Best Overall for HikingRab Ascendor Light Hoody
- Weight (men's M): 292g
- Fabric: 94% polyester, 6% elastane micro-grid
- Weight class: Lightweight
- Pockets: 3
- Hood: Yes, helmet compatible
Bottom Line : The only fleece here that stayed on all day at a working heart rate, and it undercuts every jacket it beats.
Pros
- Highest breathability of anything tested
- 292g, packs into a corner
- Long torso and sleeves stay put when you reach up
- Undercuts the premium grid fleeces
Cons
- Almost no warmth when you stop moving
- Wind goes straight through it
- Technical cut will not suit casual wear
This is the fleece our testers stopped taking off.
The Ascendor Light is a 292g micro-grid hoody: high-loft stripes on the inside with open channels between them, so heat has a route out while you are still climbing. It took the highest breathability score of all eighteen jackets in this round.
The cut backs it up. The elongated torso and long sleeves are not a styling choice, they stop the hem lifting out of a harness every time you reach overhead, and the deep front zip is there to vent by hand when the grid alone cannot keep up on a steep pitch.
Rab thickened this fabric and now runs it through the whole jacket rather than just the core, so it is warmer than the version it replaces without losing the venting. The perforated hand pockets are the other upgrade: storage that does not kill airflow. The fleece-lined chin guard is the sort of detail you only notice at 6am.
Two honest catches. Standing still it gives you almost nothing, and wind goes straight through it, so a windshirt travels in the same pocket. The chest pocket swallows a phone and then lets the weight swing about while you walk, which James found more annoying than he expected.
This is the one I stopped taking off. Four hours of uphill in it and I was drier than in anything else on test. The catch is the second you stand still it gives you nothing, so it lives with a windshirt in the same pocket.
Shaun, Top-Notch test team
81 out of 100, and cheaper than the premium grid hoodies it outscores.
Read our full Rab Ascendor Light Hoody review →
Fastest DryingBlack Diamond CoEfficient Hoody
- Weight: 281g
- Fabric: Polartec Power Grid, 51% polyester / 36% nylon / 13% elastane
- Weight class: Midweight
- Pockets: 1
- Hood: Yes, helmet compatible
Bottom Line : The quickest drying fleece we tested, which is the reason to pick it over the more famous grid hoodies.
Pros
- Dries faster than any fleece we tested
- 281g, the lightest here
- Smooth face slides under a hardshell
- Hood fits under a climbing helmet
Cons
- Tight through the forearms
- One pocket
- Runs cold as soon as you stop
Every review of this jacket talks about the Power Grid fabric. The reason to buy it is drying speed.
Soaked on a climb and hung up overnight, the CoEfficient came back dry ahead of both the Patagonia R1 Air and The North Face FutureFleece. If your trips run back to back and you have to put yesterday's layer on at dawn, that ordering matters more than any overall score does.
At 281g it is also the lightest jacket in this ranking, and the smooth low-friction face slides under a hardshell instead of binding at the shoulders. The missing hand pockets are a decision rather than a saving: nothing sits under a harness or a hipbelt to fight you. Half of buyers will hate that, and the other half will get it straight away. Thumb holes hold the sleeves in place while you drag a shell over the top.
One finding worth the price of this section. Over sustained wear it held odour more than anything else we tested, and the interior face is functional rather than soft. At premium money both are fair to flag.
Soaked it on a climb, hung it in the tent porch, and it was dry before the R1 Air I had hanging next to it. The forearms are cut tight though, and one pocket is stingy at this price.
Ryan, Top-Notch test team
Ryan is right about both complaints. Tight forearms, one pocket, premium money. It still scores 78, and it earns its award on a metric almost nobody publishes.
Read our full Black Diamond CoEfficient Hoody review →
Best ValueMountain Hardwear Summit Grid Hoody
- Weight (S): 309g
- Fabric: 100% polyester square grid
- Weight class: Lightweight
- Style: Pullover
- Pockets: 1 kangaroo
Bottom Line : A fully featured grid fleece at half the premium money, and the one our testers had to be talked out of keeping.
Pros
- A real grid fleece without premium money
- Adjustable hood, rare at this price
- Kangaroo pocket
- Squashes flat in a pack
Cons
- Least warm of the grid fleeces
- Wind goes straight through
- No zippered pockets
Half the money of the premium grid hoodies. That is the headline, and the jacket does not feel like a compromise.
