UKC

Does anyone have any opinions on how much better Polartec than other fleece manufacturers (including really cheap ones)? Specifically in terms of weight, compressibility and warmth.

In reply to Alison Parker:

My polartec fleeces are much warmer for their weight than my cheaper blacks and own brand fleeces. I think the weave is denser.

In reply to Alison Parker:

I find the really cheap fleeces are more felted than the better fabrics. This tends to make them slightly more windproof, but less breathable. They bobble like crazy, too.

But the gap between bog-standard Polartec and 'cheaper' brands has narrowed, which is why Polartec have developed premium fleece fabrics such as ThermalPro and WindPro to distinguish themselves in the market place.

ThermalPro uses long fluffy fibres, which tends to make for a good warmth:weight & pack size, since it compresses well. I find it needs a windproof layer, though, as the wind whistles through it otherwise; that's a feature of the open structure of the fabric that's required to maximise trapped air.

Other manufacturers, such as Pontetorto and Terksaen make good fabrics (you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between Terksaen and Polartec Classic).

In reply to Alison Parker: Polartec Powerstretch although mainly used for hats n gloves is excellent for weight and packability.
I have experience with plain polartec fleece on this garment.
http://www.montane.co.uk/productdetails.php?productid=124&rid=10

It is very lite, packs well, anything thicker would be too warm.
Vents well due to the zip.
Ladies version available.
Combined with the windproof makes a superb 3 season every day combination

mh

In reply to captain paranoia:

That's interesting Cap'n,

What do make of Patagonia's Synchilla fleece compared to those you previously mentioned?

In reply to TMM:

My understanding is that Synchilla is a variety of Polartec; there's a long-standing relationship between Malden & Patagonia; ThermalPro was a joint development (R2), and Pata got to use it for a couple of years before it was released more widely (again, my understanding).

I've not used Synchilla, but when I've been kitfondling, it's felt a little softer. But new fleeces always feel softer...

In reply to Alison Parker:

BTW, a fleece I find myself reaching for more than any other is a Peter Storm 100 weight. However, I can't recommend any current PS stuff, because they change their fabrics far too often. They just happened upon a good one at the time (very like PT100M). Luckily, I bought three...

Recently, my lightweight fleece of choice is also a Montane: the Pulse.