Polartec vs regular fleece

[texastea23]

For folks that use it fleece in poorer conditions, do you see a clear diff between Polartec and other fleece?

North face has a jacket that’s seems pretty stout and it goes on sale every winter for almost half off. There’s also the milsurp jacket my in law in the army says he hates (too much wind passes through) but some guys love.

 

[P Carter]

Polartec is a brand/manufacturer. They make many different fabrics, including some fleece fabrics. Power stretch, power grid, alpha, power air, etc. “Normal” Polartec fleece is, I think, just identified by weight.

So the particular piece will depend upon which Polartec fabric is used.

I don’t think there’s a big difference between Polartec normal fleeces and other brands. But if you’ve used particular products, and know which product is used in a particular garment, then you have a good basis to compare. It’s basically a known quantity.

Hope this helps.

 

[hiker270]

The weight of the fleece (usually weighted from 100 to 300) is usually the deciding factor. The brand name may decide the quality of the garment.

 

[t_carlson]

A lot of the mil surp stuff is Polartech. It will say if it is. It can also be found for very cheap prices on places like eBay.

That said, it really depends on what the comparison is. Polartech power grid vs. Sitka core heavyweight will probably not see a performance difference.

Power grid vs. Walmart fleece, definitely.

The thing about Polartech is, quite a few manufacturers use it. So you can find an Arcteryx fleece and a REI brand fleece made out of the exact same fabric for a lower price. The only difference is stitching and design.

 

[texastea23]

That’s kind of what I thought. I just wasn’t sure if I was missing something.

 

[texastea23]

The weight of the fleece (usually weighted from 100 to 300) is usually the deciding factor. The brand name may decide the quality of the garment.

If you were to use a fleece for elk hunting is there a weight you’d prefer?

 

[Milestone522]

I bring the PCU fleece from Beyond Clothing on my hunts. They make one fleece that is a bomb proof wind blocker that works great in wind swept open areas, and a second that is more of a furry hi-pile material that is my go to for hunting the woods and glassing clearings in the snow. If you search Beyond PCU or PCU level 3 on Ebay you will see some examples. Very warm layer.

 

[FishinGuns]

If I have a choice, I’d choose a Polartec fleece in whatever weight I need. I think they make quality fabrics.