Backcountry Insulation

The insulation layer (or midlayer) in the layering system provides warmth. This is perhaps the most versatile and wide ranging of the layers, and you can easily use 2 or 3 pieces in the insulation layer.

Insulation comes from tiny pockets that trap hot air. The more pockets with less weight provides more warmth for a pieces weight. That's where the different insulating materials come from: fleece, high-loft synthetics, and down.

Fleece is perhaps the most well known as outdoor technologies continue to make their way into everyday fashion. It dries quickly, insulates when wet, and is available in a multitude of weights ranging from very light fleece pullovers to heavy pile fleece behemoths. Fleece's main downside is that it doesn't compress well, which leads us to...

High-loft insulating pieces. High-lofts come in two distinct categories: synthetic and down. Down insulation is classic. It is rated by "fill-power," which is a numbered system to show how fine the down is. The higher the number, the more loft with less weight. This means more efficient insulation, better compression, and more comfort for you. In general, down is an excellent insulator, compresses well, and is extremely durable. A well cared for down jacket (or sleeping bag) can last a very long time, and loft can be restored by washing with specially created down wash. Down has one (major) shortfall: it clumps when wet, and clumped down does not insulate.

High-loft synthetics keep their loft when wet, thereby keeping their warmth when wet. There are several different kinds of synthetic insulations that differ on their warmth-to-weight ratio, compressibility, and durability. Primaloft has come to the forefront as possibly the closest to down. Synthetics are generally less expensive than down and can stay warm when wet (though it's still uncomfortable to be in a wet jacket), but it's hard to match high-quality down's insulating properties, compression, and durability.

So which one's right for you? Fleece is good in light layers, but heavyweight fleece is pretty useless in the backcountry. Save it for around town. Lightweight fleece can serve as a warmer base layer or a lightweight mid-layer, so it has versatility working for it. At midweight fleece and up, it can often be better to go with high-lofts to gain the superior warmth-to-weight and compressibility that they provide.

As far as down or synthetic goes, it really depends on what you're doing. If you're canoe camping, synthetic might be the wiser choice with the increased risk of getting your gear wet; if you're in more arid climates, down can be the way to go. An interesting strategy is to mismatch your sleeping bag. If you have a down bag, go with a synthetic jacket; synthetic bag, a down jacket. This way you can limit your risk should everything get soaked. Synthetics have come a long way, but 850+ fill down is an incredible insulator.

So come by one of our shops, or poke around online to see a good variety of insulation pieces. And please, don't ask us what temperature a jacket is rated to. It all depends on the person, the activity, and the weather. That's why there are so many to choose from.

See you in the shop!