Patagonia R1 or Arcteryx Fortrez or Konseal

Hey guys I'm looking at picking up a new midlayer that I can also use on mild fall/spring days as a stand alone piece. I've narrowed it down to 3 options and am wondering what your experience has been with these. The 3 options I'm considering are as follows:

Patagonia R1
patagonia.com/us/product/me…

Arcteryx Fortrez
arcteryx.com/product.aspx?l…

Arcteryx Konseal
arcteryx.com/product.aspx?l…

Thanks!

I have a Patty R1 and a Fortrez. Both mid layers do the job and hold up well. The R1 is thicker and feels softer. The Fortrez breaths better and is the fit is looser in the chest but tighter in the arms than the R1. The Fortrez would be it if I only could only choose one. The Fortrez is longer, fits me better and has a thinner hoody with a built in balaclava.

For what kind of activity? Cragging (relatively low-output / exertion)? Alpine climbing (long stretches of medium work / output punctuated by occasional rests and occasional high output / exertion periods)?

Everyone's different, but I've always felt it has to be pretty cold for me to be able to wear something like the R1 while moving. It's the ideal weight garment for me for a moderate trail run in the 20s (Farenheit).

I get a ton of versatility out of a Capilene 4 Hoody, which is lighter weight than all three of those.

No experience with the Arcteryx pieces, but the Konseal looks a lot like the NW Alpine Black Spider Hoody (which I've also used). The grid weave is tighter than the R1 (or Capilene 4), making it less preferable (in my eyes) for really high-output activity but really nice as a standalone piece for alpine rock climbing in moderate temps.

Fortrez looks like an overpriced fleece. I find a full zip for a climbing midlayer annoying. That material (powerstretch) is substantially less breathable than the grid faces of the R1 or Konseal (this assertion based on my experience with other power stretch garments like Cloudveil Run Don't Walk, not the one in question). I think power stretch is great for your girlfriend's / wife's / mistress' around-town sporty fleece, but too "middle-ground" to be part of a climbing layering system compared to grid-fleeces.

Konseal balaclava looks gimmicky and fragile, but that's just based on looking at a picture.

Sorry to be that crappy poster who is sorta off-topic.

Bonneville wrote:Hey guys I'm looking at picking up a new midlayer that I can also use on mild fall/spring days as a stand alone piece. I've narrowed it down to 3 options and am wondering what your experience has been with these. The 3 options I'm considering are as follows: Patagonia R1 patagonia.com/us/product/me… Arcteryx Fortrez arcteryx.com/product.aspx?l… Arcteryx Konseal arcteryx.com/product.aspx?l… Thanks!

Both the dead bird pieces are much lighter than one thinks. The Konseal being the lighter of the two but both are much lighter than the R1

I agree that the R1 is really a cold weather piece and too warm for Mild shoulder season weather.

The Cap 4 Hoody is really the ideal piece in my mind as well. I gave hard looks at everything you listed (and own an R1) and opted for multiple Cap4 pieces in the end. They're fantastic and have much broader temp range than the others listed. Not to mention the Arcteryx pieces are unbelievably expensive for what they are. The Cap4's are on sale right now for $80ish and even less if you find the right coupons etc. The non hooded versions are even less.

I have the fortrez and an r1. Nearly everything I own from clothes to backpacks to harnesses are all Arcteryx. Unfortunately id take my r1 over the fortrez any day. Main reason is the cut isn't generous enough. The r1 has that extra skirt which I think is clutch. Im also not a fan of the full zip. That being said I still wear the shit out of the fortrez but it takes second to the r1. Try it on before you commit.

+1 FOR THE R1

mattm wrote: Both the dead bird pieces are much lighter than one thinks. The Konseal being the lighter of the two but both are much lighter than the R1 I agree that the R1 is really a cold weather piece and too warm for Mild shoulder season weather. The Cap 4 Hoody is really the ideal piece in my mind as well. I gave hard looks at everything you listed (and own an R1) and opted for multiple Cap4 pieces in the end. They're fantastic and have much broader temp range than the others listed. Not to mention the Arcteryx pieces are unbelievably expensive for what they are. The Cap4's are on sale right now for $80ish and even less if you find the right coupons etc. The non hooded versions are even less.

I really, really, really like my Cap 4 also. Unzipped and hood down it's cool enough to climb in, zipped up and hood up it's nice and warm. To me the heavier fleece hoodies will still not be adequate at a belay on a really blustery fall day, and are too warm to climb in. So for colder conditions I pull a rain shell (OR Helium 2 I think it's called) or my Rab Strata (also awesome) over the cap 4 to cut the wind. The Strata and Cap 4 together (with some wicking layers underneath) keep me quite comfortable down to about 25 degrees (if active, not belaying at 25 degrees I don't think), so those 2 seem to make a really nice system.

My only quibbles about the cap 4:
-the collar, which is perpetually standing up at attention. This is fine in the woods, but looks somewhat idiotic in town.
-the ribs on the inside face of the fabric, which makes it hard to pull on over a long sleeve base layer unless it's a little bit slick. I think that the R1 fabric would do the same thing.

All in all, though, incredibly useful and versatile layer, and very light.

I love my R1 more than any other jacket I own. So versatile, worth every penny.

Another one to throw out if you like the R4 grid fleece (polartec powerdry high efficiency, could they make a longer name?) is the BD CoEfficient. Same exact fabric. No face coverage, just snug up to the neck. I've used mine for running, ski touring, and alpine climbing. Much better comfort range across different temps and exertion levels than most fleeces. Dries quite fast. Absolutely zero wind protection, poor piece if worn as an outer layer, but works nice while climbing with a belay jacket over when stopped for me.

Another vote for the Cap4 hoody - best all around except for very cold climbing where I use to use the R1 hoody. Now I prefer the Konseal. "Konseal balaclava looks gimmicky and fragile" - maybe on the web but I love this feature. The balaclava is out of the way in the hood when you don't need it and really makes a great seal when you need it. With that said, I think the R1 still has the best weight to warmth ratio - I just like the C4 and Konseal better.

I really like my Fortrez, it has been a go-to piece for me for a while now. I've thought about trying a slightly lighter piece such as the Konseal but find that usually I can just work a bit harder in a base layer to stay warm if the fleece is too much.

My previous fleece was a Mountain Hardwear Desna pullover and I also have an Atom LT that I use sometimes. I'd say that the Fortrez is in the middle warmth/breathabity wise. It's a tad more wind resistant than the Desna was but a bit less than the Atom. And while the balaclava may look cheap/gimmicky, I find it a very nice, comfortable design to use. Overall I've been quite pleased with the jacket.