Can a fleece hoodie be a substitute for a puffy?

[trapperjay]

I know I'd be adding weight and bulk in my pack but do any of you substitute fleece for either a synthetic or down puffy?

 

[PathFinder]

They aren't nearly as warm, aside from weight and bulk that's where they fall short. I typically add a hoodie to my gear when I know it will be colder than most hunts, they're great to hike in when it's really cold and it gives me another layer. My puffy is definitely my go to for insulation.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[trapperjay]

makes sense. along those lines, i'm looking at the sitka kelvin vest-my arms don't get very cold plus I also want to use it in the treestand some. I looked for non-huntin companies but can't find one with 170gr of insulation either.

 

[WoodBow]

Will it do the same things as well as a puffy? No. Will it work? Yes. Ive elk hunted 4 years with no puffy. Ive always worn fleece jackets and hoodies with no real complaints. I have a puffy this year though and have already had it on a hunt and it is awesome to have. Still a luxury item though, financially speaking.

 

[5MilesBack]

I will hunt with a fleece on if I need it (lightweight and breathes well), but I never wear my puffy when I'm hunting. I haven't needed the puffy yet during archery, but I have a feeling I will this year. But I'll only wear it in camp or when I'm not on the move. So I take both the puffy and the fleece, but nothing I have has a hood on it. Hate hoods.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Personally, I prefer my Marmot fleece with a thin UA outer layer(to keep the wind out) than a puffy. FWIW, this is for treestand hunting. I'll be taking this same setup to WY in October and don't see any reason why it shouldn't work.

I don't wear hoody items of clothing.

 

[LBFowler]

The warmest fleece is still less insulative then the coldest synthetic puffy.

Polartec High-Loft (MH monkeyman, Melanzana highloft hoody, TAD shagmaster) has a CLO of about 0.2/oz, most synthetics are around 0.6-0.8/oz, so even with the shell fabrics they are much warmer for the weight.

some users report that fleece handles wet environments even better then synthetic insulation, and many report that it is far more durable (keeps the same insulation rather then getting colder and colder over time). Most consider fleece to be more breathable in general as well. I plan to try highloft more this winter, but I expect to still need a puffy layer for static use.

 

[trapperjay]

So for the weight and bulk, siunds like either the down or syn puffy wins over fleece most of the time...?

 

[fngTony]

So for the weight and bulk, siunds like either the down or syn puffy wins over fleece most of the time...?

Yes my fleece jacket is 25 oz. My hooded synthetic is 18oz, my hoodless synthetic is just shy of 12 oz. Both are warmer. If I wear both puffy jackets its heavier but worth the weight.

 

[5MilesBack]

So for the weight and bulk, siunds like either the down or syn puffy wins over fleece most of the time...?

Depends what you're doing with it. Like I said, I have yet to use my Puffy while archery hunting, yet I use my fleece all the time.

 

[texag10]

I own 3 fleece jackets, and I feel all but one was a waste of money.

1) Store brand 1/4 zip neck store brand fleece in brown. Love it, makes a great baselayer for colder hunting. Breathable and quiet. Throw some sort of shell on top if windy. The real reason I like it is I paid $12 ~10 years ago and it's still going strong.

2) Mountain Hardwear Monkey Man. SUPER WARM...as long as there is no moving air at all. This thing kept me warm under a hardshell while snowboarding in -20 windchill conditions. Wear it when it's 40* with no shell and the motion from your arms swinging will let a chill through. If the wind is blowing, you're going to be cold. It does its job as an always on midlayer under a shell well, at the price of no versatility, high weight and bulk.

3) Arcteryx covert fleece. See #1, then make it less trim fitting, 12x more expensive, and better looking. Relegated to office wear.

I have one puffy, and arcteryx atom LT LEAF. It's my favorite jacket. Lighter than any of the fleeces, more packable, and warmer than anything but the MH monkey man with a shell over it.

 

[kpk]

I have a few puffy vests and several fleece tops. My go to now is a north face thermo ball jacket. I doubt it's very durable but its great for layering. Warmer than any of my fleece stuff, not bulky, weights nothing, and disappears when stuffed.

 

[jm1607]

I LOVE fleece for bowhunting because it's deadly silent. With that being said, if I'm doing a true backcountry multi-day hiking type of hunt, it's just too heavy..