r/myog • u/bonzo_bcn • 2d ago

Best lightweight insulation for packable pogies above 0°C: Alpha Direct vs Apex 67 vs Thinsulate CS100 vs Solarize?

I'm planning to make a pair of lightweight pogies for cycling, using 20D silpoly for the outer shell, and I'm trying to choose the best insulation.

The main priorities are:

  • Lightweight: I want to keep the overall weight as low as possible.
  • Packable and compressible: They need to pack down small when not in use, so bulky insulation isn't ideal.
  • Warm enough for temperatures above 0°C: I'm not planning to use them in freezing conditions.
  • Suitable for DIY pogies: Ideally, something relatively easy to work with when sewing them myself.

The insulation options I'm considering are:

  • Polartec Alpha 60
  • Polartec Alpha 90
  • Climashield Apex 67
  • 3M Thinsulate CS100
  • Fairfield Solarize

Has anyone here used any of these materials in pogies, mittens, or similar lightweight insulated gear?

I'm familiar with Polartec Alpha but being a 'breathable' fabric not sure if it would be ideal for this application. I guess the advantage is that I don't need another inner layer so it could be shell + alpha whereas for the other options I'd have to go shell + insulation + liner

Thanks!

Edit: I'll carry these when bikepacking, they'll live in the framebag except when needed.

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

2

u/DrBullwinkleMoose 2d ago

Are these for use with trekking poles or something faster, like cycling?

Both Alpha Direct and Apex are easy to work with and lightweight. Apex can be significantly warmer for weight, because it lofts more.

Most commercial pogies use Apex or similar batting insulation.

1

u/bonzo_bcn 2d ago

Sorry, forgot to say cycling (bikepacking)

3

u/DrBullwinkleMoose 2d ago

Apex then. Cycling is colder.

2

u/bonzo_bcn 2d ago

ok, will go with the 67 one then, thxs

2

u/DrBullwinkleMoose 2d ago

It would not be crazy to use AD as the liner fabric. Ski gloves/mittens are often fleece lined. It will wick sweat and feel nicer than nylon against your skin.

Nylon “windbreaker” shell, Apex insulation, fleece (AD) lining.

(Or skip the AD if the goal is lightest weight and smallest packed size).

1

u/bonzo_bcn 2d ago

I was thinking silpoly + apex + silpoly?, or as you say, skip the inner silpoly layer

3

u/DrBullwinkleMoose 2d ago

Silpoly is fine for the outer shell, as long as you don’t expect it to breathe. That’s probably acceptable for day trips when you can turn them inside out at night to dry.

For bike packing, I would use a breathable nylon (or polyester) shell, and make a separate pair of silpoly rain pogies to go over the insulated pogies when needed.

Definitely not silpoly liner, though. That would be an uncomfortable VBL, which you don’t need above freezing.

Apex needs some kind of breathable liner. Poly or nylon or fleece or TEXTURED nylon (AirWave, Taslan, Supplex).

The textured nylons can be lighter than fleece and they won’t stick to your sweaty skin as much as flat nylon/poly will.

1

u/Crafty_Roll2751 21h ago

Isn't Alpha Direct hydrophobic? Hydrophilic fabrics wick. Hydrophobic fabrics don't. This is the reason AD fabrics dry so quickly.

1

u/DrBullwinkleMoose 19h ago

It's more complex than that. Polyester is generally hydrophobic, yes, and dries quickly because it doesn't take on much moisture. However, all fibers can hold moisture between the strands, and any strand can move moisture via capillary action.

So AD wicks just fine. Its mesh structure lets air move freely through it, which helps with moving vapor as well. And it doesn't hold much moisture, so it dries quickly.

It's pretty nice stuff.

PS: All of the above (except for the mesh structure) applies to polyester fleece in general.