do-everything midlayer

The BD Alpine Start Insulated looks interesting. The two others I wanted to check out are the BD Element hoody (looks similar to the Arrow mentioned above) and the Arc'teryx Gamma MX hoody. My Gamma pants have been my near-daily climbing pants for nearly 8 years and are only now starting to show wear, and I'd love a jacket with that kind of durability. 

I have a Patagonia R2 tech face and it has held up ok in non-climbing applications. A few little rips in the face fabric from trees while ski touring, but I do worry about scraping it (and others like it) on rocks, as well as the cuff fabric that feels much less durable. If I'm shoving hands in cracks, I feel like it would rip to shreds. While a true softshell isn't super soft or warm, I'm more concerned about durability and can always layer under it for warmth.

Y'all climb in more than a t-shirt/sun hoody in the Summer?

I have fallen in love with the Outdoor Vitals Ventus. Has great pit vents, is super lightweight, and plenty warm. 

Melanzana microgrid, and then you can pretend to be from colorado

Chris Johnson wrote:

The BD Alpine Start Insulated looks interesting. The two others I wanted to check out are the BD Element hoody (looks similar to the Arrow mentioned above) and the Arc'teryx Gamma MX hoody. My Gamma pants have been my near-daily climbing pants for nearly 8 years and are only now starting to show wear, and I'd love a jacket with that kind of durability. 

I have a Patagonia R2 tech face and it has held up ok in non-climbing applications. A few little rips in the face fabric from trees while ski touring, but I do worry about scraping it (and others like it) on rocks, as well as the cuff fabric that feels much less durable. If I'm shoving hands in cracks, I feel like it would rip to shreds. While a true softshell isn't super soft or warm, I'm more concerned about durability and can always layer under it for warmth.

I have an R2 techface jacket too, and can say the R1 and Arrow versions I have seem much better suited to getting scrappy with cracks. Partly because of the fabric itself seems tougher, and partly because the sleeves and overall fit are very sleek and low-profile. Still, I'm sure certain climbs could destroy just about anything, so I'd consider price a major factor as well. If you don't mind climbing in multiple layers, I've heard a lot of people like the OR Ferrosi for it's durability on rock, and it can be found for muuuch cheaper than those Arcteryx and BD jackets. 

Theo Rumore wrote:

I have fallen in love with the Outdoor Vitals Ventus. Has great pit vents, is super lightweight, and plenty warm. 

I'd never heard of this before - sounds almost perfect. Can you comment on its durability on rock? 

Sam Schwinghammer wrote:

Y'all climb in more than a t-shirt/sun hoody in the Summer?

For those that venture to higher elevations......

Brandon R wrote:

I have an R2 techface jacket too, and can say the R1 and Arrow versions I have seem much better suited to getting scrappy with cracks. Partly because of the fabric itself seems tougher, and partly because the sleeves and overall fit are very sleek and low-profile. Still, I'm sure certain climbs could destroy just about anything, so I'd consider price a major factor as well. If you don't mind climbing in multiple layers, I've heard a lot of people like the OR Ferrosi for it's durability on rock, and it can be found for muuuch cheaper than those Arcteryx and BD jackets. 

R1 tech face is what you're referring to? The Arrow does look like a good option. And I had forgotten about the Ferrosi! Thanks for that reminder.

For sure, anything can get torn up, but some of the layers I see people recommending seem like you'd look at them wrong and they'd snag. I tried on that new BD Alpine Start Insulated Hoody and the face fabric was super thin. Hard to image that holding up. 

You can check out Beyond Stretch Alpha L5. Its more of a true softshell like the Ferrosi with Alpha 60 and its currently onsale. its comparable to the Gamma MX per a review. 

https://beyondclothing.com/products/stretch-alpha-l5-jacket?variant=32446155882558

If you fit a Med I also have one forsale :D

OK, I'll throw this question into the mix....

What about something like an atom or proton or R1 or R1 techface with a real helmet compatabile hood...not a stretch over or tight fittingb hood. 

Now that is hard to find...

Bruno Schull wrote:

OK, I'll throw this question into the mix....

What about something like an atom or proton or R1 or R1 techface with a real helmet compatabile hood...not a stretch over or tight fittingb hood. 

Now that is hard to find...

Last seasons r1 tech face jacket had exactly that.

I'd probably avoid double weaves in general, the alpine start or ferrosi will have superior performance in most respects. 

Bruno Schull wrote:

OK, I'll throw this question into the mix....

What about something like an atom or proton or R1 or R1 techface with a real helmet compatabile hood...not a stretch over or tight fittingb hood. 

Now that is hard to find...

The ME Kinesis fits really comfortably over my black diamond vapor. it also has a two way zipper with a belay button.

I’ll throw the RAB VR summit into the mix. Fleece lined soft shell with helmet compatible hood and mesh lined on the sleeves. Could be a little warm in the summer depending on what and where you’re climbing, but it gets rid of the need to carry two pieces of gear (fleece and shell).  

Brandon R wrote:

I'd never heard of this before - sounds almost perfect. Can you comment on its durability on rock? 

Unfortunately, I haven't used it much on rock, as most of the climbing I do is in very warm weather. I did take it on one cooler crag day, and it did great, but I have also used it for several backpacking trips and tons of daily wear for over a year with no issue. For a pretty thorough review of pros and cons of this jacket, you can check out this article (which I am having trouble linking to, but if you paste the below title in your search bar it should pop up.)

Why I Didn’t Want to Review My Favorite Jacket - Climbing

I own several other pieces of gear form this company and have been very impressed with everything I have bought. Hope this helps.