DIY Buffalo

Ed the Ted

Ed the Ted

Ultralighter
Hello all,

I see with the favourite windshirts and softshell threads this is a bit of a crossover question, but I thought I'd post a new thread anyway!

Like many others I love the buffalo system, I have a special 6 and it is great in the right temp range, which is admittedly a small range AND really requires precipitation for it to be worth it. However it is far too warm for most of the year, if there is a biting wind it cuts through the zips, if it is cold but dry and stable it can be much too warm and not so nice to not be able to de-layer!

So Buffalo have the thinner teclite shirt, but it's £200. I know why, made in sheffield, small company, great, but I just can't afford that in my current situation.

So for a while I have been wondering if you can just DIY the same effect: get a decent windshirt (I am looking at Helly Hansen Vana windshirt as I can get it cheap online (£40 quid)), and underneath wearing just a fleece against my skin. The benefit of this is that you can wear different thicknesses of fleece depending on the temperatures, and fleeces are so easy to come by it could be a very versatile and affordable option. And you can wear a hat and put up a proper hood and have pile and pertex snug head!

Does anyone do this or have any thoughts or comments? It seems to me that the buffalo idea is simple and easy to recreate with a basic fleece and basic windshirt, and maybe a bit of a poker face in allowing yourself to get rained on in just a windshirt!

Any discussion warmly appreciated, many thanks!

Ed
 
Mole

Mole

Thru Hiker
Well. Teclite uses a wicking tricot liner like Rab vapour rise gear, or Montane Krypton, Marmot driclime. and other brands. E.g. snugpak. All easily available, and often far less expensive than Buffalo.

Micro fleece is less good at wicking (though it does). And often too warm.

The army do a fleece lined top similar to a teclite smock. Easily available cheap in surplus stores.
 
Ed the Ted

Ed the Ted

Ultralighter
Mole said:
Well. Teclite uses a wicking tricot liner like Rab vapour rise gear, or Montane Krypton, Marmot driclime. and other brands. E.g. snugpak. All easily available, and often far less expensive than Buffalo.

Micro fleece is less good at wicking (though it does). And often too warm.

The army do a fleece lined top similar to a teclite smock. Easily available cheap in surplus stores.
Click to expand...

Could you explain what a wicking tricot liner means? Is that the type of fleece they use? These other jackets you mentioned, are they supposed to be worn against the skin a la buffalo? I have a montane prism jacket with primaloft and it looks quite like those ones, a kind of do everthing get a bit wet doesn't matter softshell, but not quite the same as a fleece and windproof against the skin jobby?
 
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Ed the Ted

Ed the Ted

Ultralighter
Chiseller said:
Anything polartec Alpha with a windshirt over... Ideally without too much restriction or too much... :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

So thats the type of fleece you rate... I gather that fleece is no longer just fleece, but not sure how much I should buy into the marketing spiel. I have two craghoppers fleece collarless shirt style fleeces from the 90s i bought in a carboot sale for a fiver and the material looks suspiciously like modern fancy pants fleece.

Maybe I just need to get the windproof and do a bit of testing.
 
The Cumbrian

The Cumbrian

Section Hiker
Ed the Ted said:
Hello all,

So for a while I have been wondering if you can just DIY the same effect: get a decent windshirt (I am looking at Helly Hansen Vana windshirt as I can get it cheap online (£40 quid)), and underneath wearing just a fleece against my skin. The benefit of this is that you can wear different thicknesses of fleece depending on the temperatures, and fleeces are so easy to come by it could be a very versatile and affordable option. And you can wear a hat and put up a proper hood and have pile and pertex snug head!

Does anyone do this or have any thoughts or comments? It seems to me that the buffalo idea is simple and easy to recreate with a basic fleece and basic windshirt, and maybe a bit of a poker face in allowing yourself to get rained on in just a windshirt!


Ed
Click to expand...

