tamir@ucbvax.ARPA (Yuval Tamir) (01/29/85)
I am looking for a warm coat that would be sufficient for the winter in the Midwest. Originally I was planning to get a down coat. However, in one store they tried to sell me this coat that has a thin sheet of insulating material inside called Thinsulate. The nice thing about this coat is that it is not as bulky as down coats. I would like to hear from people who have worn Thinsulate coats. Are they really warm enough for a "real" winter ? Are there any special problems with them ? Yuval Tamir ARPANET/CSNET: tamir@Berkeley UUCP: ucbvax!tamir
parnass@ihu1h.UUCP (Bob Parnass, AJ9S) (01/29/85)
Mine kept me warm at -26 degrees (not wind chill) last weekend. My boots are also lined with Thinsulate. -- =============================================================================== Bob Parnass, Bell Telephone Laboratories - ihnp4!ihu1h!parnass - (312)979-5414
kfl@hoxna.UUCP (Kenton Lee) (01/29/85)
xxx
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.gadfly@ihu1m.UUCP (Gadfly) (01/30/85)
--
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.
--
*** ***
JE MAINTIENDRAI ***** *****
****** ****** 30 Jan 85 [11 Pluviose An CXCIII]
ken perlow ***** *****
(312)979-7188 ** ** ** **
..ihnp4!iwsl8!ken *** ***ark@alice.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) (01/30/85)
I don't know about Thinsulate coats, but I have a pair of Thinsulate gloves, and they're REAL warm.
seifert@mako.UUCP (Snoopy) (01/31/85)
In article <4449@ucbvax.ARPA> tamir@ucbvax.UUCP (Yuval Tamir) writes: >I am looking for a warm coat that would be sufficient for the >winter in the Midwest. *Where* in the midwest? The northern part (Purdue, chit-town, Wisconson, Michigan, etc) gets *very* cold, so get the warmest coat (and gloves, and boots, etc) you can find. If you mean southern Indy/Ill, or Kentucky, etc, the winters are quite mild, so any old winter coat will do. > ... in one store they tried to sell me this coat >that has a thin sheet of insulating material inside called Thinsulate. >The nice thing about this coat is that it is not as bulky >as down coats. The advantage of down is (a) it's very lightweight, and (b) you can squash it into a little ball, stick it in your pocket, and then pull it out and fluff it back up again. These are very nice properties if you are going backpacking. If not, you can get cheaper types of insulation which work just as well at insulating, but weigh more and aren't as squashable. The problems with down are (a) expense, and (b) special cleaning requirements. (it's very delicate) You may not like the bulk, but it beats freezing. Any coat that's warm is going to be bulky. The *real* problem isn't the coat, its the face, hands, and feet. A coat with a hood is highly recommended. Along with a facemask, (balaclava) and/or a skimask. (the skimask keeps the wind out of your eyes, which regular (sun)glasses don't. Good warm gloves, thick socks and heavy boots are required. Non-insulated boots are fine as long as you keep walking. If you aren't walking, your feet freeze. If I had it to do over again, I'd get insulated boots. With Vibram soles for traction on ice. Coat them with your favorite waterproofing glop. _____ |___| the Bavarian Beagle _|___|_ Snoopy \_____/ tektronix!mako!seifert \___/
ned@brl-tgr.ARPA (Raymond Prenatt ) (01/31/85)
Thinsulate products sound pretty good. Who sells them?
=Ned=gek@ihu1j.UUCP (glenn kapetansky) (02/01/85)
>>From: seifert@mako.UUCP (Snoopy)
"...A coat with a hood is highly recommended..."
That's a no-no with Thinsulate, although in general it's good advice.
I have played with foam, Holofill, Quallofil, Thinsulate, Gore-tex,
radiant barriers, polypropylene, in fact just about everything but
down. Thinsulate's caveat is that it is sewn in sheets to a stiff
backing material (in garments, I don't know about gloves-boots). This
means that (for instance) with my vest Thinsulate is wonderfully
warm until I move. Then the stiff backing pulls the vest away from
my body, a breeze comes in thru the armholes across my chest, and
insulation goes to zero. So Thinsulate, which is wonderfully warm
and lightweight, MUST be kept close to the body at all times via closely-
cut garments. Hoods, even when tied (as mine rarely is), have a tendency
to expose a small gap around the neck when you turn your head, and
thus funnel cold air behind the Thinsulate barrier. Better to forget
the hood and look for a high, stretch collar + scarf + wool hat. By
the same token, look for stretch cuffs and "snow skirt" or tie in the waist.
My experience? Thinsulate is great for gloves and shoes; use in jackets ONLY
if you can check the fit, never from mail order. My favorite jacket
is a Holofill (the fibers are shorter than Polarguard, so is better
for a flexible garment, and it is cheaper than Quallofil) vest covered
with a Gore-Tex-polypropylene shell--I can use one or the other or both
all year round. Quallofil in my sleeping bag (I like the best when I sleep!)
. Wool for socks'n'hats'n'scarves, polypropylene for underwear.
Gore-Tex is fabulous in everything; I have it in sleeping bag, boots,
gloves, shell.
Forgive any mispellings, I long ago removed all my tags under penalty
of law ;-)
--
glenn kapetansky
"Think of it as evolution in action"
...ihnp4!ihu1j!gek 2141smh@aluxe.UUCP (S. M. Henning,) (02/01/85)
**** **** From the keys of Steve Henning, AT&T Bell Labs, Reading, PA aluxe!2141smh > The advantage of down is (a) it's very lightweight, and (b) you can > squash it into a little ball, stick it in your pocket, and then > pull it out and fluff it back up again. These are very nice > properties if you are going backpacking. > The problems with down are (a) expense, and (b) special cleaning > requirements. (it's very delicate) The main problem with down is that if the down gets damp or wet it looses ALL of its insulating qualities. Wool, thinsulate, and other polyester fiber insulations will still keep you warm if they get wet. You of coarse have to wring the liquid water out to get most of the insulation back, but it will keep you alive where down won't. Something to think about. On Mt. Hood, in Oregon, two guy had to hole-up in a snow cave to escape white-out conditions. One had a down bag which got damp due to condensation and he died. His poor buddy with a cheap polyester bag survived.
chu@lasspvax.UUCP (Clare Chu) (02/03/85)
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!