Hi all, i was in the market for a decent mid/base layer , so currently have sitting here two power stretch tops, a Lowe Alpine PS top and a Rab PS zip top. I'm wondering which one to keep, and which to send back. The Rab is damn sexy, no doubt about it, but its very tight (shows everything underneath it, from the ruffles of a base tee, to the waist button of your trousers, to your man breast nipples) and you can feel it quite tight across your chest when you wear it.
The Lowe alpine isnt as well made (ie nothing behind the zip, and generally just seems not as much care has gone into it )but its loser and feels more like a traditional sweatshirt fit. Which is better ? a close fit or an airy fit?
A) for warmth
b) for maneouvrability
c) for general comfort I'm undecided...
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| Edited: 14/01/09 14:33 |
 Tight fit is better with PowerStretch - but I cannot get away with it for a top  I wear Powerstretch tights all the time (when walking  ) and cannot see how baggy would be good, it defeats the idea of the fabric.
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I've an old 20/20 PS top, quite snug and it's fine. One way of looking at it is that it is a winter base-layer, so you want it close fitting in order to wick and keep you warm. If you're buying it as just any old mid-layer, then perhaps looser would be better, but that would be kind of missing the point of the fabric in the first place I think. RAB do two powerstretch tops; the PS Zip Top seems sligthly more biased towards being a base layer than the other one. I'd watch out for the thumb loops - they have advantages, but you have to be careful that cold rain/water/snow doesn't wick back up your fore-arms.
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yep i've also got the other Rabtop here as well.. a very very nice top but to be honest whilst the hardface shoulders are good, the rest of the top (the 'grid' bit) just seems a bit thin for me. Its only the arms and side panels that are standard power stetch fabric. The arms are longer than the zip top too. This will mainly be used a mid layer, and only occasionally as a base. Its main use is nothing to do with walking etc, as it'll be used when i'm hang gliding. For this reason i wanted something very warm, lightweight, with little bulk, so the power stretch seems perfect. However, i will also be using it for low level walks here and there, of which i do three or four a month.
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| Edited: 14/01/09 15:10 |
 powerstretch needs to be a snug fit. tight would just compress the fluffy insulation. it's damn good stuff even if it is less attractive looking on those of us without a honed athletic build.
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For a mid layer I think Powerstretch is unnecessary and expensive to be honest. A good microfleece is just as warm just not quite as stretchy. The hardface may swing it for you of course. And an even warmer thinnish stretchy fleece is Polartec 200S which I THINK Patagonia use for Capilene 4...?
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 Powerstretch is designed to be worn next to skin for maximum wicking. Like Buffalo tops, you want it to be snug, but not uncomfortably so. A very good winter base-layer IMO. 
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And an even warmer thinnish stretchy fleece is Polartec 200S which I THINK Patagonia use for Capilene 4...?
unless i'm mistaken, power stretch is the old 200s? ie same material.. different name.. could be wrong.
Of, for future reference for anyone, the Rab 'Power Stretch Top' is closer fitting than the regular Rab 'Power Stretch Zip top'.
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| Edited: 14/01/09 19:26 |
I bought some P200 which is definitely not like Powerstretch - its double faced fleece and is for sale in fabric specialists alongside Powerstretch. And there was definitely something that led me to believe that C4 is made from it...
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I've kept the Lowe Alpine, not as tight, but still close fitting as a base layer, and roomy enough to use as a mid if required just not as well made as the Rab. Although as some of you quite rightly say, these tops are essentially base layers, but they are marketed as a base/mid, which is why i went for one. The Rab Tops can no way be used as a mid, they're just too tight, whilst the Lowe Alpine works equally well as both, a nice compromise. I really wanted the marmot, but blimey , try and find one in stock !
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| Edited: 15/01/09 15:30 |
 Tight aye, and only get black unless you've got a physique proud of displaying...
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I really wanted the marmot, but blimey , try and find one in stock !
Sizes M + L here Outdoor Shop and at £20 off. I have a couple of the Marmots (jacket and zip top), and think they are nicer than the Rab or Lowe - better fit (on me at least), nice and snug with longer arms, and they're a good few grammes lighter too.
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that was where i ordered two of the tops from... funnily enough i actually ordered the marmot originally in small, but when it arrived it was a Rab. I think they cocked up on the stock level and just sent me the next best thing. I'm sure if i come across a marmot small one day, i'm bound to go for it, they look like they'd be a good fit. In the meantime the LA will have to do .
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| Edited: 15/01/09 18:27 |
I was given the Rab top for Christmas in a medium and was disappointed to find that it was a tight fit as i am always a safe medium in all my other similar outdoor clothing. So decided to send the top back and have just received a large through the post (fantastic) just the right size, snug fit in all the right places without looking like a pregnant penguin. I get the impression that the sizing of the tops are out of sink which is unlike Rab. 
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 I find my Rab Powerstretch fits well so performs very well. The only negative (other than displaying my moobs) is that when worn next to skin it can get a bit pongy if you're really exerting yourself.
The shiny fabric means its easier to layer as other items simply slide along the face fabric as opposed to fleece which has a rougher surface so more friction.
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well, since i bought the lowe alpine a year ago its still perofrming well... kept its shape, even though the colour is beginning to fade. Its had a lot of use as a mid in mild weather over a base tee, which it's perfect for. I've also used it as a base in colder weather...
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 I have an old Tog 24 powerstretch top which looked good on me when I bought it. Unfortunately, now, 7 years later and into my 7th decade, it emphasises my recently developed and somewhat prominent MBs.
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