A tale of two Wafers

The Lowdown

Extraordinary stories and technical knowhow

A tale of two Wafers

17 Jan 2018
Wafer clothing provides a thermal insurance policy, whether in the Lake District or on Aconcagua.

Wafer down socks, trousers, and jacket

We’ve heard from a couple of folks who’ve been off on very different trips, but both using our Wafer clothing, so we thought we’d let you know what they had to say about it.

As far as we’re concerned, Wafer clothing makes it easy to enjoy yourself: being too cold or carrying too hefty a pack are easy shortcuts to feeling miserable, whatever it is you’re up to. If it’s light enough, you can carry a sort of thermal insurance policy with you, then you needn’t be cold or weighed down.

Jason Cook took a trip to Aconcagua – the highest peak in South America – and as well as his other gear, he took a Wafer Jacket and Trousers:

"The wafer jacket and trousers gave an incredible amount of flexibility to the layering approach. For any part of the expedition (sleeping, climbing, general camp use) these were a go-to item for me. The warmth for the size is quite remarkable, and at close to negligible weight. Definitely something I’ll have in my pack for any winter trips."

The UK’s Lake District Fells may not boast quite such lofty elevation, but if you’re camped out in winter, you can still expect the temperatures to be comfortably below zero. Well, perhaps ‘comfortably’ is the wrong word, thinking about it! Mal Stubbs headed there with one of our bags, and like Jason, he also added Wafer gear into the mix. Of the trousers, he says:

"They’re great. I used them inside a K Series Minim 400 sleeping bag and they made a significant difference. It was minus 7°C and it felt like a summer’s day. I also noticed that they improved the warmth of my feet in my Wafer Socks as well—warmer blood flow down the legs? Well worth the money and light enough not to even notice the weight. I’m walking the West Highland Way in March so they will be in my pack."

So maybe he was “comfortably below zero” after all…

You’ll notice Mal was wearing the Wafer Socks too. At only 45g, they’re never going to be a problem to carry, and you’d be surprised when you might want to take advantage. He goes on:

"I’ve spent many years in northern Norway in winter teaching arctic survival and discovered booties there but they were heavy so when I became a PHD convert I had to have a pair. I even carry them in summer because some of the coldest most miserable nights I’ve ever had have been in the UK in June."

A whole suit – head to toe – of Wafer clothing only weighs about as much as a can of pop. You might very well enjoy your can of pop – or maybe even a can of something more interesting – but can it make -7°C feel like a summer’s day?!

Wafer down jacket and trousers

The wafer jacket and trousers gave an incredible amount of flexibility to the layering approach. For any part of the expedition (sleeping, climbing, general camp use) these were a go-to item for me.
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Gear mentioned in this post
One of the lightest insulated jackets. A combination of an exceptionally lightweight...
£486.00
Our lightest insulated trousers. A combination of our lightest fabric with PHD's...
£430.00
Boosts the performance of your ultralight sleeping bag. Warm feet from the tiniest...
£215.00
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