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Montag, 14. Januar 2013

Gross but warm - my ultralight waterindependant Jacket

In this post I want to reveal my new "invention". A light jacket (about 350gram) which is wind and rain resistant and suitable for temperatures down to -2° Celsius (28° Farenheit).

There is one downside though: You will sweat a lot and it might be gross! But hey, who said that light bikepacking has to be comfortable?

Ok here it is:
This is the inner layer which does the insulation and was made by myself. 
I made it from a Car windshield protection  and duct tape. I folded the windshield once, cut a hole for my head into it and taped the sides together. It took me about 5 minutes and 5 Euro to make it.
Inside, there is a layer of aluminum, which will reflect your body heat.
The upper layer of clothing is just a basic low quality waterproof (250g) jacket, which provides no further insulation.

I tested this solution by dressing like I would dress on a summer tour. I wore my cycling shorts, this jacket in combination with the waterproof wind jacket, my Polar Buff  and some fleece gloves.  In order to simulate a rainy day, I went under the shower and let a lot water flow on and into the jacket. Then I went outside for a bikeride. I rode about 30 minutes while  the temperature was about -1° Celsius / 30° Fahrenheit. 
After the ride, I took a slow 15 minute stroll to see if it also works with less body heat.
It was not that bad. The uncovered legs got a bit cold until they went numb, and my non-insulated arms got a bit itchy, but my body kept warm and I could imagine to be the whole day outside like this.

I think this solution is suitable for tours in regions, where coldness and rain are rare, but you want to be prepared anyways. 









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