A square-grid pullover at 309g with an adjustable hood and a kangaroo pocket, worn against bare skin on cold mountain nights and as a daily base layer through the winter. It vents well under load, though not quite at the level of the Rab micro-grid above it.
What you give up is warmth, which is the lowest of the grid fleeces here at 6 out of 10, and pocket security, since nothing zips. Wind cuts through it fast, same as every grid fleece in this guide.
I wore this against bare skin on a cold night at 8,000 feet and did not want to take it off in the morning. It is half the money of the fancy ones. The only thing I actually missed was a zip on the pocket.
James, Top-Notch test team
77 out of 100, and the best value in this guide by a distance.
Read our full Mountain Hardwear Summit Grid Hoody review →
Arc'teryx Kyanite Hoody
- Weight: 420g (men's M)
- Fabric: Polartec Power Stretch Pro, 53% polyester / 38% nylon / 9% elastane
- Weight class: Midweight
- Pockets: 2 hand
- Hood: Yes
Bottom Line : The warmest stretch fleece here and the most comfortable thing on test, held back by pack-strap pilling that should not happen at this money.
Pros
- Warmest stretch fleece on test
- Four-way stretch comfort
- Breathes better than the thickness suggests
- Holds heat at rest breaks
Cons
- Pilling after one season under pack straps
- Pockets useless under a harness or hip belt
- Bulky under a shell
The most comfortable thing on test, and the one we are most conflicted about.
Polartec Power Stretch Pro gives it four-way stretch that nothing else here matches, plus 8 out of 10 for warmth, the highest of any stretch fleece in this ranking. It holds heat through rest breaks where the grid fleeces quit immediately.
Our testers split on what it is for, and neither side is wrong. Ryan hiked in it and rated it a breathable do-it-all. James called it a static-warmth piece for cold camp and daily wear, too bulky for a trip where pack space is tight. Which one you get depends on how hard you are working in it.
Two construction details are worth knowing. The seams are pulled out of the shoulders and armpits, so pack straps have nothing to rub against, and the fabric itself blocks wind genuinely well. The main zipper does not, and that seam is the cold spot you feel on a windy col. The internal mesh pockets vent nicely and are simply holes in your insulation once it is properly cold.
What nobody disputed was the pilling. Every tester who carried a pack in it came back with a fuzzed face fabric inside one season, which makes it the jacket's real flaw rather than a bad sample.
Nothing on test felt better to put on, and it was the only fleece I was warm in standing at a windy col. One season of carrying a pack and the shoulders had fuzzed up. At two hundred dollars that stung.
Ryan, Top-Notch test team
Add hand pockets that die under a hip belt and no chest pocket to fall back on, and the premium asking price starts to look ambitious. 72 out of 100.
Read our full Arc'teryx Kyanite Hoody review →
Cotopaxi Abrazo Half-Zip
- Weight: 371g
- Fabric: 100% recycled polyester
- Weight class: Midweight
- Style: Half-zip
- Pockets: 3
Bottom Line : A warm, likeable camp and trail-walk fleece that gets restrictive the moment the ground steepens.
Pros
- Warmer than every grid fleece here
- Stretch chest pocket
- Comfortable at camp and on flat trail
- Recycled polyester throughout
Cons
- Restrictive when you move dynamically
- No hood and no hem adjustment
- Fabric bunches under pack straps
A likeable jacket that knows what it is, as long as the ground stays flat.
The Abrazo carries deliberately more fabric than a light pullover, and that is where its warmth comes from: 7.5 out of 10, ahead of every grid fleece in this ranking. Around camp and on easy trail it is exactly right, and the stretch chest pocket is a genuinely good detail.
Then the ground steepens. The non-elastic hem and snug shoulder cut turn restrictive the moment you move dynamically, which is the single reason it sits mid-table rather than higher. No hood, no adjustment anywhere, and the fabric bunches under a pack strap.
Perfect round the fire and on flat trail. The moment I started scrambling, the stiff hem and tight shoulders reminded me it is not built for that.
James, Top-Notch test team
72 out of 100 as a camp and three-season crossover. Not a climbing layer, whatever you pay.
Read our full Cotopaxi Abrazo Half-Zip review →
Amazon Essentials Full-Zip Polar Fleece
- Weight: 445g (men's M)
- Fabric: 100% polyester polar fleece
- Weight class: Midweight
- Pockets: 2 zippered
- Hood: No
Bottom Line : About the price of a burger and a drink, and it still scored 70. The risk is which unit you get, not the design.
