The SkyGOAT CAMP Hooded Fleece is a microgrid fleece jacket with a front kangaroo pocket, two internal drop pockets, a hood, thumb loops, and a full-length zipper that is good for hiking in cool weather as an outer layer or mid-layer under a rain jacket. It’s made with a 170 g/m2 recycled polyester grid fleece unique to SkyGOAT that is brushed in the interior, making it warm and super comfortable to wear. The neck on this CAMP Hooded Jacket is another standout feature because it can be zipped up to completely cover your neck even if you don’t use the hood, giving you more ways to manage your warmth level.

• Gender: Men’s (Women’s available)
• Pockets: Four (two hand warmer pockets, two internal drop pockets)
• Material: Brushed Recycled Polyester Grid Fleece (170g/ m20
• Colors: Assorted combinations
• Adjustable Hood: No
• Thumb Loops: Yes
• Weighs: 11.9 oz (men’s size large)
• Price: $119

Grid Fleece

The SkyGOAT CAMP Hooded jacket is made with microgrid fleece woven on a distinctive grid-like pattern. The grid pattern results in a fabric with excellent moisture-wicking properties and enhanced breathability. The grid structure also helps to trap air, providing insulation and warmth, while the density of the weave provides a moderate degree of wind protection. This differentiates grid fleece from hoodies made with Polartec Alpha Direct, another popular form of fleece, which is much lighter, thinner, lacks any wind resistance, and is far less durable.

Grid Fleece

Garment Design

The SkyGOAT CAMP Hooded Jacket is a full-zip jacket with two unzippered handwarmer pockets in front and two open internal drop pockets in the interior. The nice thing about a full-length zipper compared to a hoodie without one is that it makes it easier to vent and regulate your temperature.

Lengthwise, the CAMP hooded jacket fits under a rain shell without sticking out the bottom. That’s a vital consideration if you plan to hike a trail, like the Long Trail or the Appalachian Trail, where it rains frequently because you don’t want your fleece mid-layer soaking up the runoff at the bottom of your jacket.

The hand warmer pockets are accessible when wearing a backpack hipbelt, so you can keep your hands warm on cold mornings if you hike without trekking poles. There are also thumb loops at the sleeve ends to keep your hands and wrists warm if you do use poles and to prevent the sleeves from bunching up when you put a jacket on love the fleece.

While the hood is not adjustable, the neck zips all the way up to your chin, keeping your neck warm and preventing the warm air heated by your torso from escaping through the sides of the hood. Most hoodie hoods extend from the neck and require that your neck be covered when worn, but not the hood on the CAMP Jacket. This allows you to vent your neck and torso while wearing the hood or to trap the warmth around your neck and torso when you’re not using the hood. Such subtle adjustments are the hallmark of good layering and thermoregulation when hiking and backpacking (see Cold Weather Layering Hacks for more refinements.)

The neck can be zipped up to trap warmth even when you’re not using the hood.

Recommendation

If you’ve got the itch to add a colorful grid fleece hoodie to your clothing system, SkyGOAT’s CAMP Hooded Jacket is just the ticket. While it’s an excellent mid-layer under a shell or windshirt or an outer layer on warm days, its brushed fleece interior is so comfortable you’ll want to wear it for sleeping and off-trail too!

Disclosure: Skygoat donated a hoodie for review.

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