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Best Snowboard Mid Layers 2021-2022 | Our pick of the best mid layers for added warmth and comfort

We've listed our favourite mid layers to keep you warm and dry throughout the season

Choosing the right mid-layer is where snowboarders often go wrong. Sure, you could wear one of your cotton hoodies but why would you when a heavy piece of cotton is one of the worst materials to wear whilst doing any form of exercise? Cotton, you see, retains moisture which means that if you sweat a lot the moisture won’t leave your mid-layer (leaving you cold and miserable by the end of the day).

Choosing the right mid-layer is important. A mid-layer sits between your base layer and your outerwear, and its main purpose is to keep you warm by trapping the body heat within the fabric instead of letting it escape into the cooler outside air. Look at it like this. The base layer moves moisture away from your body, whilst the outer layer keeps the elements at bay. The mid-layer is there to keep you warm – provided you’ve chosen well that is.

“A good mid-layer should be breathable and able to retain heat”

How to choose the right mid-layer? A good mid-layer should be breathable and able to retain heat. Similar to outerwear, it is important for a mid-layer to be able to breathe to prevent sweat from building up in between the mid-layer and base layer, only to leave you cold once your body temperature drops.

Fleece

A classic fleece is a good option for a mid-layer. As a material, fleece doesn’t absorb moisture and dries quickly – allowing the sweat to leave the fabric which’ll stop you from getting cold. Fleece is made by napping a polyester fabric, giving it more thickness and creating air pockets for insulation.

“As a material, fleece doesn’t absorb moisture and dries quickly”

The ones looking to replace their cotton hoodies may find fleece to be their best option. During the last few years, a lot of brands have stepped up their fleece game. Not only do many brands use recyclable plastic in the production process, they’ve also got increasingly creative with the patterns and colours meaning you’ll look cool too.

One thing we’ll add here is that you should try to avoid washing your fleece too often, and when you do use a washing bag (GuppyFriend makes good ones). Fleece is made out of plastic and sheds microfibers when washed. These microfibers then make their ways into the oceans, polluting the waters with plastic (something we’re working hard to prevent).

Fleece might not be the lightest option but it’s comfortable, breathable, and keeps you warm. It’s also one of the cheaper options for a good mid-layer.

Synthetic Insulation

Synthetic insulation is a good alternative to real down as it provides warmth whilst retaining heat more effectively than actual down if damp. It doesn’t, however, have quite the same warmth-to-weight ratio as real down – nor is it as compressible or durable. It does, however, continue insulating when wet as the polyester fibres used to create synthetic down absorb nearly no moisture. If you’re about to face more damp / humid conditions, synthetic insulation might be the best way to go.

“If you’re about to face more damp / humid conditions, synthetic insulation might be the best way to go”

In terms of price, synthetic insulation is an affordable option as it often ranks between fleece and down insulation. Consider it a happy medium.

Down Insulation

If you’re about to tackle some serious cold, down insulation is your best option (helping to create the warmest mid-layers on the market). However, moisture makes down clump up, lose its ability to trap heat and thus stop it insulating as well as you’d like it to. This can happen from both outside and inside. When its wet, it takes a long time for down to dry.

When choosing a down product, you want to pay attention to the down fill power and fill weight. These are two different measurements, but combined they’ll give you an indication of the jacket’s warmth.

“If you’re about to tackle some serious cold, down insulation is your best option”

Down insulation relies on the lofts to trap the heat against your body. Fill power measures the quality of the clusters – the higher the fill power the higher the quality of the clusters. Usually, a mid-range fill power for down insulation falls somewhere between 550-650, whilst high-end insulations are everything above that. Fill weight tells you the total amount of down in the jacket, given in ounces.

When choosing down insulation, make sure it’s been produced using ethical standards, and that no animals have been subjected to unnecessary harm in the process. Read more about the Responsible Down Standard here.

If you’re looking for a less technical solution to wear underneath your jacket, we’ve listed our favourite hoodies and jumpers for 21/22 in our Best Snowboard Accessories and Gifts listicle.

Best Snowboard Mid Layers 2021-20212


Jones Re-Up Down Jacket

  • Price: £280 / €280 / £280

Jones hasn’t just tapped into outerwear this season, but Jeremy Jones has also seen to that the brand is also equipped to offer the best layering options for all conditions. The Jones Re-Up Down Jacket is the first puffy in the world made with 100% recycled fabrics and 100% upcycled 750-fill down.

Selected for The Whitelines 100 – take a closer look at the Jones Re-Up Down Jacket here

MORE INFO:
JONESSNOWBOARDS.com

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686 Hyperchromic Waterproof Hoody and Track Pants

  • Price Hoody: £185 / €190 / $190
  • Price Pants: £185 / €160 / $170
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Here’s a jacket and pant combo for your inner child that still hasn’t quite gotten over the excitement of patterns that change with the temperature. Step out into the cold with the Hyperchromic Waterproof Hoody and Track Pants from 686 and watch as the face fabric takes on a new pattern. Let the mind-fuckery begin…

Click here for the full review on the 686 Hyperchromic Waterproof Hoody and Track Pants.

