Happy new year to everyone.  I hope you had a great holiday and that you're off to a good start.  In light of this weekend’s weather in the western United States, my timing on this subject might be a little late but better late than never. 

My way of operating in cold weather is based on a system of flexible clothing pieces.  I did not invent the system but I like to think that through many years of hunting, mountain rescue work and ski patrol training, I have honed it to perfection.  Staying dry means keeping warm which means when you are working hard, you have to manage heavy perspiration.  My system starts with a polypropylene long sleeve base layer that has a deep zip T-neck.  Next comes a lightweight, synthetic insulation piece with pit zips but no hood.  Then a midweight, waterproof, breathable shell parka with pit zips, a helmet compatible hood, and Velcro cuffs.  When I am humping hard enough to get a good sweat going I remove my hat and gloves, open up my cuffs to expose my wrists, and open up the front and pit zippers of my insulation and shell layers.  I can fine tune that to balance the movement of air with heat retention depending on how hard I am working.  That ventilation and the breathability of the garments helps the moisture to evaporate keeping me warm and dry.  Now, the question that vexed me when I was a SAR Tech and had to be out in the absolute worst weather was, what do you do when you are really exerting yourself and it is raining or snowing hard?  You still have to open up and ventilate everything but that is problematic in heavy precipitation for obvious reasons.  My answer was a well made but light weight umbrella.  I know, it sounds funny and you cannot imagine the reaction of my Team mates the first time I busted out an umbrella on a mission but it worked so well that I made an umbrella a permanent piece of my kit.  It is an instant, portable shelter and wind break.  Give it a try.

Anyway, there are two variables to my system.  One is the weight of my base layer.  As I have written before, I prefer the MTS products from REI.  They come in light, mid and expedition weights.  By the way, I purchased one of each weight for Christmas (that’s what my Uncle David Healy would call a boomerang gift) and their updated design is a welcomed improvement.  The collars are a little taller providing extra protection of the neck and now the zipper plunges an additional two inches.  The second variable is the weight of my insulation layer.  I own several dozen insulation pieces but there are really only four that I regularly work with.  Depending on the expected situation, I pick and choose, but if I am using pack horses or on an ATV or working out of a truck then I bring a couple or all of them.  But as a general rule, I do not wear more than three layers total at a time.

We won’t get into heads, hands or feet today but obviously they are just as important to my system.  So, what are my four magic toasters?  First is the Windshear Trek Tech Quarter Zip Wool Sweater from Cabelas.  This is an updated version of a classic fatigue sweater that dates back to World War II.  Although this sweater is a touch on the heavy side, it is a world class heater that cuts the wind completely.  In keeping with my unzip and open up ventilation philosophy it has a front zipper that stops at about the Xiphoid Process.  I like this sweater because it works very well and it fits me nicely.  It is cut relatively short so it doesn’t bunch up at my waist.  The natural breathability and insulation qualities, even when wet, of the wool is a real positive.  It also has that old school, masculine feel to it which I like.  You have to buy one of these before they screw it up or stop making it.  Of all the wool sweaters out there but this one is the best for the outdoorsman.  I do have a super lightweight alternative to this sweater.  It is the Level 3 High Loft Half Zip Pullover made of Polartec 100 Thermagrid Fleece.  This is an amazing piece that weighs practically nothing but provides a great deal of warmth.  I like to carry this in my pack as an extra because it is so light and so warm, however, it provides zero protection from the wind.  This is part of the military’s Extended Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS) but is available to civilians through Insport. 

Next is the Cirrus Jacket from Moonstone.  Hands down this jacket is my very favorite insulator.  It is a short waist length jacket that weighs a scant 20 ounces.  Its simple design sports two basic pockets, pit zips, and no hood.  That’s it.  It’s made of Thermolite which I don’t know much about except that Patagonia currently uses it for one of their jackets and its capacity to keep me warm defies logic.  I have used this “liner” on at least twenty trips, fifty search and rescue missions and countless other miscellaneous trips over the past ten years and for the weight, it is the warmest, most flexible piece I own.  When used within my system it gives me a working comfort range down into the thirties.  When I am working hard or when it gets too warm, I just open the pit zips and keep going.  I know some people think that pit zips on an insulation piece makes no sense but I am used to relying on a limited amount of gear because I was carrying it in on my back.  I also don’t like to stop and change clothes a lot because it wastes time that I usually don’t have.  There are also times when I didn’t have the ability to take a layer off, like when I was wearing a harness and doing a mid-face pick off of a climber whose hair got caught in her rappel device.  I am a big fan of pit zips in both my shell and insulation layers because it affords me great flexibility and adjustability.  Virtually every solid technical shell on the market today has pit zips but I wish more insulators did.   

