SUL Waterbear V2 – Climashield (Stock)

Timmermade is the original inventor of the mesh/batting construction used in Waterbears, which is a design that has since been plagiarized.

The SUL Waterbear V2 is an improved design of the original SUL version. It has the same body as V1, which is meant to fit similar to a jacket hood, instead of a pullover balaclava. However, an issue with V1 was that the mesh/apex nose would tend to sit close again your face when cinched down, instead of leaving a pocket like the regular Waterbear. For V2, we extended the nose so that you get the fitted hood AND the warm air pocket.

Since the SUL snaps together in front, under your chin, it stays oriented with your face and can’t slide off. There is no need for fiddly straps. The extended nose cinches down to provide a nice pocket of warm air and the mesh/apex allows air to transfer through. The nose can be folded back in for when you want to use it in more active scenarios.

The SUL Waterbear has the same warm air tunnel around the face as the regular Waterbear, but the body is built more like a fitted jacket hood. Instead of pulling it over your head, it has two front snaps to secure it on and the tunnel has a tie drawcord. It fits more snug and moves with your head while active during the day. As the name suggests, it’s also lighter. The front snaps can be used for extra ventilation. It can be worn in a myriad of ways. Cinched closed, open tunnel, folded in tunnel, folded tunnel over mouth, one snap, wide open, even as a hat.

Approximate weight (3.6oz/yd2) – 2.4oz

Approximate weight (2.5oz/yd2) – 2oz

Ever have trouble sleeping because you’re breathing cold air, even though your body is toasty warm in a sleeping bag? This hood utilizes climashield and mesh to create a super breathable tunnel around your face so that there is always a pocket that warms the air before you breathe it. The opening is adjustable so that you can adjust the rate of air exchange and even fold it back in if needed. The Climashield/mesh is so breathable that you can even close it down and breathe right through it. Climashield is exceptional at dealing with moisture so that condensation from your breath will not cause the batting to lose loft. In the morning you just shake it out and it dries super fast. The body is also built with Climashield with a mesh inner shell for excellent moisture mitigation and a breathable Argon 67 outer shell.

The Waterbear can be used as head insulation during the day as well, providing an opportunity to lighten your load by using one piece of gear for two purposes. For ultimate modular adjustment bring a light Waterbear and a hat. This way you can adjust for different temperatures on the fly. For instance, hood/hat on cold nights and just the hat when active on cool days. For further explanation on non-integrated hoods see https://timmermade.com/non-integrated-hood-sleep-systems.html

Comfortable low temperature range for the 2.5oz/yd2 version is estimated at 10 – 30f without a hat, below with a hat. How much lower is dependent on the hat used. Comfortable low temperature range for the 3.6oz/yd2 version is estimated at 0 – 20f without a hat and below with. It is recommended to use some hat or hood under these, simply because our faces/heads tend to be pretty oily. A hoodie or hat will be less affected by those oils than Climashield loft. It’s also likely easier to wash a hoodie or hat than a Waterbear, although the Climashield versions wash very easily.