Is there a Wind Resistant R1 type fleece out there?
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I have several light weight R1 type jackets but am wondering if there is a wind resistant "hard faced" R1 type hooded technical fleece out there? |
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What's your plan for using it? Technical alpine climbing? Or something more higher output like ski touring? I like to do a lot of both, and I've found a combo to be better than my attempts with a do-it-all piece. Current preferred setup for the last few years has been the R1 hoody/Houdini combo for wind/warmth combo. Add a nano puff pullover and you have a pretty good lightweight combo that covers a variety of alpine situations. |
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It's not a fleece, but so far I've been really happy with my Rab Strata Hoody for a wind-resistant warm layer. I use a Patagonia Cap 4 Hoody as the sort of "workhorse" layer, (it's a little lighter than the R1 which I felt like for me was going to be too hot to climb in) which can go from zipped open and sleeves rolled up to sleeves rolled down and hood zipped up to cover a wide temperature range. Then when things get blustery, moderately cold, or a little wet, the Strata comes out. If it's too cold for the Cap 4 plus the Strata, it's too cold for me (maybe you're tougher) to have fun rock climbing. My one gripe about the Strata is that it packs a little bit big. Something like the Nano puff or the Rab Xenon could be better in terms of packability I guess, but overall I'm really digging the Strata. |
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yeah, I'm hoping to find a mix of a R1 hoody and a houdinini. Marmot made a power stretch hardface fleece for a couple of years that was awesome. About the weight of an R1 with a hardface finish. |
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The RAB Boreas might suit your needs. |
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Yes the Rab Boreas is a great piece I own one and I combine it with the Rab Baseline hoody all the time. Great combo. What I am wondering is if there is a Powerdry (Rab Baseline, or Patatgonia R1) fleece with a hardface to it out there. |
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Arcteryx konseal hoody is powerdry with "hardface technology". I wear the jacket version skiing and like it a lot. There's a similar jacket made of hardfaced powerstretch. |
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A nice alternative to the Houdini is BD's Alpine Start Hoody. packs into its pocket, is more stretchy than the houdini so it doesn't rip when climbing sharp rocks. It might be tad warmer as it's more of a superlight softshell material than the houdini. |
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Tico I just saw those and added my last comment while you were writing. So does the hardface make it more of a light softshell-- giving you better (slightly) wind and water protection? |
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No, it's definitely still a fleece. The hardface is like a very light spray-on polymer of some sort, it adds a touch of wind resistance, but nothing very significant. I actually carry the alpine start as my jacket as well, or this arc vest that's nylon in front and mesh in back. |
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I've actually got a discontinued jacket by MH that's similar to what your looking for. It a like a hooded Marmot Precip. It's got a stretch microfiber lining with a Houdini-style dilation ultralight nylon outer. |
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The other thing I'd note is that every hardface fleece I could find was fairly heavy and bulky compared to other types of wind resistant jackets. |
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Don't know if this fits your criteria but I love mine! |
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Sunny-D wrote:I have several light weight R1 type jackets but am wondering if there is a wind resistant "hard faced" R1 type hooded technical fleece out there?In my experience, any of the "Hard Face" fleeces will improve on the wind/water resistance of a gridded Cap4/R1 but not significantly so. So, if your goal for a wind resistant r1 is to have it block a lot of wind so you don't need a wind shell, your options will be pretty limited and likely not what you want. The Patagonia Piton JACKET is my favorite "hard face" fleece. The body mapped hard face panels are in good locations and the weight of the fleece (Power Stretch) was in line with a Cap4/R1. Wind Still goes through it though. I DID NOT like the Arcteryx pieces you mention because they felt too light and I though "what's the point?" Lighter than Cap4 IMO. Plus the $$ was stupid expensive for a fleece. RAB makes a WindPro fleece hoody called the Shadow that blocks a lot more wind. The fabric isn't as warm as an R1 though and it feels stiffer as well. Might be worth checking out though as it is more of a all-in-one item. As others have mentioned, you'll likely get more utility out of a light wind shell. The BD Alpine Start is awesome and my personal favorite but OR and Rab have similar versions I believe. While not pushed as much by the manufacturers, you also might look into the more "traditional" soft shell as an all in one option i.e. stretchy shell with light fleece backer. Something like the Pata Adze line |
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Great comments thanks. I'm trying to redefine my alpine kit for say the Tetons, Wind Rivers, Rocky Mountains . It could be that I end up with what I have been using. I'm just trying to figure out if I can get away with less kit. I'll put my kit list here and would love to see what others lists look like. |
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I'm really trying to stay away from a traditional soft shell I personally think they have limited use and are heavy An R1 type fleece with a light wind shirt are lighter and more useful to me. I'm just wondering if there is something that is a good compromise of the two. |
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One other little thing I learned when homing in on my current system, some of these jackets don't have handwarmer pockets, which apparently some people like not having but was a really unwelcome surprise when my first attempt at this (bd access lt I think it was) showed up at my door with no pockets. So definitely watch out for that if you're ordering online and pockets are important to you. |
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Arcteryx Acto MX? Jason Kruk seems to like it: jasonthekruk.blogspot.com/2… |
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Wild things wind pro hoody, I actually have hoarded them, I've got an extra 2. Size large in a dark green, and med in grey |
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