Fleece has long been a staple of the outdoor industry, and we love standard fleeces for everyday wear. But when we want top performance in the outdoors—or just want to ensure we’re comfortable all day long—grid fleeces are a game changer.
How grid fleece works in a layering kit
When you’re layering for winter, every piece matters. But your layering setup changes depending on what you’re doing. For high output activities like backcountry skiing, nordic skiing, cross country skiing, winter trail running or mountaineering, breathability is key.
These stop-and-start sports need clothing that lets heat escape as you warm up but still keeps you warm when you stop or transition from uphill to downhill mode. And when you’re outside and moving in the cold, thin layers are helpful to avoid bulk inhibiting your movement.
Compared to a traditional fleece, grid fleece provides warmth with way less bulk. Since grid fleece fabric is made of tiny squares of fluffier, warmer fabric with thinner fabric gaps in between, you get both breathability and warmth in a thin and sleek package. And if you do shed a grid fleece layer, it packs down much smaller than a standard fleece would, so it’s easier to stow in a backpack or even a pocket.
Because grid fleece tends to be pretty thin and made for layering, it works best when worn under a windbreaker or shell jacket to hold in the warmth. A tradeoff with grid fleece is that wind tends to move through it, but blocking the wind with an outer layer lets you take advantage of its full warmth potential.
Our grid fleeces are made to be worn as mid layers with a base layer, t-shirt or tank top underneath. All of our grid fleeces have 100% Merino wool against skin, so you get all the performance benefits of Merino wool.
Our recommended cold weather layering kits
For backcountry skiing and splitboarding
For normal temps: Aspect base layers, a Convict Canyon Hoodie, ski pants and ski shell jacket, glove liners, waterproof gloves.
When you need extra warmth: switch the Convict Hoodie for a men's or women's Cloudripper Full Zip Jacket instead.
When the temps are in the teens or below: swap the Aspect base layers for heavier 100% Merino Inversion base layers.
For spring ski touring: swap the Aspect top for a Pursuit Long Sleeve Shirt for men or women (restock coming this spring).
For nordic and cross country skiing
Northwind Tights, an Aspect base layer shirt and a Solstice Sun Hoodie. If it's really cold, switch the Solstice Hoodie for the Convict Canyon Hoodie, glove liners and an Aspect beanie.
For resort skiing
Aspect or Inversion base layers, men's or women's Cloudripper Full Zip Jacket, ski pants and ski jacket (insulated or not depending on conditions/your temperature), glove liners, neck gaiter or balaclava if not built in.
For cold weather running or hiking
Northwind Fleece Leggings for women / Convict Canyon Joggers for men, Pursuit tee or long sleeve (restock coming this spring), Convict Canyon Hoodie, Aspect beanie, glove liners.
For mountaineering/alpine climbing
A Merino tee or tank top, Convict Canyon Hoodie or men's/women's Cloudripper Half Zip Pullover, climbing pants, windbreaker or shell.
For frigid dog walks, outdoor winter events, etc.
Inversion base layer top and bottom (or Northwind Leggings for women), men's/women's Cloudripper Crew Pullover, insulated winter jacket, ski pants or shell pants, Northwind Fleece Gloves, Cloudripper Balaclava.
The history of fleece and grid fleece
The first synthetic fleece was created in the 1970s by Malden Mills (now Polartec) through experimenting with polyester for outdoor wear. Superfine polyester yarn was wound into a lightweight fabric, then the fibers were brushed, which increased the fabric’s volume, insulation and ability to wick water.
In 1981, Malden Mills teamed up with Patagonia, at that time a small brand, to create the first generation fleece called the Synchilla, which was used in Patagonia’s Snap-T pullover in 1985.
“Within a decade, however, fleece had become an inescapable element of daily life.”
In 1993, Patagonia and Polartec started working on creating fleeces with recycled content, and around the same time they were working on creating a more technical version of the fleece.
As GearJunkie explains, “Patagonia wanted to improve efficiency on all fronts — weight, space, packability, and faster dry times — all while preserving loft with less material.” The team at Polartec started designing a fleece with a grid pattern that offered more breathability and warmth without more material.
This new grid fleece was launched in 1998 as Patagonia’s R1 Regulator Fleece. In 1999, Time Magazine named Polartec Fleece one of the most important inventions of the 20th century.
“Today, the same innovative ideas and technology behind the Power Grid family extend to more fabrics. For instance, the grid-backed Power Wool fleece builds on the natural thermal range and regulation of wool for comfort in a broader range of temperatures. Rather than blending them, it keeps the wool and synthetic fleece apart to get the most performance from each material.”
Besides Power Wool grid fleeces, most grid fleeces on the market are made with synthetic materials. Our goal to use as much natural material as possible led to us creating our own Wool Grid Fleece fabric composed of 69% Merino wool.
The evolution of the Ridge Merino grid fleece
We’ve long loved grid fleece as a mid layer. In 2019, we introduced the Convict Canyon grid fleece, a polyester-Merino-spandex blend. This bi-component knit fabric paired soft Merino wool against skin with a lightweight polyester exterior. The result was a very breathable and very packable mid layer great for high aerobic activities.
Our Convict Canyon Hoodies have been included in best base layer and best ski gear roundups over the years. Our Convict Canyon collection also features joggers for men, which were highlighted in Outside Magazine’s 2023 Winter Buyer’s Guide. Here’s what they had to say:
"Multi-use gear often does many things, but does them poorly. The Convict Canyon Joggers proved to be an exception: they’re cut just-so to function well as both a baselayer and as lightweight sweats, and are built from a material that excels in a wide range of temperatures."
"Our pickiest tester—the manager and buyer at an Ashland, Oregon running shop—bestowed his greatest praise on these hybrids. “They are the perfect pants,” he said. “I was literally able to wear them for seven days straight across a multitude of occasions.” He wasn’t the only one. Testers used them under ski pants all in all conditions—from 28-degree lift-accessed skiing to 45-degree fitness skinning sessions."
This fall, we introduced our Cloudripper Grid Fleece Collection made with a new heavier Wool Grid Fleece (69% Merino wool, 15% recycled polyester, 13% nylon, 3% spandex). This thicker 265 GSM grid fleece still has soft 100% Merino wool against skin and an even more durable exterior.
The full zip and half zip versions of this mid layer collection feature panels of the Convict Hoodies’ LT Grid Fleece on the lower back and hood to make layering even easier. The thinner fabric in these sections reduces bulk when tucked in ski pants or under a helmet. Both fabrics are 100% Merino against skin and are OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certified (free of harmful substances).
We loved these grid fleece fabrics so much we also created a new grid fleece balaclava with them.
Every product we release is dreamed up, designed and tested in-house and with our team of mountain athletes in the Eastern Sierra and beyond. We create gear that performs well in the wildest conditions, so we’re constantly tweaking our designs, seeking new fabric innovations and expanding our Merino wool gear lineup.
We’re excited to have the grid fleece ski mid layer we’ve been dreaming of, and we look forward to seeing how our grid fleece program continues to evolve in the years to come.
