TumbleOn Fabric Guide

Choosing your fleece

I sew with four fabrics: three weights of Polartec Alpha Direct and a classic grid fleece. Each one does a different job on trail. Here's how they compare, and how to pick the right one (or the right mix) for how you hike.

Short version: Alpha 90 is the do-it-all pick for most hikers. Go lighter if you run hot or move fast. Go heavier if you're cold at camp. Pick grid if you want something tougher.

At a glance

	Alpha 60	Alpha 90	Alpha 120	Grid
Fabric weight	About 60 g/m²	About 90 g/m²	About 120 g/m²	???
Warmth	● ○ ○	● ● ○	● ● ●	● ● ○
Breathability	● ● ●	● ● ○	● ○ ○	● ● ○
Durability	● ○ ○	● ○ ○	● ○ ○	● ● ●
Wind	Goes right through	Goes right through	Goes right through	Blocks a little
Feel	Light, airy, see-through	Soft and lofty	Thick and fuzzy	Smooth outside, grid inside
Best for	Fast miles, hot climbs	Everyday hiking, 3 seasons	Cold mornings, camp, sleep	Everyday wear, rough use

Warmth and breathability are relative to each other, not lab ratings. Every Alpha fleece pairs well with a wind shell.

The fabrics

What is Alpha Direct?

Alpha Direct is a Polartec fleece built for moving. It's a very open, lofty knit, so it traps warm air but lets heat and sweat escape fast. It barely absorbs water and dries quickly. It's warm for its weight, but it has almost no wind resistance, and it snags more easily than regular fleece. The number is the fabric weight in grams per square meter: higher means warmer.

Alpha 60: the lightest and airiest

Made for moving. It dumps heat on big climbs and warm afternoons and is so open you can almost see through it. On its own it isn't very warm, so it's best when you're working hard or layering it under a shell.

Pick it if: you run hot, you hike fast, or you want a sun-and-breeze layer for warm days.

Alpha 90: the do-it-all weight

Warm enough to sit around camp in, airy enough to hike uphill in. For most three-season hiking, this is the one.

Pick it if: you want one fleece that does most things well.

Alpha 120: the warmest and fuzziest

Thicker, softer and cozier. It's the best Alpha for cold mornings, shoulder season and camp, and it makes a great sleep layer. It's usually too warm for hiking hard in summer.

Pick it if: you sleep cold, you hike in spring and fall, or you want the coziest option.

Grid fleece: the tough classic

Grid fleece has a smooth outer face and a grid of little channels on the inside. The channels move sweat away from your skin, and the smooth face holds up to pack straps, brush and everyday wear much better than Alpha. It's a bit heavier and a bit less breathable.

Pick it if: you're hard on your gear, or you want a fleece for town as well as trail.

Which one should I pick?

If you're…	Go with	Why
Thru-hiking the CDT	Grid X Alpha, or Alpha 90	Warm core for cold mornings up high, vents on long climbs
Hiking in summer	Alpha 60 or 90	Breathes on climbs, still takes the edge off a chilly evening
Hiking in spring or fall	Alpha 120, or Grid X Alpha	More warmth for frosty mornings and cold camps
Running or fastpacking	Alpha 60	The most heat dumped for the least weight
Sleeping cold	Alpha 120	Coziest sleep layer; pair it with our Alpha sleeping bag liner
Hard on your gear	Grid	The smooth face shrugs off pack straps and brush
Wearing it around town	Grid, or Grid X Alpha	Tougher, cleaner look for everyday wear

 

Alpha lets wind straight through. On a windy ridge, throw a wind shirt or rain jacket over it and it becomes a very warm system.

Mixing fabrics

Every fleece is custom, so you don't have to pick just one fabric.

The Grid X Alpha

We were the first to combine grid fleece and Alpha Direct in one piece. The body is grid, which keeps your core warm and takes the wear from pack straps. The arms and hood are Alpha, which dumps heat where you sweat the most. You choose the Alpha weight for the arms (60, 90 or 120) and for the hood.

Mixing Alpha weights

In an all-Alpha fleece, you can choose a different weight for different panels: for example, a warm 120 body with airy 60 arms. A few things to know:

• Both arms have to be the same weight.
• The hood can be any weight.
• Different weights look a little different side by side, even in the same color, because the heavier ones are thicker and fuzzier.

[Mitch: any combos you love, or ones you'd steer people away from?]

Care and durability

Alpha is warm because it's so open and lofty, and that also makes it more delicate than regular fleece. A little care goes a long way.

• Watch out for Velcro and brush. Hook-and-loop on packs and jackets snags Alpha. So do thorny bushes.
• Wear a layer over it for bushwhacking. A wind shirt protects it and makes it warmer.
• Washing: [Mitch: your instructions, e.g. cold wash, gentle cycle, hang dry?]
• Pilling and fuzz are normal, especially on 120. It doesn't change how warm it is.
• Grid fleece is the low-maintenance option. Wash it like any other fleece. [Mitch: confirm]

If something does snag or tear, [Mitch: do you repair fleeces? A repair offer is a great selling point.]

FAQ

[Mitch: These are placeholders until we know your top five customer questions.]

Is Alpha warm enough on its own? For moving, yes. For sitting still in the cold, 120 is the warmest, and any weight gets a lot warmer under a wind shell.

Can I wear Alpha as my outer layer? You can, but wind goes straight through it and brush can snag it. Most hikers wear it under a wind shirt or rain jacket when it's windy.

How do your fleeces fit? For 2026, the bodies are a little bigger, closer to standard men's sizing, and the hood is smaller and sleeker. See the size chart on each product page. [Mitch: anything to add, like sizing up for layering?]

How long does a custom fleece take? [Mitch: current lead time]

Do the colors look the same in every weight? Close, but not identical. Heavier Alpha is fuzzier, which can make the same color look a little different.

Is there a women's fit? [Mitch: I think we should tease it, do you have an estimate of arrival on this one?]

Build yours

Pick your fabric. Pick your colors. I'll sew it by hand in New Mexico.

Still not sure? Send me a message with where and when you're hiking, and I'll help you choose.

***Before publishing

Questions for Mitch

• Is Alpha 90 what you'd recommend to most people?
• How warm is the grid fleece compared to the Alpha weights, and what's its fabric weight?
• Which fleece would you tell a CDT thru-hiker to get?
• Combos you love, or ones to avoid?
• Washing instructions for Alpha and grid
• Do you offer repairs?
• Current custom lead time
  
• Your five most common customer questions, to replace the placeholder FAQ