Gear

It's said to be 4 times more windproof than ordinary fleece, but what does that mean?

And has anyone got any experience of the RAB Shadow Hoodie/jacket?

Wind resistant rather than proof - viz, the wind won't cut straight through it like standard fleece, but equally anything more than a stiff breeze will still strip heat away. It works really well for active winter stuff where you don't want any sort of shell layer because of breathability issues, but it's not as effective as, say, a woven soft shell for weather resistance.

I'd think of it as an alternative mid-layer with a bit more scope for wearing on its own rather than as a regular alternative to any sort of shell, if that makes sense. Good in draughty huts too.

I really like the Rab Shadow. Good technical cut, bit of stretch, no-nonsense mountain fleece. Hood is handy. Thumb-loops are there is you want them but unobtrusive. The Lycra binding on the cuffs of our test jacket fell off. Someone described it as a 'fatal flaw', but in all honesty, it was more just an annoyance tbh, and Rab would fix or replace under warranty. Works well under a shell for winter use.
It's a little like Ultrafleece if you remember that, but with a harder wearing feel to the face.

Oh I remember Ultrafleece very well. I had an ME fleece made of it and I also had the next one up. I can't remember what it was called but I was quite heavy, stiff, windproof and water resistant.

After a bit of looking around and with advice from this website I went out this lunchtime to try on the RAB Baltoro Pro Guide. I think that'll do the job for me.

Thanks Jon much appreciated.

Hey Captain yes that was the stuff! A bit too warm for me.

All my recent posts concerning fleeces have been because my Millet Touring Hoodie made of Polartec Powershield is great until it gets below about 8C. Then it's not warm enough on top of a base layer, especially a thin one. I had an Arc'teryx fleece that was highly wind resistant and thicker but it lacked warmth and it recently got retired after 13/14 years of use. I wanted something warmer, but not too warm to wear over a base layer when the temperature gets down to about 5C or below. I prefer softshell or a wind resistant fleece because I sweat a lot and seem to be running hotter when I exercise, and feel the cold more when I don't.

Plus as the guy in the shop told me at lunchtime there are a lot of companies out there and even more fabrics to choose from. Fingers crossed I've made a good choice. I might think about a fleece for lounging around in in cold conditions. I think top of the list is the Patagonia R3 Hi Loft.