1)Tester Background and Contact Information

Name: Curt Peterson
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight: 270 lb (122 kg)
Email address: curt<at>boopants<dot>com
Location: North Bend, Washington, USA

I live in the Cascade foothills, just 20 mi (32 km) from the Pacific Crest Trail via trails leading right from my backyard. My outdoor time in Washington is spent dayhiking, backpacking, climbing, and skiing everywhere from the Olympic coast to rainforests to Cascade volcanoes to dry steppe. I played football in college and often evaluate products from a big guy perspective. My typical pack load ranges from 11 - 20 lbs (5 - 9 kg) and usually includes plenty of wet weather gear.

2) Warm-n-Cozy Better-than-Fleece Specifications

Convertible Sweater Size: XXL
Sweater Total Weight- Manufacturer Spec: 13.4 oz (380 g) for size Large
Sweater Total Weight - Measured Spec: 14.1 oz (398 g) for size XXL
Sweater Vest Weight - Measured Spec: 9.4 oz (268 g) for size XXL
Sweater Color: Apple Red (also available in Spruce Green)
Manufacturer Website: www.bigskyproducts.com/
MSRP: $139.95 US

Jacket Size: XXL
Jacket Weight- Manufacturer Spec: 12.3 oz (349 g) for size Large
Jacket Weight - Measured Spec: 13.4 oz (380 g)
Jacket Color: Spruce Green (also available in Apple Red)
Manufacturer Website: www.bigskyproducts.com/
MSRP: $129.95 US

3) Warm-n-Cozy Better-than-Fleece Field Report

For my comments on synthetic insulation and use in the climate of the Pacific Northwest, a guide to Big Sky's sizing in these products, as well as a breakdown of features, please see my Initial Report.

For this and all future reports, the term "Sweater" will refer to the Warm-n-Cozy Better-than-Fleece Convertible Sweater. The term "Jacket" will refer to the Warm-n-Cozy Better-than-Fleece Jacket.

Field Report

What a difference a year makes! This time last spring we were all worried about forest fires and were in a state of "drought emergency" due to near record low snowfall. This spring, with a normal snowpack and a very slow spring melt, we're eagerly awaiting the melting of the higher elevation snow so we can get into the mountains! The cool spring has offered ample opportunity to test the Big Sky Better-than-Fleece Sweater and Jackets, however, and I estimate they've seen at least a dozen days on the trail or in cool-weather mountain use so far. Temperatures have ranged from the mid 30s F (0 C) to the mid 80s F (28 C). Obviously I wasn't using these insulation pieces during our brief warm spell! We've had plenty of rain as well - no worries about a drought this year. I've had a bit of a dawn fishing addiction this spring, and 4 a.m. starts to a notoriously rotten-weather lake have been a weekly occurrence during testing. Elevations have ranged from 1000' to about 3600' (300 m to 1100 m).

Jacket and Sweater Shared Comments

Both the Big Sky Jacket and Sweater are light insulating garments. In relatively low-activity use (fishing) and wearing a synthetic base layer underneath, I can get a bit chilled wearing either the Sweater or Jacket once temperatures get down around 40 F (4 C). While on the move they can easily go another 20 F (7 C) cooler or more in my opinion. They heat up rapidly with activity and seem to retain heat very well. In fact, with even moderate hiking and cool temperatures, the Big Sky Jacket and Sweater are very easy for me to overheat in. With two layers of fabric and insulation sandwiched in between, breathability is limited and they can get steamy quickly. This is greatly minimized by removing the sleeves on the Convertible Sweater, but for above freezing temperatures it's hard for me to imagine doing much hiking in either of these pieces. This supports my previous experiences with Primaloft insulation. Based on this experience, for my use they will work very well for spring and summer in-camp lounging insulation or as a fall and winter active insulating layer.