Just so you don’t think that I am alone on this, there were a number of us that purchased this Moonstone jacket at the same time from the same vendor because they made us a Team deal.  This jacket was universally regarded as a great all around mid weight insulation piece but the biggest testimonial comes from my wife.  She is always cold, it’s a chick thing, so I bought one for her.  Every time the weather gets cool, this is the jacket she picks to wear under her Marmot Minimalist Shell.  The bad news is, Moonstone is toast and the Cirrus jacket is no longer available.  The closest thing I can find on the market today, in fact the only thing I can find on the market today, like it is the TR6 Jacket from Marmot with Marmoloft insulation.  It is short wasted, weighs 20 ounces, has no hood and drum roll please, pit zips!  If you know of another jacket like this that has pit zips, please let me know.  Again, go out and buy one of these because sure as shoot’n, it will go away.  Besides, it is a nice piece and you will grow to cherish it as much as I do mine.

When it gets a little colder or a lot colder and I am not worried about getting wet, it is time to go to the feathers.  Despite some recent discussions, I like goose down.  A lot of people like down, in fact, it remains the insulation used most by high altitude mountaineers.  I know it has some downsides but it is light and warm.  Depending on the circumstances I go with one of two products from the good folks at Western Mountaineering.  I am a big fan of this company and I think they make absolutely the finest goose down sleeping bags on the market.  Moreover, they don’t change their product line up every time the wind blows and I really like that.  There is nothing more frustrating to me as a promoter than to recommend a product to someone only to find out that the manufacturer has changed it or discontinued it because “Slick” the new VP of Marketing thinks they need to freshen up the line.  Chances are that “Slick” has his MBA but confuses the term “stuff Sack” with something entirely different.  Sorry, I apologize for that but I have about had it up to here with CPAs, JDs and MBAs.  Anyway, I can assure you that Western Mountaineering are users of their gear and know what they are doing.  Which, is why I really like their Flight and Meltdown Series Jackets.  They are stuffed with premium 850 fill down graciously donated by only the finest geese and they are womb warm and light as a…feather.  The Flight weighs 10 ounces and the Meltdown 17.  Make sure you use a protective shell because they are too wispy to be used as an outer layer.

OK, now we get to what I call the bivy class jacket or the expedition weight stuff.  This is for trips to Rainier, McKinley, Aconcagua or the poles.  The one I have is from Marmot.  I do not know the name of it but it is insulated with a boat load of Polarguard 3D.  I like this parka a lot.  It is cozy and has a ton of loft.  The hood is also heavily insulated to keep your squash warm.  This jacket is no longer available from Marmot and as I look around, there are very few of these types of jackets made of Polarguard anymore.  I don’t know why but Polarguard and its derivatives seem to have fallen out of favor with everyone but the sleeping bag manufacturers.  Primaloft seems to have replaced it which is OK with me because I like Primaloft too.  Wiggy’s also makes several cold weather jackets insulated with Lamilite  which as Jerry is happy to point out, it will not absorb moisture through condensation over time and even if it did, it wouldn’t matter because water doesn’t affect it’s thermal capacity.  His biggest and baddest is called the Antarctic Parka and Wiggy says it is the warmest parka in the world.

You know, I set out to always shoot straight with you all and give you the truth as best I know it.  I take this opportunity seriously because it is important to me and I know that there are a lot of people out there that use this site as a resource.  I appreciate it.  I am always on the lookout for great gear and I am not shy about telling what I like and what I use but this whole insulation thing has me buffaloed.  The items I have listed above work, I know this from personal experience.  Those are the things I use but are they the absolute best available?  I think so but I am no chemist, textile expert or thermal engineer.  If you really get into looking at the information available, it gets pretty confusing pretty quick.  Temperature ratings, clo scores and thermal efficiency sound authoritative but what is the truth?  I am sorry folks, I really don’t know, but, I am going to try to educate myself.  One of the people who has been trying to change the minds of retailers, manufacturers and institutional consumers for many years is Jerry Wigutow of Wiggy’s.  Never mind what I think about his products, Wiggy is an interesting guy and he has been in the insulation business since the early sixties.  He is very opinionated and promotes some ideas that run contrary to what most “experts” have been telling us for many years.  I have arranged to spend some time with him at this year’s Outdoor Retailer show.  It should be very interesting.  Jerry makes a great product, I know, I have spent a lot of time in his sleeping bags and I have used them to package scores of patients.  I have a lot to learn about the science behind modern insulation, fortunately, Jerry has a lot to say.  If you are interested, you can read his newsletters going back to 1997 on his website.  Right or wrong, he pulls no punches about the biggest names and trends in the outdoor equipment industry.  I am looking forward to hearing what he has to say.  Stay tuned.

So that is my current insulation line up.  If you have something you think is a worthy of my consideration, send it along.

Thanks. 

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