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Insulated outerwear

  • 2012-11-08 18:25:49

    I'm looking for advice on a set of insulated jacket and pants for hill/sidecountry/backcountry.  While I've got a nice light backcountry set-up with softshell pants and goretex jacket it's pretty susceptible to rips and tears.  I also get pretty cold on the lifts.  So what I'm looking for is:


    1. Durable fabrics

    2. Ability to use on the hill and for sidecountry backcountry ie ventilation and mobility

    3. Hardshell and softshell integration. It's rare that it's so wet that I need a full hardshell set up,      and I've already got goretex jacket and pants.  I like the breathability of softshells in general.  

    4. Looks good


    Any suggestions?



  • 2012-11-09 14:05:28

    no specific models but you might want to check out some arc'eryx stuff. They have a new insulation called coreloft that looks pretty cool.


    I'd stay away from anything insulated for slackcountry sessions but that's just me. I hate overheating and I like the flexibility of layering.



  • 2012-11-12 22:50:28

    High end insulated outerwear has come a long way.  The Arc'Teryx stuff mentioned above is cutting edge.  It uses Gore ProShell and CoreLoft, breathes really well, has good ventilation and keeps you dry.  It even works for straight up days of ski touring at a casual pace with minimal layers.  The only downfall is the price tag.  Check out the Keibo jacket and Micon pants.
  • 2012-11-16 00:33:41

    If I went to the ski hill, the only difference in my clothing would be to swap my softshell pants for my hardshell ones. The rest is just layers... There is no way I would ever recommend to anyone insulated outerwear. 

    The hard/soft shell mix doesn't provide as much windproofness for riding the charlift. So I'd stick with the hardshell. And when you go slack touring, you just put your jacket in your pack anyways.

    For rips and tears, these hardly ever happen and if it does, it can be professionnaly fixed fairly easily. I wouldn't base a purchase/choice on this.

  • 2013-02-27 19:42:12

    Well I ended up going with the Patagonia goretex snow pant.  It's not really insulated, but has a very thin layer of microfleece, mostly around the waist, but it extends down the leg.  These have been great for touring and ski hill use, I think I've laready got 40 days in them.  It's so nice not to be cold on the lifts anymore, and while I do sweat a little more on the hikes up, the side ventilation does a great job.  I realize this might not be a revalation to most, but after a few years of a narrower cut softshell pants, it's nice to be warm again.  


    For Jacket I got a dedicated hill jacket, insulated and goretex, real nice and warm.  if I'm going to do slack country then I can just pack it up and throw it in the backpack and use a softshell for the hike.  This has worked well in all temperatures that I've encoutnered so far this year (we haven't had the typical bone chilling days in the Rockies so far).  


    Thanks for the suggestions, but I'm waiting for my Pro deal with Arteryx to come through before I pick up too much more stuff.  I might be waiting a long time…Wink