Top Rated: OMM Core Zipped Vest (8.0 / 10)
Category: Utility Insulation Layer (Active & Static)
The OMM Core Zipped Vest is the kind of item that you'd throw in your pack if you felt you might be pushing your luck on the thermal front. Unsure or what exactly might be overcome by conditions (sleeping bag, insulated jacket, active layers), you just want something that could slot in to your existing layering to take the edge off, whether active in punishing conditions or static and just feeling the chill. The OMM Core Vest is an all-round, thermal booster, utility piece, that most importantly can be worn when active without causing you to over-heat and sweat profusely.
Unlike a fleece, the Primaloft Active insulation (an unconfined sheet insulation analogue) lofts and compresses like a high-end insulated jacket; so the OMM Core Vest takes up very little pack space. Yet, like a high-end tech fleece, the Core Vest is extremely lightweight and very air permeable, allowing heat to escape when active.
At Scramble, we're not big on the whole mid-layer / fleece concept. However, we aren't against having add-on pieces that can provide a thermal boost when conditions turn toward the unexpected and one's overly-aggressive insulation budgeting is exposed. OMM's Core Zipped Vest is just that, an ultralight add-on that can play multiple roles and it's our top pick in the new "Utility Insulation Layer (Active & Static)" category.