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One of the most ubiquitous pieces of outdoor gear is the fleece jacket. But is there something better for that purpose? This week on The WildeBeat, Light Lofty Jackets.

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News from the Wildebeat, the audio journal about getting into the wilderness.

This is program number sixty eight.

I'm Steve Sergeant.

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STEVE: I remember the first polyester fleece jacket I ever saw. Compared to the wool gear that was common at the time, it was lightweight, didn't absorb as much moisture, and dried quickly. These days, almost anyone who spends much time in wilderness recreation probably has one. But in recent years, we've seen new materials that provide more warmth for less weight. These materials absorb very little moisture, and still insulate when damp. And they take up less pack space than the fleece. I talked to two volunteer testers from Backpack Gear Test dot ORG about the most interesting products in the range of mid-layer insulated jackets they recently tested. Here are their reviews. Our first reviewer is Pamela Wyant, from West Virginia. As in all Backpack Gear Test reviews, Pamela starts out by describing her own relevant experience.

PAMELA WYANT: I've been backpacking about three years now... [0:31.7] ...and section-hiking the Appalachian Trail.

STEVE: Pamela tested the Big Sky Products Convertible Sweater.

PAMELA WYANT: My first impression... [3:46.4] ...and seems to be well constructed.

STEVE: Our second reviewer is Christine Korhonen [KOR-nen] of Montana.

CHRISTINE KORHONEN: I've been backpacking since two thousand... [0:38.9] ...the joys of backpacking.

STEVE: Christine tested the Integral Designs P-L-Q Jacket.

CHRISTINE KORHONEN: The P-L-Q jacket, and I don't think... [3:15.0] ...the weight of their pack.

STEVE: My thanks to Pamela Wyant, Christine Korhonen, and the editors at Backpack Gear Test, for making this edition possible. Please remember that these opinions are those of the individual contributors, and don't necessarily reflect those of Backpack Gear Test, or of The WildeBeat. If you want to read the original text reviews of these products, please follow the links on our web site. We'd like to hear your opinion about these reviews, and about your experience with these and similar products. You can call our toll free comment line at 866-590-7373. Backpack Gear Test is looking for qualified testers. To get qualified, you start out by publishing reviews for gear you already own. After that, you could be chosen to receive free gear to review. Find out more at our web site.

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Next time -- Indoor snow camping.

Our official website is WWW dot WILDEBEAT (that's W-I-L-D-E-B-E-A-T) dot NET. Please click on the support link to make possible future editions of this free service. The WildeBeat is produced by Steve Sergeant, with help from Jean Higham, as a public service of Effable Communications.

This has been The WildeBeat, program number sixty eight. Thank you for listening.

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