Mid layer madness...

[Viking9]

Patagonias down shirt is a nice versatile option, that KUIU is a sharp looking whatever it is.

 

[GA49]

No, but a hood ain't gonna do you no good unless it can go over ...or under I guess, your helmet. Assuming you wear a helmet. I would think it could bunch up and be slightly uncomfortable.

Back in the day, I'm talking early 1980's, it was a thing to wear a cotton hoody as a mid layer and no hat. If you got cold you pulled the hood on. This was in Lake Tahoe though were it usually wasn't all that cold. Not even remotely like VT in January and February.

Regarding fleeces, I've always kind of felt a fleece is a fleece is a fleece. I have Eddie Bauer I have Pearl Izumi, I have Columbia. As long as they fit they are warm.. Thicker ones are mostly too warm for me. I just stuffed one of those old TNF Denali Jackets into the clothes donation bin. It was old but looked brand new because I never wore it. Too thick and bulky, especially the arms, to wear as a middle layer. And the wind would rip right through it so it sucked as a jacket. Glad it's no longer taking up valuable closet space.

The one I was interested in wasn't the hoodie version but point taken.

I guess maybe the better midlayer is a lighter one. It's not clear which ones those are and who makes good ones. Will have to keep looking

 

[AlpsSkidad]

Has anyone heard of these?

https://www.kuiu.com/products/base-camp-hooded-sweater-charcoal

View attachment 183325

Kuiu gear is top notch and super light. Just be aware it fits snug/athletic fit, so often you’ll have to size up.

 

[noobski]

This is my in and out system because it should layer and delayer almost anywhere and stash in a locker or backpack and it doesn't bulk unless the wool sweater choice is too much.

Smartwool 150 or 200 t-shirt (or icebreaker)

Patagonia capilene air hoody. hood is unnoticeable in terms of bulk, but doubles up under the jacket if it's super cold. hood also serves as a back up face mask. I wear these for long-underware bottoms too. The elves from Tolkien must have invented this piece.

Wool sweater if super cold. Otherwise windshirt.

Midlayer jacket - Patagonia Nano Air Hoody. Hood fits perfectly under a helmet. Otherwise Arc Proton.

Shell of choice. For me, Arc.

Substitutes...

The wool sweater with a smartwool smartloft

I also love the R2s and I even have an R4 oldschool. Super warm. Wear it all the time around the house. a bit bulky to take off though. the above can all pack down well in a bag or locker.

I also have a Patagonia Techfleece R2. It has good function to substitute the Nano Air hoody and can serve as a great softshell in Spring conditions if you don't want a dedicated softshell.

 

[EP4O]

This is my in and out system because it should layer and delayer almost anywhere and stash in a locker or backpack and it doesn't bulk unless the wool sweater choice is too much.

Smartwool 150 or 200 t-shirt (or icebreaker)

Patagonia capilene air hoody. hood is unnoticeable in terms of bulk, but doubles up under the jacket if it's super cold. hood also serves as a back up face mask. I wear these for long-underware bottoms too. The elves from Tolkien must have invented this piece.

Wool sweater if super cold. Otherwise windshirt.

Midlayer jacket - Patagonia Nano Air Hoody. Hood fits perfectly under a helmet. Otherwise Arc Proton.

Shell of choice. For me, Arc.

Substitutes...

The wool sweater with a smartwool smartloft

I also love the R2s and I even have an R4 oldschool. Super warm. Wear it all the time around the house. a bit bulky to take off though. the above can all pack down well in a bag or locker.

I also have a Patagonia Techfleece R2. It has good function to substitute the Nano Air hoody and can serve as a great softshell in Spring conditions if you don't want a dedicated softshell.

This is pretty close to what I use as well. I like good quality merino against my skin and capilene air as warm/stretchy add on layers I will barely notice in my pack.

I use different midlayer jackets and shell than you but the same idea. My cold weather add-on is an R1 air fleece jacket, which is also my standalone midlayer in warm temps. Probably my favorite piece of clothing I've ever owned.

 

[Tony Storaro]

Midlayer jacket - Patagonia Nano Air Hoody.

How do you wash/dry this?
I'd like to give it a try but not willing to take it for dry cleaning/special washing/drying every second day of use as I seem to be unable to get the drying of down jackets right no matter how many tennis balls I throw in the dryer. It just never works.

 

[Analisa]

@Tony Storaro FullRange has some proprietary changes to typical polyfill that makes it resistant to clumping and fiber migration. (Hence why they don’t have to sew nearly as many baffles in the nano air compared to down or the nano puff.

it’s all synthetic, so just wash and dry it. As long as you’re not bleaching it or using fabric softener, it can handle anything else.

 

[Tony Storaro]

@Tony Storaro FullRange has some proprietary changes to typical polyfill that makes it resistant to clumping and fiber migration. (Hence why they don’t have to sew nearly as many baffles in the nano air compared to down or the nano puff.

it’s all synthetic, so just wash and dry it. As long as you’re not bleaching it or using fabric softener, it can handle anything else.

Thank you!

 

[Yo Momma]

For Northeast Kingdom Vermont, my Midlayers and base layers are whatever is on the clearance rack at Sierra Trading Post in Burlington or whatever is on the racks at TJ Maxx or Marshalls. All good places to save $$$ so I can buy more skis!!!!

