Recommended midlayer top for April 1 start from Springer - fleece or down?

[Carl Calson]

prima loft!

[hikingshoes]

I enjoy this my columbia short sleeve next to my skin with a MH long sleeve shirt(if needed). to block the wind i use my NF rain jacket. Once at camp i chg into dry baselayer, plus my Down vest or jacket. It works for me but we all are different. HS

[Tinker]

prima loft!

Not bad, but

1) Cannot be used without the shell (actually 2 - 1 inside and 1 outside). Makes it less versatile than fleece + wind shirt. It may be too warm in many cases. If your fleece + shell is too warm you can either 1) Take off the shell and let the breezes flow through, or 2) Wear the shell with a thinner garment (like basic polyester long underwear) under it.

2) If it gets soaked and wrung dry, it loses much of its loft and warmth. Fleece bounces back to near 100% of its loft.

3) Since fleece without a shell is very porus and a poor wind stopper, it can dry much more quickly than any insulation built into a shell.

4) Side-by-side tests have proven that Primaloft absorbs more water than some less expensive competitors (like Polarguard). That's why I decided to go the Polarguard route when I decided to try a lightweight, shelled, synthetic jacket (Golite Coal) - I hardly use it anymore - have gone back to fleece + wind sell.

This is not to say that Primaloft is bad - this (like many of my posts) is just to expand the box that many people would do well to think outside of.

Advertising is brainwashing of the sneakiest kind. The advertising angency is in the business of making money by telling the public what their client wants them to believe and avoiding that which their client does not want them to believe.

Then the info is prepackaged into a tasty looking morsel without full disclosure of the ingredients.

Fwiw: I have noted in previous posts that fleece is both heavier and bulkier than many of the "ultralight" garments available today.

It is, however, much more versatile, has some superior performance characteristics, in most cases is more durable, and is generally dirt cheap.

[Paul Barnwell]

Hi! I will also be doing a 2-2.5 month AT hike starting April 1 at Springer...and had the exact same question as you. The choices are daunting.
I decided to go with a SmartWool SportKnit Sweater...and have an eddie bauer thin rain jacket, not sure what kind. I'm not sure whether it was the best choice, but had to make one eventually.
There is an awesome sale on right now for some good options, Expires today.:
http://email.sierratradingpost.com/d...3A0275ADED1465

[Coosa]

READ what Sgt Rock says here http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/cont...a-Professional

Best Choice is SELECTIVE ... it may be your best choice and not someone else's. And THEIR best choice may not work for you.

Read the article ... it's excellent. And I wasn't paid a thing to say that.

Coosa