (bottoms too). You get all the performance of an R1 top for much less money. You will find them variously listed as "GEN III L2 LEVEL 2 ECWCS" etc.

There are also military fleece jackets like the Patagonia R3 with the Polartec High Loft fabric– the hairy looking stuff. They start to get heavy for UL gear, but if you want wet weather warmth, they cab be a deal. They are "Level 3 GEN III ECWCS"

Ultimately, if you are on a budget and you have more time than money, it's time to haunt a few thrift stores on a regular basis. Fleece is abundant.

^^I bought the bottoms(new surplus, paid $22). 8oz for the size Medium. They have a very high rise that's obvious in pictures. I have to flip/roll the waistband down over itself a couple of times to wear them comfortably.
Wore them along with a down hoody to take my 30F quilt to 0F, and at work in teens and single digits, but have a hard time imagining hiking in something so warm. I think of them as my down pants substitute. They are warmer than my PowerStretch tights, plus have a fly-very nice, aside from the unusual rise.

I've not seen one in person, but reports indicate it's more in the 2-3 oz of fill, summer-only coat class.