I checked them out and I wish them well but the guidas are more than a bit above the competition's. You simply have to pay for quality but how much ? I bought my wife the best Patagonia underwear tops and bottoms yesterday and it was more than outlandish $$$. She's coming out of 6 months of chemo and is cold continuely. I'm told fleece is the generic name for 100% synthetic 'brand' name material/clothing like what I got her. I saw a Patagonia's outer jacket make from thicker material than the underwear and it was half the $$$. Now go figure that one. Maybe all this stuff has some hidden weave to it but I saw no difference. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />
Patagonia's best underwear is less than half the thickness of this Patagonia jacket I'm referring to. The big difference in Patagonia's mid warmth underwear 'appeared' to be the 'best' cold weather underwear was the addition of a zip up neck collar. And IMO, that is extremely important to lock in the body's heat....same for elastic cuffs and waistband.
And that's why I was confounded by a wind liner inside a jacket that was referred to here. Lock in the body heat and keep out the wind steeling comfort with an outside wind breaker.
If I don't have long john's on hunting , which is a lot of the time in the winter, I take a hankerchief tied around my neck 'cowboy style' and find a huge difference in staying warm. Hunting chukars means climbing steep tough rocky mountains much of the time and I, even when it's cold, will just wear a tee shirt and a light synthetic shirt with a hankerchief around my neck. If I get too warm the first thing coming off is the neck sealing hankerchief. My hat has already been put in my bird vest(grin). The wind plays a huge role in staying warm or being cold. It can be in the 30s and I'm only in a tee shirt IF there's no wind blowing but I'm burning up calories like a kid eating candy on Halloween night !
Wool is great for me if it's not up next to my bare skin but the big drawback is that you have to have it drycleaned. The synthetics are soft and you just toss them in the washer, ready for another day.
I might add that the Alpaca 'wool' with a tight weave is wonderfully soft like cashmere and just fantastic in keeping you warm and it doesn't 'scratch'....but then it's off to the dry cleaners ! And talk about being pricey !!!! But I can't say Alpaca isn't worth the $$$$. It's just a horribley big pill to swallow and less expensive gear is out there.
Just my two cents worth. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />
