What sweater?

[Midway Sam]

Help me out here...

I usually make a couple of trips each fall where the overnight tems are at or slightly below freezing. I have a set of polypro thermals that I wear, but usually require a sweater as well while mulling around at camp.

I currently carry a polar fleece sweater I bought at Old Navy but it weighs just over a pound. What UL alternatives are out there? I'm looking for something WITHOUT zippers of other "hardware" as that stuff bugs me if I decide to sleep with it on.

So far the Marmot Cima pullover is looking good, but I am curious what others have found.

TIA!

[Appalachian Tater]

Any knit wool sweater (or polo shirt) with buttons or a zipper at the neck is perfect and you could likely find one at a thrift shop. Warmer and lighter than fleece, plus it's odor-resistant and insulates when wet. Only drawback is it can shrink.

[Kerosene]

I'd ditch the 1-pound fleece and replace it with a down sweater when you expect freezing temps. That will save you 4-8 ounces right there and provide more warmth (at least when it's not compressed underneath you).

Check out the Montbell U.L. Down Inner Jacket (http://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=70&p_id=2301283) (7 oz), Western Mountaineering Flight Jacket (http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/western_mountaineering_flight_jacket_gg.html) (11 oz), and the Patagonia Micro Puff Pullover (http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/search/esearch.jsp?Ntt=puff&psDrilldown=true&N=0&OPTION=ESEARCH_DD&psPageNumber=all&tsPageNumber=#yc) (12 oz, synthetic).

[Old Grouse]

Love my Micropuff. So did my daughter - so much so that I had to find her one to keep her from stealing - er, I mean "appropriating" mine!

[Franco]

A puffy jacket would be a good choice, however I really like my possum down top. It is made out of 40% possum down (very light,warm but fragile) 50 % merino wool and 10% nylon. rather expensive though.
Franco

[bigcranky]

The UL alternatives tend to be light puffy layers. Compared to fleece or wool, they are warmer for the weight, and compress smaller in your pack.

I love my Micropuff pullover for moderate temps, maybe down to freezing or so. It's a Patagonia piece, so you might look for it on sale (got mine for half price at a local outfitter). I have a heavier down jacket for sub freezing temps. The Montbell UL Down Inner jackets are even lighter than the Micropuff.

[Dirtygaiters]

Check out the Montbell U.L. Down Inner Jacket (http://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=70&p_id=2301283) (7 oz), Western Mountaineering Flight Jacket (http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/western_mountaineering_flight_jacket_gg.html) (11 oz), and the Patagonia Micro Puff Pullover (http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/search/esearch.jsp?Ntt=puff&psDrilldown=true&N=0&OPTION=ESEARCH_DD&psPageNumber=all&tsPageNumber=#yc) (12 oz, synthetic).

What he said.

Also, you might consider a down vest. A lot of times I prefer down vests over down jackets because the insulated arms are kind of bulky. As long as I have a base layer and windshell over my arms, and my core is insulated with my TNF Nuptse down vest (over a pound, I know...), then I'm good for hanging around camp in 20-30 weather, or around a fire in colder weather than that. Western Mountaineering makes a 5 oz Flight Vest with lots of insulating ability.

[Just Jeff]

Also check out the Cocoon gear at www.backpackinglight.com.