Fleece Hoody
Patagonia R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody
$199, 12.5 oz./354g (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s XS-XXL, women’s XXS-XL, kids XS-XXL
backcountry.com
Here’s an axiom of outdoor layering systems that will never change: No piece of outdoor apparel offers more versatility than a highly breathable, midweight insulation layer. It’s very possible that the only “layer” you will wear more is your skin. Find a highly breathable midweight hoody or jacket that’s soft and fits like it was custom made for your torso and you have something that may spend more time on your body than in your closet—and few compare with Patagonia’s R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody’s versatility for almost any outdoor user, from hard-core backpackers, climbers, and backcountry skiers to the average dayhiker or fitness walker, as I have found time and again wearing it backpacking, dayhiking, various forms or skiing, and camping, as well as countless days around town.
At 12.5 ounces/354 grams (men’s medium), this midweight fleece is designed for wearing as an outer or middle layer in a huge range of cool to cold temperatures, including activities and seasons as diverse as hiking or climbing in virtually any mountains in any month of the year, southern climes from fall through spring, or for any winter activity—skiing, hiking, running, walking, you pick.
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To spotlight some examples of the many times and ways I’ve used this hoody, it kept me warm without overheating—rarely even breaking a sweat—wearing it:
- Hiking in chilly, very strong wind on three-day hikes on both the Skyline Trail in Jasper National Park and the Nigel, Cataract, and Cline Passes Route in the White Goat Wilderness of the Canadian Rockies in the first week of August;
- Over one base layer while hiking with a full pack, uphill and downhill, on cool, generally calm mornings and windy afternoons during a weeklong, nearly 70-mile September backpacking trip in Glacier National Park;
- On early January hikes in Idaho’s upper Wood River Valley on days with temperatures in the low to mid-20s Fahrenheit and strong gusts at times. It did not, of course, block the wind, so I pulled a light shell jacket over it when the wind blew hard.
- On breezy, cool evenings in the 50s between waves of thunderstorms while camping in June at Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve.
- On winter days of backcountry and Nordic skiing.
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On those backpacking trips, I also wore it in camp both as an outer layer and, when temps dropped, under a down jacket—meaning the R1 Air Hoody doubled as an on-trail layer and a camp layer that allowed me to bring a lighter puffy and forego a midweight, long-sleeve shirt. To frame it another way: The R1 Air Hoody cut my layering system weight by replacing or reducing two other layers. Few pieces of apparel offer more versatility while reducing your pack weight.
In short, it has become a go-to outer and middle layer for a variety of situations year-round.
The secret sauce is the 100 percent recycled polyester jacquard fleece with hollow-core yarns and a unique zigzag pattern that wicks moisture, dries very quickly, and is about as breathable as any piece of outerwear you’ll find short of much lighter and less-warm base layers. Boosting warmth without compromising breathability means you wear it more.
Cold tolerance varies greatly between individuals, of course. But people who get cold easily will find more situations and reasons to pull on the R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody; and people who don’t get cold easily will simply wear it in a bit lower range of temperatures. Nonetheless, thanks to its breathability, virtually anyone will find a variety of uses for it.
The flip side of that superior breathability, of course, is that wind cuts right through it. That works in your favor whenever you need to dump excess heat because your body is producing it faster than the ambient temperature, wind, and precipitation conditions are sucking it away (and that can certainly include very cool, windy conditions when you’re working hard enough). When ambient conditions draw more heat from your body than you’re producing, there’s a simple solution to the R1 Air’s lack of wind protection: It’s called a shell jacket.
I felt its versatility is more limited in a sport like Nordic skiing, where you create wind against the front of your body when going fast downhill, but also exert at a high level going uphill. Example: On a calm December day in the high 20s Fahrenheit that was overcast when I started skate-skiing but the sun came out before I finished, I sweated the usual amount going uphill—the R1 Air’s warmth eclipsed the benefit of its breathability in that combination of ambient conditions and exertion level—and I felt at the edge of comfort skiing fast downhill (even with the hood up) due to no wind protection.
The feel of the jacket may hold more appeal than the performance properties for many people. The close fit almost emulates that of a moderately snug sweater while creating space for one or two base layers—and, from a performance perspective, enabling more efficient heat retention and moisture movement from inside to outside. Off-the-shoulder seams avoid lying directly under pack straps. The quick-drying woven binding at the rear hem and cuffs add stretch and enhance the fit. The sleeves don’t ride up when lifting your arms overhead and the hem extends below the waist.
Plus, the full-length front zipper not only permits easier on and off than a pullover and enables venting, it also smoothly integrates with the close-fitting, non-adjustable hood, which layers easily under helmets and shell jacket hoods. That means the R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody closes to your nose with the hood up—and the hood remains in place on your noggin in wind or when you turn your head even with the jacket completely unzipped and flapping open. That translates to significantly more comfort and better performance than so many insulated jackets that seem designed with little thought to how the hood interacts with everything below the neck.
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Another versatility detail not to underestimate: The fleece hood punches above its weight in terms of how much it boosts warmth while adding nominal ballast. I think the hood is one of the R1 Air’s best features.
The two zippered hand pockets have a solid fabric lining to provide a little extra warmth by cutting wind a bit and space for a pair of three-season gloves in one pocket or one warm, winter glove in each pocket. The zippered chest pocket will hold small items but is strangely just slightly too small for a smartphone. The jacket doesn’t stuff into any pocket but will roll easily into its hood, packing down to the size of an American football.
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Patagonia has long excelled at insulation and base layers and its R1 line has remained at the top of the field since it revolutioned insulation with its introduction way back in 1999—and I vividly remember wanting to get my hands on one of those early R1 tops. (Fun fact: Tommy Caldwell made the first ascent of the Dawn Wall on El Capitan in an R1.)
See R1 Air models at patagonia.com/shop/favorites/regulator-fleece. And for the cold-weather warriors, check out the Patagonia R1 Air Beanie and the Patagonia R1 Daily Beanie.
The Verdict
With midweight warmth, supreme breathability, and excellent comfort, the Patagonia R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody delivers four-season versatility for many outdoor activities, including backpacking, dayhiking, all forms of climbing and skiing, running, and fitness walking.
BUY IT NOW
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 Patagonia R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody at backcountry.com, rei.com, or patagonia.com; a women’s Patagonia R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody at backcountry.com, rei.com, or patagonia.com; or a kids’ Patagonia R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody at backcountry.com, rei.com, or patagonia.com.
Or see all of the Patagonia R1 Air models at patagonia.com/shop/favorites/regulator-fleece.
See all reviews of outdoor apparel at The Big Outside, including “The 12 Best Down Jackets,” “The Best Gloves for Winter—and All Seasons,” “The Best Mittens for Winter,” plus “12 Pro Tips for Staying Warm Outdoors in Winter.”
NOTE: I reviewed 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