Patagonia Base Layer Capilene
Sergei Chime
In this article, we measure all of these performance parameters. We find that these two base layers offer very different characteristics. Which is superior? This article will answer these questions by building on the concepts introduced in my past three base layer articles. I recommend reviewing the first two to understand fundamental concepts of wicking and base layer performance, and the third to see those concepts illustrated.
The Patagonia Capilene Thermal Weight is about twice as warm as the Patagonia Capilene Midweight. However, the Capilene Thermal Weight is not all that warm; after all, it is a base layer. To clarify, consider the following: The Capilene Thermal Weight (7 ounces / 199 g) is about 27% of the warmth of a Patagonia Micro Puff Jacket (9 ounces / 256 grams). The Capilene Midweight (7 ounces / 202 grams) is about 14% of the warmth of a Micro Puff. The R-value to weight ratio (R/ounces) of the Micro Puff is about 0.1. The same ratio for Capilene Thermal Weight and Capilene Midweight is 0.04 and 0.02. The Micro Puff is 250% more efficient for warmth than the Capilene Thermal Weight and 500% more efficient for warmth than the Capilene Midweight. As I have written, a base layer is not a great way to add warmth.
Moisture management performance varies substantially for the two base layers. In short, the Capilene Thermal Weight wets unreliably and has limited capillary capacity. The Capilene Midweight uses a fast and effective wicking fabric. Of course, both base layers must dry to manage moisture effectively. When saturated, both base layers hold similar quantities of water, dry at similar rates, and exhibit nearly identical total drying times.
The Capilene Midweight has the potential for better moisture management performance than the Capilene Thermal Weight. Of course, drying conditions must support that wicking performance. If drying conditions are inadequate, both garments can become saturated, and skin can remain wet. At that point, the thermal performance of either garment will be drastically reduced.
Within the following sections, qualitative and quantitative data points from testing are used to analyze the visual characteristics, physical characteristics, air permeability, water saturation, and drying and wicking of the fabric of the Patagonia Capilene Midweight and Patagonia Capilene Thermal Weight base layers.
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Thanks for this analysis. I have been using the R.5, Cap4, and Expedition weight since the early 2000s and have thought they were the best option for sub 50F conditions. I would have asserted that they were very good at wicking moisture away from my skin, which your data contradicts.
The other thing I have noticed is that when I have used a EPIC windshirt + Cap4 in the rain, I was able to manage better than several other base layers, almost as well as a classic pile. That grid pattern which limits wicking away from the body, also limits the amount of saturated fabric that touches the skin keeping me fairly comfortable.
I have been testing various garment and fabrics that are readily available in New Zealand, which is rather different to what is available in the States! My next thing to try is a mesh layer, something like Brynje products, again not readily available in NZ, and nowadays shipping is pretty expensive so these experiments are getting costly!
I think your point about pillars or napping on the interior of various base layers, particularly from Polartec are valid. Since the pillars limit wicking, sweat is given a better opportunity to turn to vapor on the skin and then escape through subsequent layers. Of course, if you sweat too much, liquid sweat can still saturate the base layer fabric due to diffusion. Also, if your layers provide inadequate vapor transfer, all that sweat vapor may simply condense wherever dew point is encountered.
No base layer system can completely eliminate the need for these accommodations. However, based on the things I have learned and described in this series of articles, I hope to present a system that provides far less reliance on accommodations.
KUIU has some of the most innovative and high quality outdoor clothing on the market today. Almost all their clothes are now available in plain colors as well as their very effective proprietary camo patterns. A lot of their clothing uses Toray Industries technology. Toray is a top quality Japanese company that has been in business of outdoor fabrics for many decades.
I did a run on a very wet rain and 99% humidity), cool (3c) and windy evening last week wearing my Finetrack Elemental layer and my Macpac Nitro Alpha top and remained quite comfortable, but wet through from the rain. I then wore the same top layers on a 0c dry morning run a couple of days later and it was perfect. When I arrived at work my torso was damp in spots but certainly not wet.
I use my Patagonia Thermal weight base layers (zip hoodie and bottoms) exclusively for a sleeping layer while backpacking. Not found anything as warm for the weight. I am always grateful for the hood in the middle of the night or when the weather changes on a 7 day trip to the Gros Ventre, for example, from which I just returned.
