The layer between your base layer and the weather. Close to a thousand pieces here, from a light fleece for a September stalk to an oilskin that will stand a winter of it.
What a midlayer is for
Insulation, and nothing else. It should trap warm air without blocking the moisture coming off your base layer, which is why a fleece beats a padded jacket for anything involving walking. Save the padding for static work — high seats, flight ponds, the long wait on a flight line.
Fleece, wool or oilskin
Fleece is warm for its weight, dries fast and is cheap to replace: Jack Pyke's Fieldman hoodie, Seeland's Key-Point Active II and SwedTeam's Lynx sit here, as do BushWear's own Fallow fleeces. Wool and oilskin are the Swanndri answer — the Motu and High Rock pullovers and the 3/4 sleeve oilskin are heavier and quieter, and they earn their place stalking or in thick cover where a synthetic fleece whispers against every branch it touches.
Noise
If you stalk, handle the garment before you commit to it. Quietness is the property that separates a stalking midlayer from an outdoor one, and it appears in no specification anywhere.
Layer around it: base layers, fleeces, vests and waistcoats and waterproof jackets.
