Hooded, Breathable Insulated Jacket
Black Diamond First Light Stretch Hoody
$295, 14 oz./397g (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s S-XL, women’s XS-XL
blackdiamondequipment.com
Mornings and evenings with temperatures around 40° F in campsites in Montana’s Beartooth Mountains proved the warmth of BD’s First Light Stretch Hoody. But this jacket’s versatility goes well beyond warmth, owing to synthetic stretch insulation that’s breathable, packable, and warm for its weight, and traps heat even when wet—making it potentially the only insulated jacket you need for a variety of activities year-round.
On a five-day backpacking trip in late August in the Beartooths, the First Light Stretch Hoody kept me warm wearing it over only two light base layers (plus a warm wool cap) in camp on evenings and mornings in the low 40s Fahrenheit.
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At 14 ounces/397 grams (men’s medium), this hooded, insulated jacket functions as an outer or middle layer in a range of cool to cold temperatures. More specifically, it’s light, packable, and warm enough to wear as campsite insulation for three-season backpacking and it has a good balance of performance qualities for moving in winter, from hiking and snowshoeing to backcountry touring and climbing in temps well below freezing and as a middle layer for resort skiing.
For most people, though, it’s too warm and not breathable enough for high-output activities in temps only slightly below freezing, like skinning or climbing uphill, Nordic skiing, or running—although wind could alter that dynamic, requiring a jacket this warm.
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The jacket stuffs inside its zippered chest pocket, reducing it to about 1.5 liters in volume, and has a small loop for clipping it to a climbing harness. That compares with the packability of jackets insulated with down rated around 700-fill. But typical of synthetic-insulation jackets, the First Light is still noticeably bulkier, and offers less warmth per ounce or gram, than down jackets of the same weight that are rated at 800-fill or higher (and usually more expensive).
Where Primaloft excels over high-quality down is in breathability and warmth when wet.
The migration-resistant Primaloft Gold Active synthetic insulation offers some breathability during activity—although the 20-denier nylon ripstop shell fabric, of course, inhibits that breathability to some extent: It’s not as breathable as, say, a basic fleece jacket with no shell fabric. But this shell also blocks some wind, while that basic fleece offers no wind protection; and this hoody has the durability for hard use like backcountry touring and climbing.
Primaloft, like any synthetic insulation, also traps heat even when wet from precipitation or perspiration, which becomes particularly beneficial when wearing it while active in cold temperatures. The shell’s DWR (durable, water-repellant treatment), which contains no PFC/PFAS “forever” chemicals, helps repel light precipitation.
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Another advantage of this hoody is that you can forego a heavier puffy jacket in cold temps by simply augmenting the First Light with breathable base layers and a lighter insulation piece—potentially trimming your layering system weight and certainly making it more versatile than using a heavier and warmer puffy jacket.
The stretch liner and shell and gusseted underarms provide a nice fit and excellent range of motion, with space for wearing a couple of base layers and a lighter insulated piece underneath and an all-weather shell jacket over this hoody. The sleeves have good length, not riding up my forearms when reaching overhead.
The adjustable, climbing helmet-compatible hood fits over a helmet and, when you’re not wearing a helmet, adjusts to wrap closely enough to move with your head when looking to either side. The two zippered hand pockets and single zippered chest pocket have good space, although not enough for climbing skins for backcountry touring.
The Black Diamond First Light Hybrid Hoody ($275, 12.7 oz./361g) replaces the Primaloft insulation throughout the jacket’s body with Merino wool in the sides and back, for more breathability in those areas when moving in cold temps, which also means the hybrid version is less warm.
The Verdict
With respectable warmth, packability, and breathability, and the warm-when-wet benefit of synthetic insulation, the Black Diamond First Light Stretch Hoody is the kind of hooded, insulated jacket you can use year-round, from campsites in the mountains on summer backpacking trips to backcountry touring, resort skiing, climbing, and hiking in winter.
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You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a men’s or women’s Black Diamond First Light Stretch Hoody or First Light Hybrid Hoody at blackdiamondequipment.com, backcountry.com, or rei.com.
See all reviews of outdoor apparel at The Big Outside, including “The 12 Best Down Jackets,” “The Best Base Layers, Shorts, and Socks for Hiking and Trail Running,” “The Best Rain Jackets for Hiking and Backpacking,” and “The Best Ultralight Hiking and Running Jackets.”
NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.
—Michael Lanza