Pros
- The cheapest jacket ranked here
- Warmer than several premium jackets
- Genuinely soft against the skin
- Thick pockets keep the core warm
Cons
- Quality control varies between units
- You will sweat in it under load
- Boxy cut bunches at the waist
The cheapest full-zip in this guide, and it scored 70.
That is the whole pitch and it survives contact with the hill. It is genuinely soft, the thick pockets add real warmth across the core, and our testers wore it under a ski jacket on a cold chairlift without complaint. With a base layer under it and a rain shell over the top it works into the 20s Fahrenheit.
Breathability is the price you pay, at 5.8 out of 10. There is no grid, no venting, no structure, so you will sweat in it on anything sustained.
It also held up better than expected under the water pour, so a light shower will not soak straight through it. Layering is easier than the price suggests too, because the face is slick enough for a shell to slide over.
The risk here is not the design, it is the unit. Quality control varies: zips snag and split on some, stitching runs uneven on others. Durability over years is the open question, and at this money nobody should pretend otherwise.
I stopped apologising for this jacket. It kept me warm on a chairlift in the twenties under a ski shell. Then a mate's zip split in a month, so treat the first week as a test period.
James, Top-Notch test team
Unbox it and work the zip the day it lands, while a return is still easy.
Read our full Amazon Essentials Full-Zip Polar Fleece review →
Wrangler Authentics 1/4 Zip
- Weight: 354g
- Fabric: 100% polyester
- Weight class: Light to midweight
- Style: Quarter-zip
- Pockets: 0
Bottom Line : Finished last overall and still out-breathed jackets costing five times more, for an unglamorous reason.
Pros
- Out-breathes fleeces costing five times more
- 354g, lighter than the Amazon Essentials
- The lowest price of anything ranked here
- Quarter-zip vents at the neck
Cons
- Lowest comfort and warmth scores on test
- No pockets
- Synthetic hand feel and poor athletic fit
The surprise of the round, for a deeply unglamorous reason.
This bargain-bin quarter-zip out-breathes the Arc'teryx Kyanite and The North Face Retro Denali, both of which cost many times more. Not because of clever fabric. Because the waist is baggy and air moves through it.
That same baggy waist is why it takes the worst fit score in this guide at 5.5, and the lowest comfort and warmth numbers of the eighteen. No hood, no drawcord, no pockets at all, and a synthetic hand feel that is obvious next to anything above it.
It genuinely breathes, and then you look down and realise it is because it is baggy at the waist. No pockets, no hood, but for thirty dollars I cannot be too rude about it.
James, Top-Notch test team
67 out of 100. At the very bottom of the market the Amazon Essentials above is warmer and better featured, and this one breathes better. Pick your side.
Read our full Wrangler Authentics 1/4 Zip review →
Columbia Steens Mountain 2.0 Full Zip
- Weight: 459g
- Fabric: 100% polyester, 250g filament fleece
- Weight class: Heavyweight
- Pockets: 2
- Hem: Drawstring
Bottom Line : Owners report 10 to 15 years out of this jacket, which no scoring model built around performance can see.
Pros
- Owner reports of 10 to 15 years of use
- Among the cheapest jackets here
- Drawstring hem
- Relaxed fit without much extra bulk
Cons
- Does not shed heat when you work
- 459g
- A shell over it is a struggle
Our scoring model gives this 66 out of 100. The model is missing the point.
Owners report ten to fifteen years out of a Steens Mountain, and no performance metric we run can see that. Spread across a decade, nothing else in this guide comes close on cost per year of use.
What you get is 250g filament fleece built for longevity rather than uphill work: honest heavyweight warmth at 7 out of 10, a drawstring hem, two zipped pockets, and a relaxed fit carrying less bulk than you would expect.
What you do not get is heat management. It does not vent, wind still gets through, and layering a shell over 459g of fleece is a fight.
My old one is on year eleven and it still zips. That is the argument. Do not ask it to keep up on a climb, because it will cook you.
Ryan, Top-Notch test team
Camp and work wear, bought once.
Read our full Columbia Steens Mountain 2.0 Full Zip review →
Arc'teryx Covert Cardigan
- Weight: 527g (men's M)
- Fabric: Alpenex II, 100% recycled polyester
- Construction: Sweater knit face, brushed fleece back
- Pockets: 3
- Hood: No
Bottom Line : The one fleece here that will still look presentable in three years, and the one you should leave at home on the hill.
