You know you do
Favourite windshirt
- Thread starter TinTin
- Start date
dovidola
Thru Hiker
I've never tried one of these garments and don't really know how they are meant to be used. However, I'd be interested to 'give it a go' as many here seem to regard them in high esteem. I presume these are not waterproof, so a waterproof shell still needs to be carried? At present (for 3-season UK) I wear a long sleeved base layer thin shirt and carry a light down hoody for warmth (plus a waterproof shell). The hoody also boosts my 'sleep system' when it's a bit chilly.
My question is - would one of these windshirts replace my down hoody, or is it an extra?
Apologies for the ignorance but I lag behind when it comes to clothing. All advice gratefully received.
My question is - would one of these windshirts replace my down hoody, or is it an extra?
Apologies for the ignorance but I lag behind when it comes to clothing. All advice gratefully received.
OwenM
Thru Hiker
No, their for when you want something over your base layer but a waterproof would be too sweaty or over kill. You still use your down jacket, just put it on over your windshirt. I also use mine when it's hot and muggy and the midgies are about as it covers my arms and is bite proof. I just wear it on it's own when using it for this.
Robert P
Thru Hiker
Windshirt guide with some explanation from Chris Townsend / TGO: https://www.tgomagazine.co.uk/gear-news/gear-guides/buyers-guide-windshells/
They provide an amazing amount of warmth for minimum weight, assuming it is breezy, which is often the case in the UK mountains
craige
Thru Hiker
No fleece layer or do you wear the down jacket while walking?
Hd8ekownio24ugh5
Thru Hiker
I've got the 30CFM one from a few years back before they lowered the breathabilty and upped the WR. It's alright.Arc’teryx Squamish. I’ve got three
Davy
Thru Hiker
Im a relatively recent convert.
I have a cheap Decathlon Btwin 'Ultralight' I picked up for about £20 a couple of years ago. It's just a flimsy bit of pertex (or similar) and despite zero care has refused to fall to bits with regular use and is an amazing garment for over a base layer when active in lower temps. Very breathable and has lots of vents. The DWR wasn't up to much to start with and is now long gone (I now wash it with normal clothes) but even when wet out it helps reduce wind chill.
I recently acquired a much more expensive stretchy Rapha wind jacket which is a lot heavier and bulkier and has a coating on the inside and decent DWR on the outside. It holds light rain off but is far from waterproof. The cut is much better than the cheap Btwin for cycling being longer in the torso and more fitted.
I take the Btwin hiking but wouldn't take the Rapha. Appreciate they are both cycling tops but the technology and use is the same.
I have a cheap Decathlon Btwin 'Ultralight' I picked up for about £20 a couple of years ago. It's just a flimsy bit of pertex (or similar) and despite zero care has refused to fall to bits with regular use and is an amazing garment for over a base layer when active in lower temps. Very breathable and has lots of vents. The DWR wasn't up to much to start with and is now long gone (I now wash it with normal clothes) but even when wet out it helps reduce wind chill.
I recently acquired a much more expensive stretchy Rapha wind jacket which is a lot heavier and bulkier and has a coating on the inside and decent DWR on the outside. It holds light rain off but is far from waterproof. The cut is much better than the cheap Btwin for cycling being longer in the torso and more fitted.
I take the Btwin hiking but wouldn't take the Rapha. Appreciate they are both cycling tops but the technology and use is the same.
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Jim_Parkin
Ultralighter
I keep coming back to my Montane Dyno (the pertex equilibrium version). It's not exactly a windshirt as it's too permeable for that, but today for example (very springlike day with strong wind, sunshine, and showers including hail and even a bit of snow on the top of Kinder) I was fine in that with just a couple of baselayers underneath (a short-sleeved merino T-shirt, and a Rab MeCo long sleeved top I think 165-weight). That and a beanie on my head- sometimes under the Dyno's hood worked to keep the wind off me pretty well today.
I think the main thing I like are the two pockets that are large enough for OS maps and above any rucsac straps.
I think the main thing I like are the two pockets that are large enough for OS maps and above any rucsac straps.
I have two old style and one new style. I think the material in the old style is slightly more comfortable and breathable. I really like the design. The only thing I’d change is to have a tab to secure the hood when not in use. The hood is excellent plus I like having velcro adjustable cuffs for ventilation. The material is slightly stretchy too, which I like. Overall they’re the best I’ve used.
I had some Montane windshirts/jackets too. The earlier versions of those were more breathable than the later ones, which I found quite sweaty. I wasn’t keen on the elastic cuffs either so I modified them to non elastic velcro. The most comfortable Montane wind jacket was the running one which had vents up the side. I also have a Paramo Fuera smock, which is great but a bit heavy and bulky. For casual, I have a Rohan Windshadow jacket, which looks a bit smarter and has four pockets. The material is quite air permeable and it’s a bit heavy so I don’t use it on the hills. It does have a good DWR, so it’s effectively shower proof.
