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Midlayer for touring - down or synthetic?
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Poster:
A snowHead
Poster:
A snowHead
Time to replace my Helly Hansen Odin midlayer which has served me well for a few years, mainly on week-long ski tours in the Alps. Ideal replacement is minimal weight (less than 400g), small packing volume, and decent warmth for all season touring, especially the descents. I am looking at Facewest site and they have both Down and Synthetic. EG Marmot Qasar (down, 232g) and Mountain Hardwear Zonal (Synthetic 397g) Down is lightest and most packable but I have never worn it. I am told that it is not good in damp conditions. This can happen when snow turns to rain and I have had to dry out my HH overnight before now. So my question is - for touring trips should I stick to synthetic? Any specific recommendations?
Obviously
A snowHead
isn't a real person
Obviously
A snowHead
isn't a real person
Merino, i recommend Icebreaker 180 tee shirt, 260 mid layer
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
I would use neither. If you need a warm mid, go for fleece. It is hard wearing, very breathable and dries very quickly if it gets wet. It is super quick to vent if you're too hot. It won't suffer from being squashed under a shell or rucksack (which means it won't wear out faster or insulate less effectively). A thermal pro high loft fleece top needn't be very heavy (my Rab Boulder pull-on is a bit over 400g, I believe) packs down well and is as warm as light synthetic (40-60gsm primaloft equivalent, I'd guess).
Down and primaloft makes for a much better overlayer to be thrown on at stops belay-jacket style... overlayers spend a good deal of time packed away so being very light and very compressible is a big plus. Chopping and changing mids is a hassle, and becomes impractical or downright hazardous in foul weather. Layers that stay worn all day don't need to pack down small and aren't such a burden if they aren't superlightweight and super-packable. Given a risk of rain, I'd definitely choose primaloft, but when it gets properly cold down is the way to go.
I generally wear a warm baselayer (powerdry, cos merino doesn't agree with my skin) and Paramo-type outers that breath well when I'm skinning up and working hard, and insulate like a light fleece and keep the wind out on the way down. They work nicely between +5 and -10 (and colder with the addition of a mid) and work excellently even in rain because they'll happily dry out when I'm moving.
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Poster: A snowHead
