I have never found down pants/trousers necessary in winter overnighting, x country skiing, biking, kayaking, hiking. I found it is much better to take care of the core. Keep the core warm and you will be a happy camper. Warm hat, mittens, and down hooded jacket and Winterweight Alpaca wool knee-high socks. Maybe making a cape out of my sleeping bag or not. Or use my Alpaca bag liner as a campfire blanket. Every item I carry must have two or three uses. The secret of staying warm around the campfire is to keep your feet away from the fire. The body only sends excess core heat to the feet. If your feet are hot from the fire the brain is confused and instead of sending the extra heat to the feet will send it to the capillaries in the trunk which lowers your body temperature making you shiver to rewarm the core.
These are neat and light. I have used my RAB mountaineering belay jacket and pants. both synthetic , heavier. it also means you can boost your sleeping bag big time by wearing them inside it .... see Mark Twight on this idea. I also use a MSR light 2L bladder as a hot water bottle... synthetic is a big advantage in wet weather.... will dry quick, down wont.
Quite Familiar with Mr. Twight. Even dabbled in Extreme Alpinism in the mid-aughts. Down garment design is way better now than it was in the 70s. And in over 50 years of backpacking and climbing I have yet to get a down jacket or sleeping bag catastrophically wet. Warmest, -alan
Hey Alan. Thanks for another great video. I get really cold at night around camp and the typical lightweight puffy jacket is not nearly enough for me. I was going to upgrade to the Montbell Mirage, but your website article with the great comparison chart convinced me that a custom GooseFeet Gear jacket is in my future. I learned a lot from you and Joe on the WV trip in '19 (plus it was super fun). Your videos are a great continuation of that learning process, though I do look forward to more in-person trips.
Hey James, nice to hear from you! So glad that you found our content useful. And make no mistake Montbell Mirage is a great jacket. But yes with customization options the GooseFeet gear option is pretty much the bee’s knees. All the best -Alan
I just found this channel while looking for quilts and backpacking coffee ideas, love what you are doing. I would be really interested in knowing what kind of meals/snacks you prepare on your larger trips where weight is a concern.
Awesome! Thank you! Checkout our www.adventurealan.com/best-backpacking-food/. That's pretty much our standard save weight plan. Alison and I usually get by with 1.5 lb of food/day. BUT recently I've been dabbling in Keto. And I have gone fully Keto on trial & have guided a few 5 day trips with 3.7 pounds of food - quite successfully without any issues. That post has yet to be written (and may not be due to the specialise nature of SUCCESSFULLY doing keto on multi day trips). Best, -alan
I'm glad you guys made this video. I've been stuck in sleep system jail a few times and that inspired me to nab some down pants, recently. You guys didn't go into it here, but do you advise for or against sleeping in your puffy layers?
We did go there, go to the link in the comments to our written article. www.adventurealan.com/sleeping-bag-jail-how-to-avoid-it/ But in short A Sleep System is just that - A System! Your sleeping bag, pad, & clothes combined keep you warm! Your sleep clothing, sleeping bag or quilt, and sleeping pad is a combined system designed to work together to keep you snoozing comfortably. You can get by down to mid-20s F with a +30 F comfort bag combined with a good clothing system and a warm sleeping pad. Sleeping bags are expensive - by combining your clothing with your sleeping bag and pad makes a warmer, more flexible, and lower-cost system. A sleeping pad that’s rated for colder temperatures makes a huge difference too. For only a few ounces an upgrade from a NeoAir XLite (or our preferred Women’s R 5.4) to the R 6.9 Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm Sleeping Pad will make a huge difference in sleep warmth. This will likely make a more cost and weight effective increase in your sleep system than “over buying” a warmer down bag. This leaves you with more dough to buy some warm camp clothes. Warm regards, -alan
Hard Q to answer given there's so much variability between people. But for a number of people in the 40s F. And most folks around freezing or lower. Depends how tired you are and how much you are moving around camp too. Best, -alan
Hi Alan. You mentioned that your jacket was 5.5oz fill weight. What about your pants? Also 5.5oz I'm assuming? What's the lowest temperature you would feel comfortable standing non-active with the pants at camp. Thanks.
Pants have. 4.5 oz 950 FP down. I have spent extensive time in them in the Sierras when temps were around 10 to 18 degrees. My guess is that I could go a bit lower in them if I wasn't too hammered. But every person is different, tired vs. not, etc., etc. There really no way to predict what works from situation to situation and person to person. Warmest, -alan
Alan, That down suit truly is epic! Two quick questions: 1) Do you make fires with that much insulation or just hang out? I'd be terrified to get a spark caught in that lofty magnificence. 2) How is the stitching? One of my concerns with custom gear made by cottage manufacturers is the garments may not be as dialed-in as more mainstream manufacturers garments that are mass produced. Thanks!
Stitching and construction is excellent on the goose feet gear jacket. They have a really good reputation. And yes, given that it’s 7d fabric and lots of expensive down. Getting too close to the campfire and getting a spark hole in the jacket is not optimal. That being said the holes are usually small and there are patches. Hope this helps -alan
@@adventure_alan_co Thanks. I currently combine Mountain Hardware ghost whisperer vest and Montbell superior down parka with M65 pants to get out in the winter temps. Definitely eye balling your set up for a future upgrade to have lighter and fewer moving parts. I'm thinking having "down overkill" could remove the want for fire so I can just relax with friends around a luci light and food instead. Appreciate you sharing the knowledge!
I just returned from a backpacking trip where temperature were in the mid thirties. The REI fleece paints keep me warmer than if wearing my hiking pants, however not warm enough. My opinion is they would work better in temperatures ranging from the 40s to 50s. Alan have you tested Outdoor Vital loftech jacket?
Yeah, Joe the fleece pants are definitely in there as a budget option. The problem is that inexpensive puff or down pants are rare - and pants get less use than a jacket so the cost is hard to justify for all but hardcore users. And no I haven’t tested the OV Loftech altho it’s significantly heavier than the EE Torrid and I am wondering why there are pitzips on an insulating layer. Best, -Alan
Rick, as I say in the video look in the comments section for the link to the written post. It has all the info you need. But in short it is a custom item (not listed as a product on his site). Contact Ben at GooseFeet gear via their "custom section" and order one. Hope you enjoy your jacket. Best, -alan
Hi Alan, I just subscribed to your channel 😊 I was wondering if I could ask you a UL gear question (that is unrelated to this specific video) in this comment section or if you would prefer that I contact you some other way (such as email?) Thank you in advance for your reply and I always enjoy watching your videos 🙂
Sorry about that. Just trying to keep the video technically accurate and make sure the data and numbers are correctly stated. Viewers get really torqued out when you state the wrong spec's and or names for an item. Best, -alan
