Gore windstopper or Pertex ?
mr p
new Windstopper fleece( ebay bargain ) was disappointingly cold and
clammy. Does anyone else have both of these types of gear and care to
comment ? What's the intended ideal situation for the the use of
windstopper fleece ? Certainly the latest version of the fabric which
I have now, seems rather clammy and cold unless you have the zips done
all the way up :-(
Simon
Peter Clinch
Windstopper fleece is fairly good if it's windy. cold and dry. If it
starts getting wet it'll see off a shower quite well, but once it starts
to wet through (the membrane is practically waterproof but the seams
aren't taped) then it's colder than a very cold thing and takes forever
and a day to dry.
Pertex is a rather different beast, with effectively zip insulation
value but practically windproof and more breathable than Windstopper.
I don't really like Windstopper fleece much because of the issue of the
wet, plus it's relatively heavy for the insulation value it gives and
has a stiff, cardy feel. You'll have a warmer and more breathable (less
clammy) solution if you layer a 100 weight fleece under your Pertex
shell. 100 weight fleece isn't very thick but it does have a lot more
air space in it than the microfleeces used either side of a Windstopper
setup. The outer fleece layer doesn't really do much in the wind except
add weight and bulk.
If you want an all-in-one garment that will be windproof, breathable and
warm then I personally think light shelled fleece or micropile is a
better bet, especially if it's vented. Something like Buffalo's Teclite
Cycle Shirt (http://www.buffalosystems.co.uk/ls6.htm) would do the job
much better than a Windstopper fleece IMHO, or just layer fleece under
Pertex.
Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net p.j.c...@dundee.ac.uk http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
mr p
Cheers for the advice. I have to say I am rather disappointed with my
windstopper too, once it was damp from sweating it was cold. I have
an older one which came from ebay second hand. That one does not have
the internal fleece layer and although I have not used it since last
winter I remember it as being a very useful bit of kit for cycling.
That was before I discovered the Pertex top though, which I think I
now prefer.. Unfortunately I will need a bigger one so I can get more
layers underneath it. I would have thought this approach would be more
versatile than getting an all in one system like the Buffalo ?
Peter Clinch
> Unfortunately I will need a bigger one so I can get more
> layers underneath it. I would have thought this approach would be more
> versatile than getting an all in one system like the Buffalo ?
More flexible, yes, but that's not necessarily "better". An integrated
garment, especially one with built-in venting, tends to be a bit more
fine-tunable, while "one layer or two" is more gross-tunable. A single
garment, if it's right, is also less faff and usually slightly lower
weight and bulk. As usual, you choose, you lose...
But if you don't mind the extra faff then the greater gross-tuning range
of two separate layers has a lot to recommend it.
For a bigger Pertex top the Montane is a proven minimalist design.
Others (e.g., Buffalo's windshirts) give you more whistles and bells at
greater weight, bulk and cost (still small and light though).