FUTUREFLEECE FROM THE NORTH FACE

FIRSTLY, WE ARE NOT SUPPORTED BY THE NORTH FACE IN ANY WAY. WE ARE NOT GIVEN STUFF, WE ARE NOT PAID TO WRITE ANY OF THIS, ANY DEAL WE GET COMES FROM OUR SIDE AND NOT FROM THEM.

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FUTUREFLEECE IS NOT POLARTEC ALPHA, AS SOME PEOPLE SEEM TO BELIEVE, AND DOESN’T BEHAVE LIKE ALPHA DESPITE SOME FAIRLY MINIMAL SIMILARITIES. ALPHA IS A 3D KNIT, THAT IS CONSISTENT IN DENSITY ACROSS IT CROSS SECTION, IT IS NEARLY TOTALLY PERMEABLE BEING ABOUT 90% SPACE, DOESN’T REALLY STRETCH, AND REQUIRES SPECIAL WAYS TO SEW. WE LIKE ALPHA, A LOT, AND USE IT ALL THE TIME, BUT IT IS NOT MUCH LIKE FUTUREFLEECE.

FUTUREFLEECE (SOMETIMES SEEMINGLY CALLED EXPEDITION FLEECE AS WELL) IS A WOVEN MATERIAL THAT HAS TWO DISTINCT SIDES – A HIGHLY WICKING, RELATIVELY LONG PILE ON ONE SIDE AND A MORE TIGHTLY (THOUGH NOT ‘TIGHT’) FACE ON THE OTHER. IT FEELS LIKE A THIN, OPENLY WOVEN, REGULAR FLEECE, WITH A FURRY UNDERSIDE WHERE THE FUR IS ARRANGED INTO A CURVED GRID. THIS GRID OF FUR MAKES UP FOR MAYBE 40% OF THE INSIDES SURFACE AREA, MAKING LITTLE CELLS OF SPACE AGAINST YOUR SKIN.

THIS WORKS TO MOVE MOISTURE OFF YOUR SKIN OUT TO THE DENSER LAYER, WHERE IT EVAPORATES AWAY THOUGH INSTANTLY. WHEREAS ALPHA LETS AIR BLOW STRAIGHT THROUGH, INCLUDING WIND OR FROM MOVEMENT, FUTUREFLEECE SLOWS IT A BIT AS A MILD WIND AND EVAPORATION RETARDER. THE IDEA ISN’T THAT NEW BUT HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN ACHEIVED WITH TWO LAYERS, OR SOME KIND OF MEMBRANE THAT HAD VARYING DEGREES OF EFFICACY.

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WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT FUTUREFLEECE IS THAT THE NORTH FACE HAS GOT THE RATIOS RIGHT, AND MADE A FABRIC THAT STRETCHES SO WELL THAT IT REARRANGES WHAT ‘BASELAYER’ MEANS. HERE NOW IS A SINGLE LAYER THAT INTERFACES THE SKIN TO KEEP IT DRY (ALL THAT A BASELAYER EVER NEED DO), THEN ACTS AS LIGHT INSULATION WITH SOME MILD PROPERTIES AS A WIND LAYER. ALL IN A SINGLE CROSS SECTION.

THIS MAKES FOR A VERY EFFICIENT GARMENT FOR USE WHEN MOVING HARD AT ALTITUDE, THAT ALLOWS FOR A VERY SIMPLE SYSTEM OVER THE TOP. IT CAN ACCOUNT FOR ABOUT 30% OF THE INSULATION ANY MIDLAYERS PROVIDE MEANING YOU CAN GO WITH LIGHTER AND SIMPLER LAYERS THROUGHOUT. FUTUREFLEECES MILD RETARDATION OF EVAPORATION MEANS BODY HEAT SLOWS AS IT MOVE OUTWARDS, RATHER THAN BEING WHISKED AWAY BY WIND AND EXTREME COLD (AS THE CASE WITH ALPHA), MAKING A SORT OF ‘1.5’ BASE THAT WILL SEE YOU THROUGH TO SURPRISINGLY ADVERSE CLIMATES.

THE MEASURE OF ANY BASELAYER WE THINK IS HOW IT DRIES ONES WET ACROSS THE BACK UNDER A PACK, AND FOUND FUTUREFLEECE TO BE ONLY SLIGHTLY BEHIND ALPHA WHICH RETAINS ALMOST NO MOISTURE AT ALL. WE ATTRIBUTE THIS TO FUTUREFLEECES INNER FACE WHICH IS EVEN MORE WICKING THAN ALPHA (ie HAS EVEN MORE SPACE THAN MATERIAL AND FIBERS THAT POINT ONLY AWAY FROM THE SKIN), WHICH SPREADS MOISTURE FAST ACROSS ITS OUTFACE BUT RETAINS ENOUGH WARMTH TO ALSO MAKE IT EVAPORATE. THIS OBSERVATION IS OF COURSE SKEWED BY US ALWAYS BEING IN HIGH, COLD, AND DRY PLACES, BUT ASCRIBES TO BASIC PHYSICS AND REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE.