The shell material (Pertex Microlight) has a fantastic feel to it and so far the DWR has performed flawlessly. The slippery fabric has an excellent drape and it slides over every under-layer I've used so far with no catching or binding. Layers binding and twisting is one of my pet peeves, so this is much appreciated. Three times I've had them deluged by sudden rainstorms and no water has penetrated through the insulation to my base layer yet. Most water simply beads up and rolls off, and what water has snuck through the shell layer quickly seems to disappear into the web of Primaloft insulation inside. All three wet weather experiences have been for less than an hour. All three experiences have caused some puckering of the shell fabric where the water overwhelmed the DWR, but very quick drying was the norm once I left the rain.

The zippers all run relatively smoothly. They did seem to catch quite a bit on the light fabric during the early days of use, but either they are finding their track or I'm getting more careful in my zipping because it doesn't seem to be much of a problem anymore. Occasionally I'll get a snag at the neck level where the zipper turns away from my chest and out towards my chin, but even this is now fairly rare. All elastic and shock cords are in like-new condition with no wear or durability issues at all.

Fit Comments

Perhaps the best aspect of the Big Sky Convertible Sweater and Jacket so far is the sizing. As more outdoor garments seem to be trending towards an "athletic" fit, layering becomes more and more difficult. A trimmer fit is great for a single garment, but putting on 2 or 3 of these items can quickly create a straight jacket feel that I find very limiting. Big Sky seems to recognize this and has made the Better-than-Fleece pieces loose enough to be the outermost layer of a system that may include a few underneath layers. This is particularly true in the Jacket sizing. As noted in my Initial Report, the Sweater sizing is essentially one size down from the Jacket sizing, so the Jacket is a fantastic layer-on-top insulating piece while the Sweater does better layered over only base clothing. Both items, however, have more room in the shoulders and back than any other insulating top I've ever used. I experience virtually no restriction in upper body mobility while wearing these - even when fully zipped up and sealed. Large range of motion activities like long-cast fishing and bear bag rock throwing create no binding or resistance. I believe this is particularly important with insulating clothing because binding causes compression of the insulation, which decreases insulating value. Length is also very generous in both the Jacket and Sweater. I have a long torso and arm span, but overhead reaching doesn't leave my wrists or waist ridiculously exposed. These garments fit my usually XXL-Tall sized upper body so well, in fact, that I'm wondering if the rest of the "normal" sized population is utterly swimming in them!

If I have a complaint with this sizing at all, it would be the neck opening. As mentioned in my Initial Report, it is oversized. The vast majority of the time this is not a problem at all, but when I really need the jacket the most - on cool mornings with low activity - I want to be able to seal in the heat. The waist drawcord cinches up nice and tight on either side. The zipper backing is insulated so it's sealed up well. The wrist elastic seals just fine. But the neck allows heat to rise straight up and out of the jacket. Some sort of cinch or closure would be a great addition to the neck opening. Other than this one anomaly, it's hard for me to imagine a more perfect-fitting insulating layer.

Now that I've found the best fitting insulation garments I've every worn, I might as well dream. How about the exact same fit in a hooded 3 oz (85 g) Primaloft version for colder conditions?

4) Warm-n-Cozy Better-than-Fleece Remaining Test Plan

Typical trips for this season range from 1500 feet (460 meters) on valley trails to over 12,000 feet (3650 meters) on some volcano climbs. Temperatures will likely range from the mid 20sF ( -5C) to the mid 80sF (30C) over the remaining test period. I will definitely use it in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness of the Cascades. Other areas will be determined by rains and the speed of the melting snowpack - which has been very slow this year. In addition to overnights, the test period will be interspersed many days of dayhikes, day climbs, and early morning fishing hikes. I will test the Better-than-Fleece Convertible products in various conditions and report on performance for:

1) Features Set – Are there any long-term durability issues with the features mentioned in the previous reports?
2) Hand - How does it handle washings?
3) Compressibility/Loft Retention - Does it lose loft over time due to wear/compression/laundering?
4) Layering - Big Sky International designed these products to be layered in colder conditions. Do they work well as a system? Does the versatility of two garments (one with removable sleeves) outweigh the weight penalty of carrying two pieces instead of one thicker on in cold conditions?

Thanks to BackpackGearTest.org and Big Sky International for the opportunity to test the Warm-n-Cozy Better-than-Fleece products!

Read more reviews of Big Sky International gear
Read more gear reviews by Curt Peterson

Field Report

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