tamir@ucbvax.ARPA (Yuval Tamir) (02/06/85)
Here is a collection of all the responses to my query about
Thinsulate coats. I have included messages I received in e-mail
as well as responses that appeared on the net.
USENET is a wonderful resource.
Thank you very much to all the people who responded!!!
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Thinsulate is very warm. The one fault I have found in some thinsulate
garments are that they are made in a manner that makes them have too much
rigidity to be comfortable. I have a thinsulate vest that doesn't give
when I sit down. It rides up and pokes me in the face. Make sure that
a thinsulate garment is comfortable and pliable before you buy it. I
would never buy thinsulate by mail unless it was satisfaction guaranteed.
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I don't know how warm they are, but the last thinsulate coat I looked at
had a tag on it warning that it was flammable and should not be used
near open flames. Since I do a lot of camping, I opted for down.
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my ski jacket uses thinsulate - it's always been plenty warm.
also, thinsulate won't collapse when wet, as down will. not an
issue skiing, but could be a consideration if you're buying a jacket
to wear hiking, camping, . . .
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I have a thinsulate coat. Before it I had a down coat. I'd have to say the
down coat was warmer. Although thinsulate is a good insulator they don't
give you very much of it. I've worn it for a winter and a half and
use a sweater when it gets really cold (< 10 degrees). Another thing about
the coat, it comes with a hood without any lining. The down coat I had came
with a down hood (which was extremely warm). On the other hand down is so
expensive now.
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I've had a Thinsulate coat for several years. It is quite
adequate for winter in the Denver area but I suspect that midwest
winters are colder. The trick to keeping warm, of course, is to wear
several layers. In subzero weather, I wear a turtleneck, two sweaters
and my jacket and I'm plenty warm up top. (Now, if I could figure
out what to layer on the bottom). Be sure to buy your coat big
enough to put clothes on underneath (I have a useless down jacket
I bought too small).
Also, thinsulate can be washed in your own washer. You don't
have to worry about feathers coming out. And, it does fine in the
rain.
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Um, Thinsulate is just fine for spring and fall, and utterly useless
for teh iddle of a midwestern winter.
Go for a down jacket. There is a cheap outlet aroudn here called
teh "Burlington Coat Facotry" that sells stuff for
much off. I suspect that there are similar places around
bezerkley, too.
Criteria:
1) The outside should be very rugged, vs being ripped.
2) The outside should also be very fine weave, to keep wind
from compromising the insulation.
3) The lining, if possible, should be a soft absorbant material
UNLESS it is to be primarly a ski jacket where the inner liner will
get wet.
4) The more loft, the better.
5) Down is many times better than feathers, and less many
times expensive, in a good discount house.
We just bought the SE here a coat (men's small, she has WIDE shoulders and
a small waist) that is of excellant manufacture and good to about -10
with appropriate glvoes and hat for 75$.
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Thinsulate is good stuff. I have a Thinsulate jacket that I wear all
the time during the winter in upstate New York and northern Indiana.
It not only serves around town, but I even wear it to ski in, with warm
clothes on underneath (no need for fancy shmancy ski clothes when the
regular jacket will do) A given thickness of Thinsulate is as warm as
twice that much down and only a small fraction heavier. It further has
the essential (for me) feature that it retains its insulating
properties when wet, and dries quickly. Wet down is about as good an
insulator as cardboard (ie, hopeless) and considerable heavier. The
Thinsulate fabric batting used to make clothing comes in several
weights, measured in grams/square yard (I think). 150 or 200 gram
insulation is standard (200 is very warm) and often the insulation in
the sleeves is 50 grams lighter than in the body of the jacket.
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I have a Sierra Designs Thinsulate Mountain Parka which I bought
in 1980 and which is still in excellent condition after two years
living in Stockholm and two in Pittsburgh. It keeps me warm in
temperatures down
to about -15C. The only advantage of down insulation over thinsulate is
that down is slightly lighter for the same amount of insulation,
which really only matters when backpacking, when every gram counts.
I can definitely recommend this parka.
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I have had one for about 4 winters now in
New York, New Jersey . Also during vacation
in White mountains. Never been cold even down
in minus number temps (not wind chill). They
are warn thin and easy to care for. To the best
of my knowledge you MUST NOT dry clean thinsulate.
