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garebear22
08-25-2015, 00:01
Hello,
I’m planning a Thru-Hike of the AT for next spring, and I’m planning on starting in late February or early March. As such, I’m thinking I’ll need some sort of jacket to wear. I have always preferred fleece jackets, and regularly wear and stay plenty warm in them in temperatures below 0 degrees, however I’m open to going with a down jacket for their weight and packability.

Basically, what are your opinions on insulating jackets for a thru hike? Fleece or down, and what company/model would you recommend?

Thank you all!

bigcranky
08-25-2015, 07:57
First, :welcome

Late Feb is still pretty cold on the trail. A fleece is fine if you are used to the cold (and you are in Blacksburg, after all....), though lots of hikers use a down parka. I think the Montbell Alpine Light Parka is a good deal, and should be warm enough. If you bring the fleece, of course you'll need a rain shell, which adds a lot of warmth by cutting the wind. You might consider a light wind shirt as well, though it's not necessary.

You can test out a variety of combinations this winter to see what is most comfortable. Note that comfort is very different when sitting around in the cold in camp with no chance to go inside and warm up :)

changed
08-25-2015, 17:13
It's all about layering.

Most people opt for a wool or polyester baselayer, a puffy down jacket, and a rain/waterproof layer. If I was going NoBo, I might bring an extra fleece layer on top of that, based on the stories I heard this year (walking through multiple feet of snow, etc...).

garebear22
08-25-2015, 18:51
First, :welcome

Late Feb is still pretty cold on the trail. A fleece is fine if you are used to the cold (and you are in Blacksburg, after all....), though lots of hikers use a down parka. I think the Montbell Alpine Light Parka is a good deal, and should be warm enough. If you bring the fleece, of course you'll need a rain shell, which adds a lot of warmth by cutting the wind. You might consider a light wind shirt as well, though it's not necessary.

You can test out a variety of combinations this winter to see what is most comfortable. Note that comfort is very different when sitting around in the cold in camp with no chance to go inside and warm up :)
Yeah, I've survived and been quite warm in the recent Blacksburg winters which have gone subzero, and I walk to class, which can sometimes be a mile or more, so I feel like a fleece is fine. I guess the main question is can I get away with just a fleece on the trail? Fleece is a whole lot cheaper than down and I'm a pretty warm person. I'd prefer not to have to spring for a down jacket if I don't have to, and I don't want to be mega puffy on the trail.

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garebear22
08-25-2015, 18:52
First, :welcome

Late Feb is still pretty cold on the trail. A fleece is fine if you are used to the cold (and you are in Blacksburg, after all....), though lots of hikers use a down parka. I think the Montbell Alpine Light Parka is a good deal, and should be warm enough. If you bring the fleece, of course you'll need a rain shell, which adds a lot of warmth by cutting the wind. You might consider a light wind shirt as well, though it's not necessary.

You can test out a variety of combinations this winter to see what is most comfortable. Note that comfort is very different when sitting around in the cold in camp with no chance to go inside and warm up :)
Oh, and rain shell is an absolute given for me. That would be a part of my kit no matter what.

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garebear22
08-25-2015, 18:55
It's all about layering.

Most people opt for a wool or polyester baselayer, a puffy down jacket, and a rain/waterproof layer. If I was going NoBo, I might bring an extra fleece layer on top of that, based on the stories I heard this year (walking through multiple feet of snow, etc...).
Yeah, I get the layering deal, and plan to. I guess my question was more "if I can only bring one jacket, which would be better?" I've found that I'm significantly more comfortable in fleece than I am in an insulated jacket, and stay about the same temperature either way. I'm also pretty naturally warm, and I always wear a good hat in the winter to keep head warmth in, so I've literally never been cold in fleece and I walk over a mile to class some days in subzero temperatures. I'm planning on going NOBO and hope to start earlier so as to get maybe a tad ahead of the crowds, but I recognize that with that comes the sacrifice of dealing with colder temps, which I'm confident I can handle.

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TwoSpirits
08-25-2015, 19:36
My two cents (which may not be worth even that, since I am not nearly as experienced as many others here) --

Go with the fleece. A nice down jacket is wonderfully light, warm, and cozy...right up until it gets wet. Considering that NOAA and weather geeks everywhere are forecasting a "Godzilla" El Nino this winter, and what that means for the southeast US (read as: wet), you could be looking at spending your first couple of months in a lot of cold wetness. And even if the precipitation doesn't wet you down, your persperation will certainly wet you out -- especially if you tend to be on the warm side anyway. Also, opportunities to adequately dry the down may be few and far between.

I don't see that ending well at all.

The fleece gives you more layering options, and you already know you have felt comfortable and confident in it. In rain/falling slush, you can wear your rain shell over it to help keep you warm and a little drier, and when it does get wet, it can still keep you somewhat warm. And it will dry easily.

Good luck and good hiking.

Sent from...wait, where am I?

Dogwood
08-25-2015, 20:27
Fleece is bulkier more voluminous than down of comparable warmth which often snowballs towards the direction of a larger volume and very likely heavier backpack. That's not to say a med wt fleece LAYERING piece couldn't work nicely under your scenario. Fleece jackets tend to be on the heavy wt and bulky side compared to down jackets. You'll need WP shell to go over that.

Nice to have a decent synthetic for the colder rainier AT earlier NOBO start date.

BTW, have you checked out the 650-750 fp goose/duck down vests and jackets at Costco for around $20-30. Good down vest/jacket deal for someone on a tight budget.

nsherry61
08-25-2015, 20:42
If you are warm enough in your fleece, the only down side is a little extra weight and packed volume. It's your call on whether that is important or not to you.

In endless wet, a fleece requires less vigilance to keep it working well as an insulating layer. If you plan on wearing it while hiking often, the fleece is probably a much better choice due to its handling of perspiration and condensation.

I almost never wear a fleece, even well below freezing, when I am moving. I generally only use a thick insulating layer when I'm stopped, and so the extra weight savings, and volume savings of a puffy make sense to me if I can afford it.

The Cleaner
08-25-2015, 21:17
For colder weather I use a softshell hooded jacket over a wool top while hiking.Use a very lightweight down or synthetic puffy for camp.While hiking I never need much other than a wool top and the softshell to block wind.A softshell breathes way better than any gore-tex type jacket which you will need for cold rain and snow.I use a Mormot M3 Tempo hooded jacket.You could always swap it out for something else when it warms up in late April.

garebear22
08-25-2015, 23:14
OP here: I think I might go with something like the Patagonia Nano Puff and then maybe change it out down the road for a fleece if I think it's something I need. I know the Nano Puff is synthetic, but it seems like the right choice given the potential for it to be pretty wet this winter.

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The Cleaner
08-26-2015, 00:09
OP here: I think I might go with something like the Patagonia Nano Puff and then maybe change it out down the road for a fleece if I think it's something I need. I know the Nano Puff is synthetic, but it seems like the right choice given the potential for it to be pretty wet this winter.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk I have Nano Puff Pullover.@9ozs it's great with a wool baselayer and some other wind shell.I'm good to about 20* at camp with this combo.

Old Hiker
08-26-2015, 20:09
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GT4NGKW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006RKV40C?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

I'm planning on layering the two above jackets. Both are synthetic and the BDU liner I used before on my first AT attempt. I decided to go with a size larger for using over the NF jacket. I bought and returned a nano-puff (maybe donated it ? Can't recall.) Did not seem warm at all. The NF seems a LOT warmer and put under the BDU liner, seems intensely warm, albeit in my house with the AC at 79*, in FL.

I'm planning on testing up north this fall/winter and hope they work.