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)

 

[Fritz D]

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.

I’ve used their trad and sport climbing gear for going on 15 years now and have no complaints? I especially love their cams and belay devices.
So I’m not at all surprised that their clothing gets high marks-but it’s still nice to see reviews like yours about them.