In the hills I want a windproof that is light, breaths well but cuts out the wind, has a good hood, adjustable cuffs, packs down small and has a pocket. The Squamish ticks all those boxes plus it looks quite stylish. That said they are expensive but I’ve bought all mine in sales which brings them down to a decent price although not a bargain.
gixer
Thru Hiker
Same here
Had windshirts, read how useful they were, but for me that just didn't translate to real world use
For me with traditional type fleece mid layers and thicker type base layers any wind that got through these layers was a welcome relief
Since moving over to thinner layers (Echo + Alpha) these do absolutely nothing to restrict the wind, instead of the wind being welcome, it bites through these thinner types of layers
So with traditional thicker type fleeces i prefer to go without a windshirt
With thinner type layers i find a windshirt welcome and useful
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dovidola
Thru Hiker
Yes, I wear the down jacket (Decathlon) while walking if I'm feeling cold, and a waterproof over that if it's raining because I know down won't stand getting wet. I used a fleece before I got the down. I've noticed some here discuss down jackets in a way that suggests they wear them only in their shelter or at 'sit-downs' and that has me wondering if it then becomes a bit of a 'luxury item'?
As I said earlier, I'm not terribly 'on the ball' when it comes to hiking clothes - my outdoor wardrobe is never getting into @Chiseller territory, that's for sure.
Whiteburn
Thru Hiker
My down jacket is reserved for camp duty & gets stuck in the wardrobe for the summer months.
My windshirt is always on the pack list, only getting left behind for summer Pyrenees stuff; a base layer + thin fleece + windshirt does me through the Scottish winter.
Another big advantage of the windshirt is that the shell gets used far less, only when it’s raining, hence it doesn’t suffer so much general wear & tear leading to early retirement, the DWR also is more effective for longer since it’s not getting so grubby.
craige
Thru Hiker
I suppose a it is a bit of a luxury item, I could wrap my quilt around me at camp, or during stops if I had to, but i also, unless it's warm, sleep with my jacket on. I sweat a lot so would never wear down whilst hiking and my synthetic puffy, while more breathable than any my down jackets is also way too warm for me to walk in.
As far as I'm aware most of us take a base layer, fleece, windshirt, rain shell, puffy. Layer as appropriate. It's not complicated, just more than what you use. I tend to wear a ss base layer and if I'm chilly my fleece goes on, if it's windy my windshirt goes on top. If it's windy but not really cold and I feel chilled (quite a lot) then my windshirt goes on without fleece.
Padstowe
Thru Hiker
I wouldn't call a synthetic insulation jacket a luxury item, I don't use mine for walking(unless it's very cold first thing), to warm for me, I also don't look for something that is designed as an active piece as I want it for static use, sitting around or sleeping with if I feel the need. I do notice that in club walks when am the only one with one am the only one who never feels nippy at lunch stops. I would consider a down jacket more luxury, but that's only due to where I am & the dampness in the air alot, so wouldn't have as much use for me, if I was to do more trips where it could be used then I wouldn't see it as such. I used to carry a heavier fleece jacket for stops & these do a better job at a much lighter weight for warmth.
TinTin
Thru Hiker
They still have some Rab Alpha, with big discounts, on Sport Pursuit. Perfect for under a windshirt IMO.
https://www.sportpursuit.com/search?s=rab alpha
Whiteburn
Thru Hiker
OR you can pickup a perfectly adequate 1/4 zip fleece from Decathlon or Mountain Warehouse for £12 - 13.
TinTin
Thru Hiker
I have both a £10 Decathlon waffle fleece and a Rab Alpha Flash. The Rab is definitely better in a couple of ways but I'm not 100% convinced it is worth £40 more and definitely not worth £90 more.
craige
Thru Hiker
Yeah, as whiteburn said a few comments ago, a windshirt increases the life of your waterproof jacket and is much more breathable, otherwise it serves the same function cutting the wind and adding a little warmth. You can definitely do without or get a non grid fleece which doesn't let as much air through. I said in another thread about my trip to Skye in October, temp around 6°C torrential rain and insane wind, my waterproof jacket leaked badly but I stayed warm because of my fleece. A down jacket would have been useless and I'd likely have ended up hypothermic. My fleece kept me warm enough.
The £10 decathlon fleece is great value and very light! I use it a lot day to day. My norrona alpha is fantastic. I wish they did exactly the same in the alpha weight used for the macpac nitro.
EM-Chiseller
Thru Hiker
Absolutely no idea what you may or not be insinuating
I do have an addiction from the quest to find the layers that work best for me.
I count 'skin out' weight as importantly (to me) as base weight. I find I can travel better and more efficiently with the right layers.
I'm of the school of... Start out cool/cold and warm up with effort without the need to be swapping layers out.
We're all different... Unlike @gixer my Nitro and pulse or a similar mix, takes me a long way. I appreciate that the the thinner alpha is definately active insulation and I find it regulates rather than being too warm or too cold... Just comfortable.
The past two night hikes I've done... I wore just a thin alpha with its wind resistant front and vital areas with a Brynje... Didn't add an outer until I'd slowed and the tempreture was nearer to zero than a double figure.
Wouldn't do for us to be all the same
EM-Chiseller
Thru Hiker
Re 'camp jackets'
I've a ul down pullover I carry and use at camp or in a morning before setting off.
For winter and potentially wet/claghy camps, I've switched to the waterproof OMM Barrage jacket and use it as part of my sleep system with a lighter quilt.
I've a ul down pullover I carry and use at camp or in a morning before setting off.
For winter and potentially wet/claghy camps, I've switched to the waterproof OMM Barrage jacket and use it as part of my sleep system with a lighter quilt.