Warmth comparison of Polartech High Loft Fleece

I also live in the Mid Atlantic, and feel your pain:  it rains, a lot, even when temps are in the mid-30s.  It gets humid as fudge.  Not Florida or Louisiana humid, mind you, but still can be oppressive and miserable.  And bugs are everywhere.  I always chuckle when I read posts that say “bug net/bivy for when it’s buggy” and all I can think of is “when is it not buggy?”  Don’t get me started on the rodents…

Anyways, I get the desire and need for fleece around here; it’s a little bit more comfortable than a lightweight down or synthetic sweater–nowhere near as clammy feeling.  On that front, I prefer wool over synthetic fleece.  It breathes better, dries better, can be warmer, can be cooler, and is certainly more comfortable when it’s hot, humid, and raining.

Ya know, I’ve had both heavy 300 weight Polarguard fleece and Thermolite Micro fiber insulated jackets get very damp with sweat and by a 10 F. to 15 F. morning (hanging in my vestibule) either one would be kinda frozen.

i.e. They both would sound crinkly and feel stiff until I wore them for about 15 minutes. Then they went back to “damn damp” as they were at the end of the previous day’s backcountry skiing. But the 300 weight Polarguard always dried faster. Yeah, it was heavier and not as warm as the Thermolite Micro but felt drier on me.

It’s always a problem drying anything in truly cold winter weather. GTX parkas are in that category but often you can beat a lot of frost off the inside of them.