Fleece Jacket - Women's Round-up Review - 2010 Editors' Choice Winners

Comfort/Coziness
One reason to buy a fleece jacket rather than, say a normal outerwear jacket is because fleeces are so cozy and comfortable. This is a defining characteristic of fleeces, and the Mountain Hardwear Monkey Woman takes the cake when it comes to comfort and coziness. Its plush soft Monkey Phur as well as its smooth elastic waist and wrist cuffs combine to make a jacket that we just love to be wearing.

A close second is the Marmot Flair, which has its own plush, furry fabric that we have dubbed “Muppet Fur.” This model also has a hood, which adds extra comfort and coziness when it is extra cold or windy. Other cozy jackets of note were the Mountain HardWear Mistral and the Patagonia R2, each one of which has its own cozy, fuzzy fabric.

The one jacket that stood out for its lack of coziness was the North Face Windwall. It is a wind-resistant fleece, but it feels stiff and hard like a windbreaker with no softness or plush fleece characteristics at all.

Warmth
The Monkey Woman wins again when it comes to warmth. The waist and cuffs seal in heat and keep wind out, while the phur insulates really well.

In second place is the North Face Denali, its thickness and roominess make it very warm, as well as having the ability to put other layers under it in case it is very cold.

Layering Ability
The way I most often use a fleece jacket is as a layer under our shell when doing winter activities or under a down jacket when it is really cold and we are camping. We wanted to see what fleeces make the best under layers, so we tried them all on under a tight-fitting soft shell, a down jacket, and a climbing harness. What we found was not all that surprising in that the lightest and thinnest made the best warm mid-layers.

The Arc'Teryx Caliber Hoody was the best since it is so lightweight and thin. Even better was that the thin hood also layered well under other hoods, so it was comfortable and kept us extra warm even though it is a thin layer. The Patagonia R2 also made a great mid-layer because it is light and thin as well, but it does manage to be warmer and plusher than the Caliber.

Breathability
Tied for breathability are the two lightest jackets, the Arc'Teryx Caliber Hoody and the Patagonia R2. Both of them have mesh lined pocket that can be unzipped for even more airflow when running or hiking, and the main fabrics of both allow air to move in and out of the jacket without suffocating.

Quite a few of the other fleeces also have mesh pockets, which certainly helps with the breathability, but the thickness of the fabric, which adds warmth, is what has the most effect on breathability. The thicker jackets like the Monkey Woman and the Denali don't breathe well, but keep you warmer than these two thin jackets would. The best compromise would be the Arc'Teryx Covert Hoody, which is still pretty thick and warm, but has mesh pockets and breathes surprisingly well.

Wind Protection
Both fleeces that we tested that are wind-resistant fleeces, the North Face Windwall and the Mountain HardWear Mistral performed very well. Whether it was simply wearing the jacket on a very blustery day or wearing them to protect against wind while cruising around town on my bike, there was a noticeable difference between these two fleeces and all the others. While other the other fleeces let wind cut right through them, both of these gave me the feeling of being protected against the wind, just as if we were wearing a windbreaker. The main difference between the two is that the Windwall feels stiff and hard, just like a windbreaker, and the Mistral is actually very soft and comfortable while still blocking the wind. The Windwall does breathe a little better than the Mistral and is lighter weight, but overall the Mistral keeps us warmer.

Water Resistance
One surprising thing we noticed was that when it came to getting the fleeces wet, the ones that repelled water the best were also the wind-resistant fleeces, the Windwall being the best. On both the Mistral and the Windwall, water beaded up on the surface and for the most part rolled off the jacket instead of soaking into it.

The Caliber and the R2 are also worthy of note in the water resistance category because they both repelled water decently well, but even more importantly, they dried really quickly after getting wet. This is probably a function of being thin, light, and breathable layers- but it is nice to know if you have one extra layer with you for an all day excursion, that it will dry quickly after a sudden shower.

Movement
The best jackets for moving in (such as climbing or running) were (surprise!) also the lightest and thinnest jackets. The Caliber Hoody was the best being the thinnest. There was no restriction in the movement of the arms and the whole jacket moved with our bodies during activities like hiking and running. The R2 was a close second. It was so light and roomy that it allowed a full range of motion in our arms while climbing. The one restrictive element in some of the jackets that did bother me was when we could not push the sleeves up my arms if I was too hot or wanted the sleeves out of the way. Both the Mistral and the Windwall had this restriction, which kept out the wind but made climbing and moving in less comfortable.

The Bottom Line
The Editor's Choice award goes to the Patagonia R2, mainly because it is so versatile and can be used for multiple applications, so it scored high in multiple categories. It is pricey, but the kind of fleece jacket that could be worn every day and loved to death. Coming in as a second favorite is the Mountain Hardwear Monkey Woman because it epitomizes the comfy, cuddly fleece and is so warm. The Arc'Teryx Caliber is also recommended because of its use as a layer during aerobic activities. It is the lightest and most breathable jacket, so for those of you concerned with weight, this is the way to go.

The Best Buy Award goes to the Mountain HardWear Mistral. Not only is it a relatively inexpensive fleece, but it is multi-functional being a wind-resistant fleece. The added functions you get for the price make it a great deal for a soft and warm fleece.


The Best Fleece for Each Application
If I had the luxury to buy a different fleece for every application, I would go with this:

Best fleece for high-heart rate activities: Arc'Teryx Caliber Hoody
Best Fleece for packing as an extra layer on long days in the mountains: Patagonia R2
Best Fleece for curling up in and wearing around town: Mountain Hardwear Monkey Woman
Best Wind-Resistant fleece and Best Buy: Mountain Hardeear Mistral
Best fleece if you only can buy one and want it to last forever: North Face Denali