Ultra-useful Piece of Gear

By James MacDiarmid Ranked #563 - Men's Vests January 5, 2009

I was never a vest person. I didn't see the point of having cold arms. Then I tried a heavy fleece vest once and was sold. I didn't realize the extent to which keeping your core warm kept the rest of you warm. But the fleece was heavy. The thermawrap is decidedly not, and is just about as warm as that 300 weight fleece. It insulates well and is windproof. Worn with a midweight baselayer, it was enough to keep me comfy in the mid-30s while xc skiing. (My arms were chilly from the breeze when I was moving, but that was an acceptable trade-off for not being drenched in sweat, as happened when I tried wearing a softshell. A wind shell over the vest should do the trick next time). When not moving, throwing a light softshell over it kept me plenty warm. I debated between the down vest and the thermawrap, the usual pro/con of the superior warmth/weight ratio of down vs the peace of mind knowing the synthetic will keep me warm when wet, and am glad I decided on the latter. I get sweaty when active, and always end up with the vest pretty soaked especially when under a shell in the snow/rain. Being synthetic, it still keeps me warm. I doubt the down would hold up as well. All I would add is a zip chest pocket for things too valuable to risk falling out of the zip-less hand pockets.

View Details: MontBell Ultralight Thermawrap Vest - Men's

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