Patagonia has a sale on both of these right now and I was wanted to you guys thoughts on the difference between the two. I assume the R2 is slightly warmer? Right now I want a good insulation layer for mountain climbing, backpacking, and some still-hunting for whitetail.

What are some practical differences between the two for these kind of applications?

R2 is about twice as warm as R1. They both rock....Buy them both!!

I see R1 as a very heavy weight base layer or lightweight midlayer, vs R2 as more of a standard 200 wt type fleece. Patagonia is great stuff, even if it costs like it.

Thanks. I may give the R1 a try first

Nontypical nailed it. I love my R1 over top of a light wool base layer for late season stand hunting.

I'm absolutely hooked on MEC products right now. And just like Nimrod, the R1 type fleece works great over a wool baselayer. And this thing just rocks for the price. It's identical to the Patagonia R1 hoodie. It has a smooth outer so it fits well under other layers. I highly recommend this one.
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442627307&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302699173&bmUID=1245507037041


However, I also have the Patagonia R2 fleece from their "alpha green' line. I'm very disappointed in how delicate it is. I've only worn it a few times, and not hard at all, already the elbows are completely matted down. It's a very strange material too. It's fluffy fleece with lots of gaps in between. So you can imagine how easy it is to wear it down. I wouldn't buy this one again.
Oh, and BTW. MEC has a sale on the Amenity jacket which is similar to the Patagonia R2. It's supposed to be even better as the bottom has a waistcord and my Patagonia R2 has no adjustments.
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442619431&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302698749&bmUID=1245507474674

i never support anti-hunt orgs so even if Mec is good on product and price wont get my money ...

just for read and thoughts :

http://www.gamewarden.ab.ca/archive/Summer2004/departmt.htm

i never support anti-hunt orgs so even if Mec is good on product and price wont get my money ...

just for read and thoughts :

http://www.gamewarden.ab.ca/archive/Summer2004/departmt.htm [/quote]

Yeah. Everyone has their own thoughts on matters like these and I can see where you're coming from. I think i've read somewhere where Patagonia and Arc-Teryx have a similar stance. The problem is that I work hard for my money like everyone else. I want the best quality at the best price point and a lot of these companies put out clothing that puts Cabelas and other hunting clothing manufacturers to shame. Plus I generally hate Hunter's camo clothing.