I've been doing this for years and it works very well for me, as someone who runs hot. The comfort it provides is well worth the extra weight to me. Whether I'm wearing a base layer or a wicking shirt, I'm usually wearing that on it's own when walking uphill, and the windproof goes on as and when required. With a good, breathable windproof your under-layer can dry off surprising quickly if it's damp too.
One thing to be careful of is waiting too long before putting your waterproof on over the windproof when rain starts. It can be tempting to hope that it will pass and that the windproof will be sufficient to keep it off, but a wet windproof will take ages to dry off even under the most breathable waterproof fabric.
 
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EM-Chiseller

EM-Chiseller

Thru Hiker
Ed the Ted said:
So thats the type of fleece you rate... I gather that fleece is no longer just fleece, but not sure how much I should buy into the marketing spiel. I have two craghoppers fleece collarless shirt style fleeces from the 90s i bought in a carboot sale for a fiver and the material looks suspiciously like modern fancy pants fleece.

Maybe I just need to get the windproof and do a bit of testing.
Click to expand...
36627540-you-can-lead-a-horse-to-water-but-you-cannot-make-him-drink.jpg
 
Phil-s

Phil-s

Summit Camper
Ed the Ted said:
Hello all,

I see with the favourite windshirts and softshell threads this is a bit of a crossover question, but I thought I'd post a new thread anyway!

Like many others I love the buffalo system, I have a special 6 and it is great in the right temp range, which is admittedly a small range AND really requires precipitation for it to be worth it. However it is far too warm for most of the year, if there is a biting wind it cuts through the zips, if it is cold but dry and stable it can be much too warm and not so nice to not be able to de-layer!

So Buffalo have the thinner teclite shirt, but it's £200. I know why, made in sheffield, small company, great, but I just can't afford that in my current situation.

So for a while I have been wondering if you can just DIY the same effect: get a decent windshirt (I am looking at Helly Hansen Vana windshirt as I can get it cheap online (£40 quid)), and underneath wearing just a fleece against my skin. The benefit of this is that you can wear different thicknesses of fleece depending on the temperatures, and fleeces are so easy to come by it could be a very versatile and affordable option. And you can wear a hat and put up a proper hood and have pile and pertex snug head!

Does anyone do this or have any thoughts or comments? It seems to me that the buffalo idea is simple and easy to recreate with a basic fleece and basic windshirt, and maybe a bit of a poker face in allowing yourself to get rained on in just a windshirt!

Any discussion warmly appreciated, many thanks!

Ed
Click to expand...
 
Phil-s

Phil-s

Summit Camper
Ed the Ted said:
Hello all,

I see with the favourite windshirts and softshell threads this is a bit of a crossover question, but I thought I'd post a new thread anyway!

Like many others I love the buffalo system, I have a special 6 and it is great in the right temp range, which is admittedly a small range AND really requires precipitation for it to be worth it. However it is far too warm for most of the year, if there is a biting wind it cuts through the zips, if it is cold but dry and stable it can be much too warm and not so nice to not be able to de-layer!

So Buffalo have the thinner teclite shirt, but it's £200. I know why, made in sheffield, small company, great, but I just can't afford that in my current situation.

So for a while I have been wondering if you can just DIY the same effect: get a decent windshirt (I am looking at Helly Hansen Vana windshirt as I can get it cheap online (£40 quid)), and underneath wearing just a fleece against my skin. The benefit of this is that you can wear different thicknesses of fleece depending on the temperatures, and fleeces are so easy to come by it could be a very versatile and affordable option. And you can wear a hat and put up a proper hood and have pile and pertex snug head!

Does anyone do this or have any thoughts or comments? It seems to me that the buffalo idea is simple and easy to recreate with a basic fleece and basic windshirt, and maybe a bit of a poker face in allowing yourself to get rained on in just a windshirt!

Any discussion warmly appreciated, many thanks!

Ed
Click to expand...
 