MORE INFO:
686.COM

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686 Women’s Thermal Hybrid Jacket

  • Price: £110 / €120 / $120

686 are a brand centred around purpose, passion and people. As a result, they’ve always made sure they’ve got something in their line for every kind of rider out there. Designed with a DWR finish, the 686 women’s Thermal Hybrid Jacket is a little bit of mid-layer luxury in the world of snowboarding.

Click here for the full review on the 686 Women’s Thermal Hybrid Jacket.

MORE INFO:
686.COM

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Airblaster Transit Hybrid Fleece

  • Price: £110 / €130 / $110

A cosy fleece to pull on for extra warmth on a colder day should be part of every snowboarder’s arsenal. Airblaster’s Transit Hybrid Fleece comes with 5K waterproofing in key areas and a less bulky fit than the average fleece, making it as ideal to wear underneath a jacket, or as it is on its own for warmer spring days and multiple rounds at apres.

Click here for the full review on the Airblaster Transit Hybrid Fleece.

MORE INFO:
AIRBLASTER.COM

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Burton Rangewander pants

  • Price: £120/ €130

Expanding their performance layering for this season, Burton introduces the new Rangewander pants available in both men’s and women’s specific cuts. Made to be worn as an extra layer on the colder days or just for casual everyday lounging, the Rangewander pants ooze in comfort.

Click here for the full review on the Burton Rangewander pants.

MORE INFO:
BURTON.COM

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Eivy Venture Rib Top and Harlem Rib Travel Pants

  • Price Top: €70 / $75
  • Price Pants: €80 / $85

The Swedish base layer brand Eivy is known for their eye-catching prints and colours that run throughout the entire collection, all the way from accessories to base layers and mid-layers.

Click here for the full review on the Eivy Venture Rib Top and Harlem Rib Travel Pants.

MORE INFO:
EIVY.COM

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Eivy Lumberjack Sherpa Vest

  • Price: €100/ $100

Hailing from the Swedish mountain resort Åre, Eivy is dressing women from tip to toe in colourful prints and patterns while making sure they’re doing their part for the environment. The Lumberjack Sherpa Vest isn’t just easy on the eyes, but also made from recycled material.

Click here for the full review on the Eivy Lumberjack Sherpa Vest.

MORE INFO:
EIVY.COM

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Mons Royale Decade Tech Mid Top and Bottom

  • Price Top: £170-£190
  • Price Pants: £130

Known for producing quality merino wool base layers, including the Cascade Merino Flex that made our Whitelines 100 this year, Mons Royale is updating their mid-layer range for this season. Both the Decade Hoody and Decade Pullover are getting a facelift, while the new Decade Pants have been added to complete the look. And, as for most of the brand’s apparel, these too can be found in both men and women’s specific cuts.

Click here for the full review on the Mons Royale Decade Tech Mid Top and Bottom.

MORE INFO:
MONSROYALE.COM

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Patagonia Micro Puff Storm Jacket

New for this season and built for backcountry touring, Patagonia introduces the Micro Puff Storm Jacket. With downlike synthetic insulation, the jacket excels in warm-when-wet scenarios, giving you lightweight protection in cold and damp conditions too.

Click here for the full review on the Patagonia Micro Puff Storm Jacket.

MORE INFO:
PATAGONIA.COM

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L1 Helix Midlayer

  • Price: £170 / €179

Living up to the L1 ethos of creating premium goods with subtle details, impeccable fit and versatile performance, the Helix midlayer jacket is a multi-functional layering piece that can be worn under a shell or on its own.

Click here for the full review on the L1 Helix Midlayer.

MORE INFO:
L1.COM

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L1 Women’s Aurora Tech Fleece

  • Price: £120 / €129

Combining the comfort of a fleece with the functionality of an outdoor jacket, the L1 Aurora Tech Fleece is a fine example of L1’s ability to offer premium goods that both look and feel good.

Click here for the full review on the L1 Women’s Aurora Tech Fleece.

MORE INFO:
L1.COM

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Rab Women’s Infinity Microlight Down Jacket

Filled with 700FP recycled down, Rab’s women’s Infinity Microlight Down jacket is the brand’s most protective version in their Microlight range. Both breathable and lightweight, this insulated jacket works year-round for any activity whether it was on or off the mountain. Thanks to the Gore-Tex Infinium Windstopper membrane, the jacket does well at keeping both wind and weather at bay too.

With the helmet-compatible hood, elasticated cuffs for a seamless fit with gloves, a full length, durable front zip, a concealed chest pocket and two hand pockets this pack sized mid-layer is perfect when looking for an extra layer to add in under your shell.

MORE INFO:
RAB.COM

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