Pros
- Knit face resists pilling and abrasion
- Warm for travel and town
- Three low-profile pockets
- Looks like a sweater, not gear
Cons
- 527g and slow to dry
- Wind goes straight through
- Bunches at the elbows under a layer
The jacket that will still look right in three years, and the one to leave at home on the hill.
Its dense sweater-knit face resists pilling and bushwhack abrasion far better than brushed fleece, which is the honest argument for paying premium money. Put it next to the Kyanite after a hard season and the difference is not subtle.
That tight weave is also why it holds heat like a softshell rather than a fleece, and why it barely breathes. It is a standing-around jacket, and it is very good at being one.
Everything else here is a trade. It weighs 527g, wind goes straight through it, it takes a long time to dry, and it bunches at the elbows once you layer over it.
Three seasons of wearing this most days and the face still looks new, which I cannot say about the Kyanite. It is also heavy, slow to dry and useless in wind, so it never comes on a trip.
Ryan, Top-Notch test team
64 out of 100 on a hiking-weighted model, which is exactly the wrong model for this jacket. As a five-days-a-week piece for travel and town, it is the most durable thing in this guide.
Read our full Arc'teryx Covert Cardigan review →
The North Face Retro Denali
- Weight: 723g
- Fabric: 100% recycled polyester with nylon chest and shoulder overlays
- Weight class: Heavyweight
- Pockets: 4
- Venting: Pit zips
Bottom Line : The warmest jacket on test and the only one that works alone in real cold, at more than double the weight of anything else here.
Pros
- Warmest jacket on test by a clear margin
- Nylon overlays actually block wind
- Works as a standalone outer in cold
- Four usable pockets
Cons
- 723g, triple the lightest fleeces here
- Worst breathability in the guide
- High hem lets cold in when you reach
Warmest jacket on test, last place in a hiking guide. Both of those are correct.
The Retro Denali scores 9 out of 10 for warmth, a clear margin above everything else, and it is the only fleece here that works alone as an outer layer in real cold. The nylon chest and shoulder overlays are the reason: they block wind across the core, which is what the whole heritage silhouette was designed to do and what no grid fleece can manage at any price.
It is more technical than the heritage styling suggests. DWR-treated nylon overlays, pit vents, zip pockets and cinch cords on both sides of the hem, which trap heat and give a boxy shape some waist. The pockets take a phone, keys and a day's snacks without complaint. Shaun ended up sleeping in it through the back end of winter, which tells you what the fabric does when you stop moving.
Now the bill. 723g, more than double the Black Diamond CoEfficient and roughly triple the lightest fleeces we weighed. Weight scores 3 out of 10, the lowest number anywhere in this guide, and breathability 5.6, the worst here. The pit zips exist because you will need to dump heat by hand.
Stood around a frozen car park in this for an hour and never thought about the cold once. Then I tried walking uphill in it and had it off inside ten minutes.
Shaun, Top-Notch test team
Buy it for static cold, camp and the dog walk in a wind. For hiking, the Mountain Hardwear plus a windshirt is the better answer for less money.
Read our full The North Face Retro Denali review →
How We Tested and Scored These Fleeces
Eighteen fleeces, five testers, one season.
Shaun, James and Ryan took them through high-output climbing days, spring ski tours, static cold at camp, snow hikes and ordinary weeks of wearing one jacket five days out of seven. Every jacket was scored on comfort, warmth, breathability, layering and weight, and every weight in the tables below went on our scale rather than being copied off a spec sheet.
Three of the most useful findings never show up in a score at all, so we logged them separately. How each jacket handles wind. How fast it dries after a soaking. What the face fabric looks like after a season under pack straps.
We also ran the same controlled water pour over every fabric, indoors, so the drying comparison is like for like instead of a guess made on a wet hillside.
Our ranking then re-weights the scores for hiking, because a jacket that wins on sofa comfort is not the jacket you want at 3,000 feet:
- Breathability 30 percent. The one that decides whether the layer stays on or goes in the pack.
- Weight 20 percent. Measured, in grams, in a stated size.
- Layering and fit 20 percent. Hem length, sleeve reach, and whether a shell goes over it without binding.
- Warmth 20 percent. Useful, but a fleece is rarely your warmth solution on the move.
- Value for money 10 percent. Price against what the jacket actually delivers.
