Why wear windstopper close to body?

pawlyb

FNG
Joined
Jan 1, 2022
In several talks/podcasts, John Barklow from Sitka talks about how you should actually wear your windstopper layer UNDER your insulation. That "most people think your wind shell should go over your puffy to block the wind" but that "that's actually not true."

The people interviewing him usually nod in agreement as some scientific-sounding answer is started but not finished - almost as though the logic is supposed to be obvious. Can anyone here tell me why, in a layering system, one would want to wear a wind shell close to body, specifically under one's insulation? The "obviously wrong" logic of wearing it over a puffy makes more intuitive sense to me. Thanks
 
I wear my windstopper fleece garment outside of my other layers. This reduces the amount of heat loss to convection. If it's really windy and heat loss by convection is a real issue, I'll put my hooded puffy coat over my windstopper fleece and if that doesn't work, I then put my rain parka over my puffy coat. That usually does the trick, unless it's blowing 50+ with a minus thirty degree or deeper windchill. Then all bets are off.
 
In several talks/podcasts, John Barklow from Sitka talks about how you should actually wear your windstopper layer UNDER your insulation. That "most people think your wind shell should go over your puffy to block the wind" but that "that's actually not true."

The people interviewing him usually nod in agreement as some scientific-sounding answer is started but not finished - almost as though the logic is supposed to be obvious. Can anyone here tell me why, in a layering system, one would want to wear a wind shell close to body, specifically under one's insulation? The "obviously wrong" logic of wearing it over a puffy makes more intuitive sense to me. Thanks
Start at the 43:15 Mark

 
I wear my windstopper fleece garment outside of my other layers. This reduces the amount of heat loss to convection. If it's really windy and heat loss by convection is a real issue, I'll put my hooded puffy coat over my windstopper fleece and if that doesn't work, I then put my rain parka over my puffy coat. That usually does the trick, unless it's blowing 50+ with a minus thirty degree or deeper windchill. Then all bets are off.

That's pretty much the science of it. The more insulation layers inside the wind proof layer, the more convective heat transfer is reduced. I do think that if your puffy is down, the fabric that has to be used as the shell material to retain down is also pretty good at stopping the wind.
 
My understanding is that wearing wind layers closer to the body means that your body heat pushes more air through the fabric, allowing you to take full advantage of the fabrics breathability. Some situations I wear it close to the body, and in some situations I wear it outside insulation. It just depends what I'm trying g to accomplish with it.
 
My windstopper, Jetstream, is a size larger than my normal size just to fit outside everything else, including my puffy.
 
I've been wondering about this, also; thanks for posting the podcast link.

Would it be safe to say the following:
-If the goal is to maximize warmth (perhaps when you are stationary, etc.), put windstopper as the outside layer.
-If the goal is to maximize breathability (when you are moving), put windstopper close to skin.

That is not intuitive to me, but I may give it a shot. I have a Kor preshell and Kelvin Active Hoody so I'll experiment a bit this fall.
 
Start at the 43:15 Mark

This is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for the link, that's informative
 
I will have to give that a listen. Years and years ago there was a gortex suit marketed to the military that was worn under camo BDUs. When you were static, the breath ability actually let you dry out. Haven’t thought about that kind of system in a long time and like many, I size and wear my windproof layer as an outer garment
 
I use a breathable rain coat as an outer layer when layering in cold temps. A fleece vest or jacket under there is about as good as a parka.
 
Start at the 43:15 Mark


Can I find that on my phone so I can listen in the truck? I tried searching it but couldn't find it..
 
You can listen on a phone via YouTube but while the video plays so you need some decent service. I just did.

seems to me the upshot is that the greater temp difference closer to your body will make the mechanical breathing and wicking function of the wind layer work better. He also says that if you start the day with insulation on the inside, you have to take off the out layer to remove the insulation. Makes sense.
 
You can listen on a phone via YouTube but while the video plays so you need some decent service. I just did.

seems to me the upshot is that the greater temp difference closer to your body will make the mechanical breathing and wicking function of the wind layer work better. He also says that if you start the day with insulation on the inside, you have to take off the out layer to remove the insulation. Makes sense.

If you're hunting from the ground this makes total sense.

If you're hunting from a tree stand... makes no sense.. Tree stand hunting you won't be perspiring unless you dressed inappropriately, so you won't be sweating all that much so there is no reason to worry about breathability
 
You can listen on a phone via YouTube but while the video plays so you need some decent service. I just did.

seems to me the upshot is that the greater temp difference closer to your body will make the mechanical breathing and wicking function of the wind layer work better. He also says that if you start the day with insulation on the inside, you have to take off the out layer to remove the insulation. Makes sense.
great summation
 
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