HillBelly

HillBelly

Section Hiker
If you are looking for something a bit more heavy duty akin to the Buffalo then Snugpak do a windshirt

You could combine that with one of their 2nd skin tops.

I'd recommend something like the Paramo Cambia top to go underneath. Quite a versatile top - and I have used mine as an extra summer layer over a t shirt, or just as a top on warmer windy days. It has two sides so you can control temps better (one side gridded). Its warmth to weight is good, and probably feels better to wear as a base layer than a fleece as it has better wicking material.

Whilst the pair would push you over the £100 mark, you would get a more flexible system.

I once had a Montane Krypton which was great but warm, and I ended up switching out for a light grid fleece and windproof too.

Other wind shirts like this going cheap. or as the post upthread - the Decathlon ones are good.
 
Ed the Ted

Ed the Ted

Ultralighter
Thanks for all the great responses. I've ordered a 'technical' style wind shirt and will test it out with some fleeces I already own underneath, worn against my skin.
 
Ed the Ted

Ed the Ted

Ultralighter
HillBelly said:
If you are looking for something a bit more heavy duty akin to the Buffalo then Snugpak do a windshirt

You could combine that with one of their 2nd skin tops.

I'd recommend something like the Paramo Cambia top to go underneath. Quite a versatile top - and I have used mine as an extra summer layer over a t shirt, or just as a top on warmer windy days. It has two sides so you can control temps better (one side gridded). Its warmth to weight is good, and probably feels better to wear as a base layer than a fleece as it has better wicking material.

Whilst the pair would push you over the £100 mark, you would get a more flexible system.

I once had a Montane Krypton which was great but warm, and I ended up switching out for a light grid fleece and windproof too.

Other wind shirts like this going cheap. or as the post upthread - the Decathlon ones are good.
Click to expand...

That ME shirt looks really nice, I am definitely partial to the pull over style, but I've ordered a helly hansen one as I found it reduced from 100 to 40. Seems like it will be basically the same.

Definitely partial to the buffalo/snugpak toughness, always liked the basic buffalo wind shirt, maybe that will be on my xmas list if I find my fleeces feel good against my skin when getting a bit shweaty.
 
Ed the Ted

Ed the Ted

Ultralighter
Phil-s said:
I have the tec light they are very good, and all buffalo gear lasts for years my mits are 30 year old, I have just got a wind shirt from the old stock £35 gear. https://www.facebook.com/433714820007293/posts/3442611979117547/
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That windshirt is a steal and the proper old school buffalo style, but alas I've just ordered a different one. The longevity of buffalo is great, especially with regard to washing. Just wash it! No worries. I love that.
 
Lucille Vamoose

Lucille Vamoose

Summit Camper
Chiseller said:
View attachment 25944
Click to expand...

But he's a Buffalo! Surely not to be led to water under any circumstances? Not even by a valiant Limey Matador such as your good self? :)

Unlike this filly, who was indeed lead up the cottage garden path, out on a wild goose down chase, and over the seas to the Koolaid Oasis whereupon she drunk so heartily eventually PayPal said no more, Mizzy! :frown:

And then lockdown... And now, months later, there are rather serious restrictions between my Nitro and my Kor! :arghh:

Nice haunches ;)
 
Cali

Cali

Backpacker
Ed the Ted said:
Could you explain what a wicking tricot liner means? Is that the type of fleece they use? These other jackets you mentioned, are they supposed to be worn against the skin a la buffalo? I have a montane prism jacket with primaloft and it looks quite like those ones, a kind of do everthing get a bit wet doesn't matter softshell, but not quite the same as a fleece and windproof against the skin jobby?
Click to expand...

The Rab tricot wicking liner is very similar to DriClime.They are both made from a very thin bi-component denier gradient fabric designed to move moisture out of your microclimate. Not insulation like Primaloft. Here is a pic of the DriClime lining in the lower sleeve of my Marmot Alpha 60.

hVrTmOt.jpg
 
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