That reordering is why a mid-price Rab finishes above a premium Arc'teryx here, and why the warmest jacket on test finishes last.
One caution on weights. Every figure here is what our scale read in the size we tested, and manufacturers cut the same model differently across a size run. A jacket weighed in a medium can gain 40g or more by the time it reaches an XL, so treat these as comparison numbers between jackets rather than the exact weight of the one that arrives at your door.
Why Trust Top-Notch Outdoor
We buy what we test. No freebies, no loaner units going back to a brand press office, and no jacket gets a soft review because a rep was helpful.
Our testers logged these jackets across alpine climbing days, spring ski tours, cold camps, snow hikes and ordinary weeks of wearing one thing five days out of seven. Shaun, James and Ryan are quoted throughout, and where their view splits from the scores, we print both.
When you buy through a link here we may earn a commission. It does not change the ranking, and the two lowest-scoring jackets in this guide are still linked, because you deserve to know what they are as much as what to buy.
Buyer's Guide: How to Choose a Fleece for Hiking
Every grid fleece has a wind problem, and the price tag rarely mentions it
This is the single most useful thing in this guide. Grid and open-knit fleeces, the Rab, the Black Diamond, the Mountain Hardwear, the Patagonia R1 Air, the North Face FutureFleece, have effectively no wind resistance.
The reason is structural. The channels that let heat escape while you climb are the same channels wind comes through when you stop.
So none of them is a jacket. Each is half of a two-piece system, and the other half is a windshirt or a hardshell that lives in the same pocket. Buy the fleece without the shell and you have bought a layer that works uphill and abandons you at the summit.
The heavyweights solve it a different way. The Retro Denali's nylon chest and shoulder overlays block wind across the core, which is what that heritage silhouette was always for. It pays for that in 723g and the worst breathability here.
Drying speed separates the good grid fleeces, and almost nobody scores it
Sweat through a fleece on day one of a trip and you will find out how much this matters on the morning of day two.
From our field log, fastest first: the Black Diamond CoEfficient, then the Patagonia R1 Air and the North Face FutureFleece, with stretchy elastane-heavy fleeces such as the REI Flash Hyperstretch slowest, because elastane holds water in a way hydrophobic grid polyester does not.
That ordering is the reason the CoEfficient takes an award here despite premium money and one pocket.
Durability splits three ways, and price does not predict it
Fails fast: the Kuhl Interceptr sheds heavily and balls up in the wash, leaving fibre residue after laundering rather than after a season. The Arc'teryx Kyanite pilled under pack straps inside one season, and two independent rounds of testing found it, which makes it real rather than a bad sample.
Holds up: the dense sweater-knit faces on the Arc'teryx Covert Cardigan and Patagonia Better Sweater resist abrasion far better than brushed fleece, and Columbia Steens owners report ten to fifteen years of use.
A lottery: the Amazon Essentials, where the design is fine and quality control varies unit to unit. Zips snag on some, stitching runs uneven on others. At the bottom of the market that is the honest trade, so check yours the day it lands.
Three failures repeat across the whole category
Almost nothing here repels water, and wind protection is modest across the board. Only the Retro Denali and the Kyanite meaningfully resist wind, and the Kyanite gives it back through the main zipper.
Pilling turns up at every price point, not just the cheap end. Premium Arc'teryx pilled. REI's budget Trailmade pilled after a handful of washes. Price is not the predictor here, fabric face is.
The main zipper is the cold spot on almost every wind-resistant fleece. If a jacket has a wind flap behind the zip teeth, as the REI Flash Hyperstretch does, that is a genuine feature rather than a spec-sheet line.
Learn the four breathability mechanisms and you can shop without us
Fleeces vent heat in genuinely different ways, and the name on the fabric tells you which:
- Grid structures hold high-loft stripes or squares with channels between them. Micro-grid on the Rab, square grid on the Mountain Hardwear, Power Grid on the Black Diamond.
- Open-knit constructions such as the R1 Air's zig-zag hollow core and the FutureFleece's open-loop octagonal yarn move the most air of all, and let in the most wind.
- Loose sweater weaves, as on the Arc'teryx Covert, breathe better than their thickness suggests.
- Less fabric, which is how a plain microfleece such as the Patagonia Micro D breathes. It is not designed to vent, it simply has less material to trap moisture.