Wash in washing machine works fine. None of the
tennis ball nonsense of down. They make everything
with it ski clothing gloves, it's even used in
ear muffs with good reason.. Thinsulate is
trademarked by 3M, and they have done a good
thing with this one. When my coat wears out,
I will buy thinsulate again.
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I bought a Woolrich coat this winter insulated with 'Thinsulate'. The
material is lightweight and reasonably warm, but not nearly as warm as
my Gerry down ski parka. If warmth is your top concern I would get a
high quality down parka, if not, Thinsulate is a reasonable
alternative.
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i have a friend who wore thinsulate on his motorcycle and into the mountains.
it works, but is heavier than down and quallofil (this is disputed by some
shops), for example. it is cheaper than down. an open question is whether it
lasts longer than hollofil.
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Mine kept me warm at -26 degrees (not wind chill) last weekend.
My boots are also lined with Thinsulate.
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Most "experts" recommend synthetic jackets these days, for several
reasons:
1. Synthetic is more durable and easier to care for.
2. Synthetic is cheaper.
3. Synthetic is lighter since you don't need all the baffles that
down does.
4. Some synthetics are less bulky than down.
I bought a Thinsulate coat about 3 years ago and it's holding up
well. I would recommend a 200+ oz. version for you "real winter"
folks.
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I don't know about Thinsulate coats, but I have a pair of
Thinsulate gloves, and they're REAL warm.
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Kudos here for Thinsulate(tm). I had a jacket made with
a removable thinsulate lining so I could ride my motorcycle
year-round. Which I do, and very toastily. It also works
well in gloves. More important than insulation, of course,
is garment construction that keeps the wind out.
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I have worn one for 3 years now, and it's the warmest coat I've ever used.
I occasionally find myself leaving it partially unzipped just to provide a
bit of cool air (if, e.g., I'm working outside.) Often you can find coats
with different thicknesses of Thinsulate, so you can choose the one that's
most appropriate. Many manufacturers are also making gloves now with this
lining. I'd recommend it to anyone.
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My wife and I both bought new parkas this year to replace
our deteriorating down parkas. They have a Gore-tex shell
and use Thinsulate. They have kept us warm even during
the -10 F weather we recently had. I would highly recommend
Thinsulate and Gore-Tex. By the way our jackets were made
by Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI), in Seatle, WA.
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i have a pair of HEAD ski pants made with this Thinsulate
material - it works great! It is not bulky and it IS warm.
I don't know what happens if it gets wet, however....
I would like to find a ski jacket made out of the same stuff....
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My vest has been great. The stuff is as warm as down, thinner, and
lots easier to work with if you sew your own.
Care is similar to down but it can't be dry cleaned. The usual
hand washing works fine.
In fact my biggest problem has been that it's too warm sometimes.
Still have my down coats just because they haven't worn out.
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I bought my wife a pair of gloves made with Thinsulate and she claims
that they are the warmest things she's ever seen.
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I recommend the Thinsulate (Goretex) coat I've had for 4 years. Its made by
Columbia Sportswear, Portland OR. I ordered it from REI ($150 then). I also
ordered a coat (same price) from EMS at the same time, for comparison. I
returned the EMS coat. The REI coat was much better made. Unfortunately, the
catalog companies don't always list the maker of the coat and can switch
suppliers on you, so I suggest you call and ask to make sure.
It did just fine in Rochester's worst weather (-40F) with only one layer of
clothes on underneath. No sweater, undershirt, longjohns or hat necessary.
(I admit, however, that I like the feeling of wearing a scarf around my neck,
but I don't think its necessary, either.)
Other advantages of thinsulate garments that I haven't seen mentioned are
1) easier to wash and dry than down. Down-filled things are a royal pain to
clean. Thinsulate isn't.
2) I can wear my coat during the spring and fall and people don't think I'm
nuts. I even wear it in the summer when its raining hard. (I just open the
zipper if I get too warm.)
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Hi! I came to Cornell from San Diego and didn't
know anything about winter clothes. However I knew
I didn't want a down coat because it makes you look
fat. So I went to REI Co-op and bought a Thinsulate
parka. It has worked fine for me all through the cold
Ithaca winters and I have worn it in sub-zero weather
and while skiing. Hope this is helpful!
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