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Confused on how people use the capilene thermal hoodie - mid-layer or base-layer?
I have both the R1 and the Thermal weight Cap and the capilene is a decent amount thinner, and less warm.
For me the R1 is good for sitting around at camp when its not too cold out but it has to be very cold for me to use it as an active insulation layer, definitely below freezing.
The capilene on the other hand seems to be a great weight for use as an active insulation layer in most of the temperatures i frequently find myself, but it can be used as a baselayer if its really cold out. I can use it at 40-50 degrees without it making me overheat and layering it with a windshell makes it very versatile.
I really like using cap lw as a baselayer because it makes putting on and taking off fleece layers easy since the material is slick.
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I currently have a LW Capilene top and am looking for a new mid-layer. I was pretty set on an R1, but saw that some people recommend the cap thermal hoodie over the R1, which brought up a few questions for me.
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Is the cap thermal hoodie used as a base layer or a mid layer?
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If it's a mid layer, do people where the LW capilene (or an equivalent) underneath it?
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Is it only used as a baselayer in cold conditions? Would one wear a hoodless fleece over it if it's used as a baselayer?
Thanks for the help, just trying to determine what the popular use of this item is. It seems like I could use it as a base in milder conditions and then layer it on top of something else, like my LW capilene, if it's too cold to use either by itself.
I have both the R1 and the Thermal weight Cap and the capilene is a decent amount thinner, and less warm.
For me the R1 is good for sitting around at camp when its not too cold out but it has to be very cold for me to use it as an active insulation layer, definitely below freezing.
The capilene on the other hand seems to be a great weight for use as an active insulation layer in most of the temperatures i frequently find myself, but it can be used as a baselayer if its really cold out. I can use it at 40-50 degrees without it making me overheat and layering it with a windshell makes it very versatile.
I really like using cap lw as a baselayer because it makes putting on and taking off fleece layers easy since the material is slick.
For the use cases you describe below (Yosemite etc) the Cap Thermal Hoody is ideal for 3 season backpacking.
For me, it's a great active midlayer over a base layer and under a wind shirt from about high 20s to low 40s (ie chilly mountain starts). Above that it's in my pack until camp when I pop it back on with a down/synthetic puffy on top.
I find an R1 or a Melly are too warm for much activity at those temps and then too cold to be my only insulation at camp, so I still need the puffy layer - in other words they spend more time just being annoyingly heavy and bulky in my pack!