Mid Layer Clothes

[bald tires]

On my planned shake down hike I am going to bring everything I want to try out clothes wise. Plus all of the other stuff that I always have in my pack. My pack will weight more than it usually does but that will be off set by only 4 days of food compared to my usual 8 days of food. There is around 10 miles of hiking trails in the hills in the development where I live. Not the same as the sierras but still up and down hills. Morning lows are often in the high 20's to low 30's with afternoon highs in the 50's to 60's where I live in December and January. That will also give me an idea on how the different mid layers work for me.

I really appreciate everyone's suggestions. Thanks.

[Wandering Daisy]

6 pounds for a tent is way too much. I would spend some $$ and look into a new tent.

If you think about it, adding a 6-10oz layer for warmth is really a minor weight addition, easily counter-balanced by simply carrying less water. I would be conservative at first and maybe after one season of experience you will decide you can delete one layer.

As for clothing, you also need to consider quick drying clothing. As much as I love wool, fleece dries faster. All fleece is not the same. I have several 100-wt Polartech zip neck (turtle neck) pull overs. The cheap fleece does not breath very well. I use REI-TrailMade?? hiking pants. I think that is the name. They dry amazingly quickly and were very inexpensive. I also have some REI Guide pants, that are great in winter with dry snow, but once wet, they are hard to dry.

I used to wear a high-quality heavy weight wool shirt, but it is just too heavy and dries slowly. I still wear Smartwool thin wool long johns since these are only worn while in the sleeping bag or after I set up camp and it is not raining.

I will not compromise on rain jackets. I have a Montbell heavy-duty breathable waterproof jacket (a bit under 1 pound) - quite expensive. The jacket also is my outer shell for warmth and wind protection. I have been in some August downpours in the Sierra. It is amazing how quickly you can get soaked in a heavy 1-2hour storm.

Down is great when dry. If it gets soaked it takes a lot of time to dry. I have not tried the new treated down that is supposed work better. I still love my 4-oz down sweater, but do not count on it 100% but take it more as a luxury.

[FrankPS]

I believe that was the weight of the tent and the sleeping bag, combined. Maybe I'm mistaken?

[bald tires]

Yes the 6lbs was for the tent and down bag. I use a Eureka Solitaire 1p tent. It has held up to some pretty hard rain storms. Weighs 3 lbs give or take depending on how many stakes and cords I take. Because of the design of the tent I have never had a problem with condensation. I leave the down bag in the tent and roll up the tent and bag together. It all fits in one stuff sack. That's why I weighed them together.

[mschnaidt]

My solution is a light sun hoodie paired with an Enlightened Equipment Torrid jacket.

The Torrid weighs 8 oz and is warmer than my down jacket. It has synthetic insulation and is water repellant. You said you don't like hoods, I didn't either until I tried this combination. Now I'm sold. I have the one with the zippered front which allows me to fine tune my insulation.

The sun hoodie is a cheap Amazon one that is polyester and spandex. Very comfortable and breathes well. Easily fits over a t shirt. It does have a hood. I treat it with permethrin before I leave and it works great to keep the bugs and the sun off. The hood is great to pull up when the bugs get bad. Most of the time I don't need a headnet when my companions are all netted up. Using the hood is much better than a headnet. The hoodie doesn't provide much insulation but the Torrid makes up for it. This combo is flexible, light and warm.

[bald tires]

My biggest gripe with hoods is when I turn my head I am often looking at the inside of the hood. I find that I need to wear a cap/visor with a hard bill to avoid this. One more thing to bring.

I am starting to think that the fleece I recently bought is on the warm and heavy side for my mid layer. Going to look for lighter alternatives. And maybe a zip up instead of a pullover. Decisions, decisions, will it ever end?

[mschnaidt]

I do the same with a cap. The cap also works great if you have to resort to a bug net.

[Schleppy]

I am starting to think that the fleece I recently bought is on the warm and heavy side for my mid layer. Going to look for lighter alternatives. And maybe a zip up instead of a pullover.

1 lb does sound very heavy for a 100 wt fleece pullover. I'd expect closer to 10 oz (or less). Perhaps it is actually a 200wt or even 300wt fleece?

This pullover claims 200g/m2 fleece with a garment weight of 9.5 oz. The whole weight thing doesn't totally translate uniformly, but that garment looks and weighs about what I would expect from a 100wt fleece, even though it says 200g/m2, which I think would technically be 200 wt(?).

When I think of a 100 wt fleece pullover, I'm thinking of a garment around 9-11 oz that looks similar to the one linked.

Decisions, decisions, will it ever end?

Nope! It wont!

The choices are endless and the market for outdoor gear is enormous. There is no Goldilocks kit. I lean towards not investing in high-dollar gear until playing with what's already owned. There's a lot of really nice (and expensive) stuff available that can bring your pack weight down significantly. It's all just very specific to the needs and preferences of individuals. Maybe since it's been some years, getting reacquainted with your current kit is the way to go? Shakedown overnighters sound a like a great idea.

[bald tires]

Today as part of my backpacking spreadsheet I weighed everything and added up the weight of each item. Total weight of everything not including food and water was 18 lbs 5 oz. The only things right now that I can save weight on are the fleece and my tent. I really like my tent. Can't justify spending big $$$$$ to save a few oz on the tent. That leaves the fleece. I might be able to save 4 or 5 oz there. The other issue with the fleece is its bulk. There is plenty of room in my pack so the bulk of the fleece is not really an issue. It just kind of bugs me.

The shakedown overnighters will help sort things out.

[Schleppy]

I bet you'll have ideas about how to save a whole lot more than four or five ounces after a couple nights out.

If you're really bothered by the fleece, there's a new thread popping up about alpha direct. Go that route and you will need that lightweight wind/water barrier though. Dollars for grams.

But don't turn your back on the tried and true 100 wt fleece.