[Closed] midlayer tips patagucchi perhaps?

In my view fleece is much better if sweating hard.

Bring on the layers of thin fleece and lament the ending of MonkeyPhur from Polartec.

I find all puffy man-made and down insulated jackets sweaty as. They're great when you stop though.

Cheers, which fleece would you recommend? How is fleece in light snow or wind?  The nano air is synthetic and apparently very breathable

I’ve got one of these for longer trail running in winter.

https://www.sportsshoes.com/product/mon1667/montane-power-up-hoodie-~-ss20/

Great at keeping warm when sweating loads, easy enough to put a pertex or waterproof over the top if it gets windy or wet.

Cheers @tuboflard . Is it lightweight? Fairly packable? How is the fit?

The nano air is synthetic and apparently very breathable

Awesome jacket - wearing one now!

Very breathable, good windproofing and nice and stretchy, ideal for active pursuits; also good for keeping a keyboard warrior warm in a cold house 😉

Fairly packable, though with any fleece it’ll not compress beyond a certain point. Nice and light though. Slim fit for sure but fabric is very stretchy.

Polartec Alpha is brilliant. Wicks and dries super fast. The Direct, fluffy version with an air permeable shell works brilliantly as a mid-layer under a shell, but has enough wind resistance to be stand-alone as well. Better for wicking than the Nano Air, so arguably a better option if you're likely to be working hard.

I've used the Nano Air, also the Black Diamond Equivalent, erm, the First Light Hoody, which works on very similar lines and may be worth a look - EB seems to have it on sale atm - and they're both good until you properly hammer it.

I was reading down and thought 'that sounds like a job for Polartec Alpha', but see I've been beaten to it, so I'll just second that suggestion.

+1 on Polartec Alpha mid layers - haven't found anything better (yet). Marmot Alpha jacket on Sportspursuit for £60 - so good I bought two.

thanks again. the marmot alpha on sports pursuit is a small only unfortunately. How do they size up if looking elsewhere?

me and 'er indoors have the nano air hoody and arcterx atom lt - in fact we've had a couple of each. For skinning up they are superb, super breathable, and at the same time keep the wind off. Stop for a break, hood up and they are toasty. At the summit a light shell over the top and you are snuggly as. They pack to nothing and are super light for their warmth. If you search around you will find them in the £140 range which is a bit more palatable.

Downsides of them is they will compress over time - couple of years sort of timescale, but they do recover when washed. The arcteryx in particular seems never to wear out - I use my old ones on building sites, they are very tough despite their gossamer weight. In the long term pretty good value

Ime Marmot sizing is pretty much true to size. Not sure who else is doing Alpha right now. Rab seems to have properly stripped back its range. Outdoor Research did quite a nice Alpha jacket called the Ascendant Hoody which still comes up on Ebay and might be worth a look.

Also: https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/polartec-alpha-t1039

atcteryx atom sl (there is an lt version, too) is like the patagonia nano air, but has a different cut so worth trying if you like that kind of jacket but not the cut/fit.

the proton is a more breathable version of the atom.

mountan hardwear and OR also do versions

@vader when you say skinning up... 🙂   the atom lt i apparently warmer than the sl that @LAT mentions. its not to hot?

Have a look at the Mountain Equipment Switch jacket. That's Alpha insulated. Lovely bit of kit. Is unbelievably warm for its thickness worn under a shell jacket once you get up to temperature.

I have a few Alpha layers. I'd probably get non shelled version and layer it, rather than a shelled version. It's more usable that way.

FWIW I have shelled and non shelled alpha, non shelled gets worn more because I can wear the windshell with a base layer when i'm really working hard

the atom lt i apparently warmer than the sl that @LAT mentions. its not to hot?

I don't find it too hot, obviously it depends on the individual but for me it is generally spot on. Typically I wear a ls base layer and (maybe) a ss layer over that - then the atom lt. That would be for anything other than spring touring.The panels under the arms are fleece so they vent well.I think the beauty of it is the temperature control - on its own it won't overheat you but when you put a shell over the top it shuts down all the venting and boom gets toasty

Years ago I used to carry a pertex shirt as well as a fleece, the atom has basically replaced that (good) system and saved space and weight, added a hood and is generally 'better'. I'm pretty sure im on my 3rd now since 2009, I always look around but so far I haven't found anything other than the nano air that's as good for what i want. I'm sure there are ways to get the same outcome as others are suggesting but for me it ticks all the boxes

Rab seems to have properly stripped back its range

I bought a Rab Alpha Direct, was a bit duff on the fells, outer was too thin so all the heat was whipped away. Probably be OK under a shell or on really still days. Sold it and bought an Alpkit Katabatic, which works much better (for me).

Had a Patagonia R2 for a year it's great warm windproof just right, if anything too warm, have worn it round Amsterdam in the February storms this year with a shirt underneath and was comfortable.

Considering an R1 for winter riding