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BEING HIGH STRETCH YET WITH A DEEP CROSS-THICKNESS, FUTUREFLEECE WORKS WELL ON THE LEGS, WHERE IT FORMS WELL TO THE SKIN AND CREATES A GOOD LAYER OF AIR. UNDER A SHELL OR INSULATION IT MAKES A VERY STABLE LAYER, AND AS A STANDALONE LAYER IS FAR MORE VENTING THAN TRADITIONAL DENSE BASELAYERS BUT NOT AS WIND-AFFECTED AS THE (VERY FEW) ALPHA LEGGINGS AROUND.

WE HAVE USED FUTUREFLEECE TOP AND BOTTOM RIGHT THROUGH WINTERS IN TIBET ABOVE 5000m, AND FIND IT STAYS DRY AND KEEPS INTEGRITY ACROSS WEEKS WITHOUT TAKING OFF. IT KEEPS ITS FURRINESS SEEMINGLY WITHOUT LOSS OR COMPRESSION, AS WELL AS ITS STRETCH SO DOESN’T SAG AND BILLOW LIKE WOOL.

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WEIRDLY WE THINK, THE NORTH FACE, PRODUCED ANOTHER NEXT-TO-SKIN LAYER, THE L1 DOT FLEECE, SOMETHING WE SEE NO USE FOR ANYWHERE COLD. WE FIND THE FUTUREFLEECES INNER FACE SO GOOD FOR INTERFACING THE SKIN, THAT ANYTHING EXTRA BETWEEN WOULD ONLY COMPLICATE A SYSTEM ALREADY BEST-IN-CLASS.

FOR THE HIGH AND COLD STUFF WE DO WE HAVE FOUND FUTUREFLEECE BUILDS THE BEST BASE AVAILABLE TO LAY FURTHER INSULATION ON TOP OF, SOMETHING THAT REINFORCES THE ‘BASE’ IN BASELAYER PROPERLY. IT PUSHES BEYOND JUST BEING A SINGLE-FUNCTION ITEM AND EXTENDS INTO OTHER ASPECTS OF ADDRESSING HEAT LOSS, ie REDUCING EVAPORATION AND CONVECTION WITHOUT OVERHEATING, TO BRING US CLOSER TO TWIGHTS ‘ACTION SUIT’ CONCEPT. IF THE NORTH FACE EVER READS THIS THEN PUT A ONE PIECE SUIT OUT THERE, IN BRIGHT VISIBLE COLOURS WITH THE FULL FACE HOOD ALREADY USED.

SO WHERE DOES IT SIT WITH ALPHA?

KEEP YOUR ALPHA FOR HIGH OUTPUT STUFF IN WARMER CLIMES, ANY TIME WHERE MAXIMUM AIR PERMEABILITY IS TOP PRIORITY. FUTUREFLEECE WON’T EVER EXPELL HEAT AND SWEAT AS FAST SO WILL OVERHEAT ANYWHERE NOT COLD AND DRY ENOUGH, WHICH PROBABLY INCLUDES RUNNING OR EVEN SUMMER ALPINISM.

LIKEWISE FUTUREFLEECE WE THINK REPLACES ALPHA ANYTIME YOU WANT A 1.5 LAYER TO USE AS A STANDALONE, WHERE A SHELL IS TOO MUCH AND ALPHAS PERMEABILITY TOO FAST. ON THE LEGS FUTUREFLEECE OUT SHINES ALPHA IN MOST WAYS, ESPECIALLY ON STRETCH FIT.

LASTLY, AND A GRIPE WITH ALPHA IS THE WAY IT PICKS UP BURRS, FRAYS AND TEARS, AND GETS CAUGHT ON VELCRO. FUTUREFLEECE DOESN’T DO ANY OF THIS. WE HAVE ALPHA TOPS HAVEN’T LASTED A SINGLE TRIP AS THEY CATCH AND RIP EASILY ON THE SORT OF BUSHES COMMON ACROSS TIBET AND XINJIANG, THEN BEING HARD TO SEW DUE TO ALPHAS AMORPHEUS STRUCTURE. MEANWHILE WE HAVE FUTUREFLEECE STUFF THAT’S BEEN USED AGAINST GRANITE AND THROUGH GORSE, SUCCUMBING ONLY MINOR DAMAGE WHEN FALLEN HEAVILY ON.