I'm planning my thru-hike for 2012, but haven't done much cold weather hiking. I've sorted out most my gear but am having issues with the cold weather jackets. I've read about wearing down at camp, and often not needing more than a base layer, midlayer, and rain/wind jacket for hiking.
I guess my question is whether the midlayer is a heavier piece of clothing (like a fleece pullover), or something lighter like a long sleeve shirt? And if it isn't a fleece or something heavy like that, then could a fleece jacket be suitable for camp, rather than a down jacket?
I'm trying to decide if I need to buy both a fleece and down, or if one is preferable to the other for camp. The Clymb has a sale on mountain hardware, and I don't know if I should take advantage of buying a fleece, down, or both right now.
Any advice is appreciated!
Thanks!