Black Diamond Alpine Start hoody—insulated version!

[mtwarden]

I own two Black Diamond Alpine Start hoody wind jackets; have had them for ten years. If you do a search here, you'll see my name pop up under Alpine Start— a bunch! They're a great windshirt—period.

I was pursuing the intraweb awhile back and bumped into the Alpine Start insulated hoody—hmmmm. Found one for a good price and grabbed it. It utilizes the exact Schoeller face fabric as the windshirt BUT w/ Polartec Alpha body mapped on the interior.

I had a really good test run today. Mid 30's, spitting a combination of rain and snow with winds 25-35 mph. I was using a lightweight base layer (Sitka Core LW hoody) up top along with a light fleece beanie and gloves.

The hood is helmet compatible (BD is mainly a climbing company), which means it's larger. The adjustment is pretty good on it though and was able to cinch it down, it would be better if it just had a regular hood though.

The DWR beaded up all the precipitation and the fabric did a very good job of cutting the wind. The Polartec Alpha did it's job and keep warm (and dry).

I'll be putting on a lot of miles in the near future and will eventually post up a full review. So far, so good.

 

[Valumpessa]

Thanks for the preview! Looks promising.. Is it full zip?

 

[Poser]

I just picked one of these up as well -also have 2 non insulated versions.

 

[mtwarden]

Thanks for the preview! Looks promising.. Is it full zip?

Yup full zip

I just picked one of these up as well -also have 2 non insulated versions.

Nice!

 

[Bowhunter50]

Very interested in this piece. Hard to find much info online though. Looks like it might be discontinued? I only see a women’s version on their website and it’s half off. What does the body mapping look like? Can you take pics of it inside out? What’s the weight?

Thanks for sharing. I didn’t know they had an insulated version until I came across this thread.

 

[bojangles808]

what do you wear in sitka ambient vs this one @mtwarden ? is this more comparable to the ambient 100 or 75/60?

 

[Fish2keel]

How is the cold in the un insulated areas (i.e. under the arms)

 

[mtwarden]

Very interested in this piece. Hard to find much info online though. Looks like it might be discontinued? I only see a women’s version on their website and it’s half off. What does the body mapping look like? Can you take pics of it inside out? What’s the weight?

Thanks for sharing. I didn’t know they had an insulated version until I came across this thread.

It could be discontinued, possibly going to be revised????

The uninsulated sections are the entire hood and then a strip that runs down the underside of the arm and continues on the side of your torso.

what do you wear in sitka ambient vs this one @mtwarden ? is this more comparable to the ambient 100 or 75/60?

Both Large (5'11" 180-ish). Warmth wise closer to the 100, but it's a hybrid piece like the UL, but differs from both in that the face fabric is more weather (wind/precip) resistant.

How is the cold in the un insulated areas (i.e. under the arms)

On the move I don't think a person will notice it too much as the fabric is pretty wind resistant and keeps the heat in a bit and under the arms generates a fair bit of heat.

 

[bojangles808]

@Bowhunter50 @Fish2keel
these are half off at steep and cheap

https://www.steepandcheap.com/black-diamond-alpine-start-insulated-hoodie-mens

 

[WhoGarrDen]

So the wind/precip resistance on this exactly match that of the regular alpine start? I've been looking for a decent wind/drizzle outer layer, and I know breathability and wind/rain resistance work against each other. I personally don't want 3 wind layers, and plan to just add mids when hiking based on exertion vs temp.

Would the non-insulated be a better all-around choice for hiking in 30-60 degrees (only use in 60s would be light rain with a baselayer)? Does it breathe well enough for moderate exertion?

 

[mtwarden]

^ for 30-60 degrees I’d probably go with the non insulated version. For colder weather I’d consider the insulated version.

I got in a pretty good hike in today (8 miles with 1200’ in the first three miles) and I stayed pretty dry—this is mid to upper 20’s. I had the jacket partially unzipped and no hoods on (light beanie on top) on most of the climb. Zipped it up as I descended. So yeah it breathes decently with moderate exertion.

 

[WhoGarrDen]

^ for 30-60 degrees I’d probably go with the non insulated version. For colder weather I’d consider the insulated version.

I got in a pretty good hike in today (8 miles with 1200’ in the first three miles) and I stayed pretty dry—this is mid to upper 20’s. I had the jacket partially unzipped and no hoods on (light beanie on top) on most of the climb. Zipped it up as I descended. So yeah it breathes decently with moderate exertion.

I think I'll go that route for now. If the weather drops before a hunt, I'll probably just throw a thicker or extra layer on under it. Appreciate the feedback!

 

[Poser]

I wore the insulated jacket today on a backcountry ski tour over a SG Helio baselayer. Started out in the low 20s and climbed 1800 feet in 2.2 miles. The highs ended up in the 40s and I was in and out of the sun a couple of times. Got a little overheated at one point in the direct sun, but I didn't take the jacket off because I was heading up a North face. Spent some time climbing steep terrain in the shade, crested a ridge and was in the wind. Sweat dried quickly and I never felt wet or steamy. Dropped in and rode out in about 30 minutes with some stops and starts. Didn't change any layers the whole day, which is ideal.

 

[mtwarden]

Well I hit the upper limit of the garment for me today—45-50° w/ no wind and full sunshine; too warm even fully unzipped. Not going to see much use for early season.

 

[Fritz D]

I’ve never owned a BD garment but this one looks like a possibility? Thanks for the review, MT.
Merry Christmas!

 

[mtwarden]

I’ve been pretty impressed with the Black Diamond gear I’ve owned. They’re climbing/mountaineering/back country skiing oriented, but as those are mountain pursuits, lots of lap over.

 

[feanor]

@mtwarden did you mention a weight for that piece?

 

[mtwarden]

Have not, 13.9 oz on my scale (size Large)