 

[Teumie]

I typically use one or more layers of merino (still have a few Icebreakers but they are so expensive in Europe).
Mostly because I can wear them a whole week without going 'smelly' like some of the syntetic stuff. And they last literally ages (my Icebreaker of 15 years ago now has a hole in it *sad times*)
They have thicker layers as well as turtlenecks but I stick with the normal longsleeves and add a scarf/balaclava if needed.

I find as long as my pants and jacket are windproof, one or two layers of merino is plenty to keep me warm.
only my fingers get cold sometimes ...

 

[neonorchid]

For Northeast Kingdom Vermont, my Midlayers and base layers are whatever is on the clearance rack at Sierra Trading Post in Burlington or whatever is on the racks at TJ Maxx or Marshalls. All good places to save $$$ so I can buy more skis!!!!

Me too, only it requires luck and stopping by every TJMarsherra in town.

Last good TJwhatever find was at a new Marshals which moved from the shopping center by REI to the nearby Metroplex:
Nike Core Therma-Fit Repel Element Crew (mens M), running warehouse currently has them on sale for $56 from $70

Been wearing it running, will be a great XC/Alpine ski base layer too. Thumb hole/gaiter/mitten - Bonus!

Ironically, I purchased the same shirt ~ May when online REI had the green color on clearance for $35. In Sept I came across the same shirt in blue (better color) at Marshals for $25 Snapped it up (only one in the store, checked a few other locations, none). Considered returning the green one to REI but decided to wait untill I use the shit, see how I like it, I'm keeping both.

 

[noobski]

How do you wash/dry this?
I'd like to give it a try but not willing to take it for dry cleaning/special washing/drying every second day of use as I seem to be unable to get the drying of down jackets right no matter how many tennis balls I throw in the dryer. It just never works.

Wash with with regular clothes. I rarely dry things. I hang them or use a rack. This jacket dries out quickly (less than a day hanging) because of the material design. It can pill up, but I don't care because it's under a shell. The Proton LT is a bit more durable, but also usually $50 to $100 more and not worth it relative to the Nano air.

 

[Posaune]

I'm a skin flint. For mid layers I go to Goodwill and look at their section of fleece items. Many of them look like new and I have a bunch of different types (pullovers, crew neck, zip up, collars of several types, etc.) that I use. I rarely spend any more than $5 on anything. They work well and give me lots of variety while saving me lots of money and they're warm and comfortable.

 

[Crank]

I'm a skin flint. For mid layers I go to Goodwill and look at their section of fleece items. Many of them look like new and I have a bunch of different types (pullovers, crew neck, zip up, collars of several types, etc.) that I use. I rarely spend any more than $5 on anything. They work well and give me lots of variety while saving me lots of money and they're warm and comfortable.

I used to get fleeces as promotional swag. Seemed like for period of a few years that everyone wanted to slap a logo on a fleece and give them away. I donated many to goodwill and gave some to family and friends. At one point I had a rule: no new fleece in the house.

I doubt any of mine made it out to WA, but some of them were pretty nice.

 

[Jersey Skier]

How do you wash/dry this?
I'd like to give it a try but not willing to take it for dry cleaning/special washing/drying every second day of use as I seem to be unable to get the drying of down jackets right no matter how many tennis balls I throw in the dryer. It just never works.

Wash and dry is no problem. My Nano Air Hoody is my most used piece of gear. Added a Nano Air Vest for warmer days too.

 

[Teppaz]

I have an old version of Spyder's Bandit that's still going strong and the single warmest mid-layer I've ever had. It's also incredible at blocking wind (I often wear it when riding my bike, without a jacket.) It comes in a half (the one I have) or full zip.

 

[RollingLeaf]

I'm in the same boat as @GreenAthlete49 - I bought the HH Alpha 3.0. It's a really nice jacket and I can hardly wait to try it out. I also bought the REI Groundbreaker Fleece Jacket 2.0, because it's quality and on sale for $35. It does the job as a standalone and seems fine under the HH jacket.

Do yous have much faith in pit zips for cooling off the skier on a warmer day?

Has anyone used the Patagonia R1 Air line? I am wondering if it would work as a mid-base layer underneath my HH.

​

 

[Quandary]

The two best midlayers I've ever had for skiing;

Shop

Shop

 

[GA49]

I'm in the same boat as @GreenAthlete49 - I bought the HH Alpha 3.0. It's a really nice jacket and I can hardly wait to try it out. I also bought the REI Groundbreaker Fleece Jacket 2.0, because it's quality and on sale for $35. It does the job as a standalone and seems fine under the HH jacket.

Do yous have much faith in pit zips for cooling off the skier on a warmer day?

Has anyone used the Patagonia R1 Air line? I am wondering if it would work as a mid-base layer underneath my HH.

​

The pit zips I haven't given much use. The last couple of runs in March I used them. It's hard to tell what cools you off sometimes IMO but when the wind picked up or I began moving I could tell there was a difference, but only after beginning to sweat pretty good.

The Alpha is an amazing jacket IMO. The side zips are cool but it shines in cold weather. 8 hours on the mountain in rain and snow and yeah I was wet to some degree but that's what gave it a 5 out 5 for me.

 

[RollingLeaf]

@Quandary I tried on the Atom LT at my local REI. So comfortable. Sweet. I would put in an order right now, but I wonder if it might be too warm of a mid layer, underneath the HH, for most days on the slopes.

This is why I asked if the pit zips on the HH Alpha 3.0 and other jackets would be able to get rid of this extra heat.

It really is impressive how much snow gear has improved over the years.