Primaloft vs VX stretch insulation

[Reaves C]

Hi everyone,

Just looking at eddie bauer jackets (50% off sale rn) because I’m tall and they fit me.

Anyways, their “ignitelight” line of outerwear is the synthetic component of their “ascent” series stuff.

In the past, the line to have been insulated with tried and true primaloft gold eco.

Current products however, state that they’re insulated with “VX stretch” insulation, whatever that means.

After some googling of this stuff I can’t find any real info on it other than the fact that it’s used by scott for their products.

I’m pretty bummed about this, but have a flicker of hope that EB wouldn’t just switch to an all-around inferior insulation for their products. Do any of you know anything about this insulation? Have any of you had any experience with it?

Thanks,

Treaves

[Eric Blumensaadt]

I dunno what VX Stretch insulation is but I am definitely not a fan of Primaloft.

My favorite synthetic insulation that keeps most of its loft over repeated stuffings is Climashield.

[Reaves C]

Thanks Eric! I’d love to try Climashield, but my problem is finding stuff that fits me (I’m 6’11”) and is also somewhat affordable. Any recommendations?

[Jerry Adams]

alternate possibility – not that much difference between different synthetic insulations, more marketing to get people to buy

 

[Reaves C]

Thanks for replying, Jerry!

If this is true, then would you have any recommendations to keep in mind while buying a synthetic jacket?

Should I even bother with synthetic, or go with something more like the EB downlight?

For reference, this is something I’d be looking to use in shoulder season backpacking (maybe some in the rockies).

 

[Jerry Adams]

I make my own.  I want the full pleasure of designing, making, and using it : )

I looked at Eddie Bauer Ignite.  That looks pretty good.  60 g insulation is fairly lightweight.  I always have something like that.

That would be too warm for hiking unless it’s cold, like below freezing.

Synthetic is good because it retains much of its warmth when wet.  Sometimes, getting wet happens and it’s a good survival tactic to have some synthetic.

Down is about twice the warmth for the same weight.  I also wear a down garment except when its warm.  Downlight would be good around camp, over my synthetic, for temperatures that go down to about freezing.  Much below that I’d want a heavier down jacket.

I never wear down while hiking.  It’ll get wet from sweat.  If I hiked much below 20 F I might want to wear down.  Down is good when I stop hiking.

[Kurt D]

I know I’m late to this party, but I found this thread doing a search for VX insulation. Let me preface this by saying that the original Ignitlite is one of my absolute favorite pieces of backpacking gear, hands down. Not only that, but I wear it off the trail nearly everyday Fall through Spring. It’s such an incredibly versatile piece. Exceptionally lightweight, warmth to weight ratio is off the charts (this means I’m a huge fan of the Primaloft Gold insulation), it’s packable, packs down really small, and has incredible fabric (Pertex Quantum).  I’m 5’ 8” and 165-170 lbs. and the small fits me absolutely perfectly. I’ve been eating this jacket for 4 years and it has held up amazingly well.

I was just able to snag the hooded 2019 stretch version on eBay for $40 shipped. I’m anxious to compare it, in all ways, to the older version. I’ll post here and update after I’ve had some chances to put it through the wringer.  anxious to see what this VX insulation is all about since there is little to no info about it on the web. I’m with you…I hope they didn’t skimp here.

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