My next article compares performance of merino wool, alpaca and polyester for base layer use. There are some blends included in the analysis. The use of a merino/poly blend will impact wicking performance. It will not impact drying rate. It will not impact warmth or warmth/weight. It can impact cost of the fabric and the finished garment. It can impact durability of the fabric. It can support product marketing goals. The next article will explain why I make these statements.
What is Essential?
What makes something essential outdoor gear? When I did the Houdini Jacket review I was pretty sure I knew it when I saw it. As I worked through a few more gear reviews I started to wonder.
Versatile Baselayers
I wrote a giant post about baselayers back in March of 2018. It was part of a series of posts on a Simple Outdoor Clothing System that launched this site. In that post I outlined all the advantages and disadvantages of different materials and weights of next-to-skin clothing. Many of which I already own.
I did a lot of testing as I was working up my posts on the various recommended layers in the Simple Outdoor Clothing System. I kept notes. Tried different combinations of layers in different conditions. I also looked back on experiences from backcountry trips. Everything from winter camping, to sea kayak expeditions, to Boundary Waters canoe trips. By the time I finished the series and summarized my conclusions I was down to one set of baselayers for all seasons. Capilene Cool Lightweight tops and bottoms. Winter, Summer, Spring and Fall.
Capilene Cool Lightweight
Patagonia has had an ultralight baselayer option for a long time. It was initially launched as Silkweight Capilene later it was re-badged as Capilene 1 and then Capilene Lightweight. The current name is Capilene Cool Lightweight.
Cool lightweight is much lighter. Almost half the weight. 2.3 ounce polyester with a partial or full recycled content. It also has a slight texture to it. The fabric is a double knit with a micro grid pattern that improves wicking performance.
Power Grid is fleece with wicking power. The fabric is a bi-component knit that mechanically wicks moisture from the inner surface to the outer where it spreads out for rapid drying. It wicks just like a baselayer.
Put a different way it looks like this: under conventional fleece layers, ultralight baselayers can become saturated with perspiration and feel cool and clammy against your skin. Under wicking fleece like Power Grid, ultralight baselayers dry so quickly that they almost always feel dry next to skin. The difference is remarkable.
HeiQ rates the durability of the Fresh treatment at 100 washes. This is a couple years of use if you wear and wash the garments weekly. Much longer with less frequent laundering. I suspect that cold water rinses do little to degrade the treatment, so frequent rinsing is probably the way to go if you want maximum longevity out of the anti-odor treatment.
Capilene Cool Lightweight is also treated with a fabric softener and wicking enhancer called miDori bioSoft. Surface treatments like this are common on all sorts of fabrics, from performance wicking layers to denim. In the past, many of these treatments were petroleum based and environmentally harmful. BioSoft is a plant based product that eliminates synthetic chemicals from the fabric finishing process.
Both HeiQ Fresh and bioSoft are certified under the Bluesign System. This independent industry monitoring system seeks to certify textile products that are non-harmful to the environment and are sustainably sourced. At time of writing Patagonia reports 80 percent of their product components as Bluesign certified.
I spent our last winter in Madison trying different combinations of fleece and baselayers over the top of Capilene Cool Lightweight long sleeved tops and bottoms. It served as an effective baselayer in temperatures down to -25 F. Under grid fleece it managed moisture and dried rapidly regardless of my activity level.
Previous versions of Capilene Cool Lightweight shirts had raglan sleeves which eliminated seams on top of the shoulder under pack straps. Sleeve design was switched in 2019 to an set-in seam, reducing fabric bulk under the armpit. Shoulder seams are now shifted forward to keep them out from under pack straps.
Full disclosure: I have not yet read your discussion of softshells, so maybe the answer is there, but what sets all of these jackets apart from the rest of the outdoor industry is that they are meant to be worn next to skin (according to Andy Kirkpatrick, and Buffalo), thereby eliminating the baselayer entirely.
It seems like the logical extension of the argument you are making here, where if your insulation if sufficient and wicking, the role the baselayer plays diminishes, or may become entirely unnecessary. In my experience, this can be even more comfortable than wearing the Capilene Cool Lightweight underneath an R1, as the Capilene Cool Lightweight can sometimes feel a bit sticky or wet on my skin during more intense activity. I also run warm, and there are situations where I would be too hot layering anything over top of capilene cool and sweating, but the capilene cool on its own is uncomfortably cool (touring on windy days, my nipples and fore-arms freeze!).