Layering rules that save you buying twice
Lightweight fleeces belong close to the body. Heavyweights belong one layer out, because they are cut looser to start with.
Watch hem length. A short hem rides up under a pack or harness every time you reach overhead, which is exactly why the Rab's long torso and the CoEfficient's long sleeve reach are worth paying for.
Fitted hoods, thumb loops, elastic cuffs and hem drawcords all do one job: seal air in. A close cut does the same job with no hardware and less weight, which is the lighter route if you can find a fit that suits you.
Two More You Can Buy Today, and Three You Cannot
Two of the best jackets in this test are not sold on Amazon. Rather than leave you with nothing, here are the closest stocked equivalents, judged on what long-term owners report rather than on our own testing, since these two did not go through the test cycle.
Mountain Hardwear Polartec Power Grid Hoody, the R1 Air's stand-in
Same fabric family as our fastest-drying pick: a genuine Polartec grid backer, in Mountain Hardwear's most technical midlayer. What caught our eye in the owner reports is the odour finding, since that is exactly where the Black Diamond CoEfficient falls down. Owners on long trips report it not smelling and not needing washing between outings, which is the opposite complaint.
The other repeated theme is range. One owner covered a 14-mile day without swapping layers once. Several describe the fabric as very stretchy and very comfortable.
Check Latest Prices See Customer Reviews & Feedback
Smartwool Merino Sport Fleece Hoodie, if you keep re-wearing the same layer
A merino and synthetic hybrid rather than a pure fleece, and worth knowing about for one reason: wool handles odour in a way polyester does not. Owners on multi-day trips repeatedly describe merino layers staying fresh across days without washing, where a synthetic grid fleece is unwearable by day three.
Be even-handed about it though. Not every report agrees. At least one owner of a blended Smartwool piece found it held onto body odour aggressively, and blends with a lower wool percentage are the ones that draw that complaint. Wool also costs you dry time against a hydrophobic grid fleece.
Check Latest Prices See Customer Reviews & Feedback
Three we rate that Amazon does not stock
Three of the best jackets we tested are not sold on Amazon, and pretending otherwise would make this guide less useful.
The Patagonia R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody scored highest of everything we put through this test. The zig-zag channel pattern is the whole story: it dumps heat on a steep ascent down to around -5C and still holds enough of it when you stop at a belay, which nothing else here managed in both directions. The current cut adds length through the torso and arms, so it finally tucks under a harness instead of riding up, and the cuffs are the rare pair you can shove up your forearms without them cutting in.
Two things to know. Wind moves straight through it, same as every open-knit fleece in this guide. And the fuzzy face collects grass, chalk dust and dog hair off everything it touches. The earlier version pilled badly, this one holds its looks far better than the Kyanite does at the same money.
The North Face Summit Series FutureFleece is the lightest jacket we weighed at 224g, with outstanding warmth to weight under load and thumb loops that stop the sleeves riding up. It has complete wind penetration when stationary, so it is a speed layer or nothing.
The REI Co-op Trailmade is the best everyday-casual buy we tested, comfortable roughly between 38F and 50F on trail, with pocket zippers and pilling resistance better than the price suggests. Zip it fully and the collar folds inward against your neck, which is the sort of detail that leaves a jacket hanging unworn.
One more worth naming for the opposite reason. The Kuhl Interceptr feels superb in the hand, and it shed heavily and balled up in the wash. We would not spend mid-range money on that.
Shopping for a Women's Fleece?
The women's test is a separate piece of work, fifteen jackets scored on comfort, warmth, breathability, layering and weight, and it turned up the finding neither test expected: the jackets that score best are not the ones that last longest.
Read it here: 9 Best Women's Fleece Jackets.
Fleece Jacket FAQ
Is a fleece warm enough for hiking in winter?
A fleece is a mid-layer in winter, not an outer. On the move, a grid fleece such as the Rab Ascendor Light plus a windshirt handles cold down to around -5C. Standing still in real cold you need either a heavyweight like the Retro Denali or an insulated jacket over the top.
Do I need a hood on a hiking fleece?
Yes if you climb or ski, because a hood that fits under a helmet adds warmth exactly where you lose it. No if the fleece lives under a hooded shell, where a second hood bunches at the neck. The Mountain Hardwear Summit Grid is the cheapest hood here that actually adjusts.
Why does my fleece pill, and can I stop it?
Pilling is surface fibres breaking under friction, and pack straps are the usual culprit. Wash inside out, on cool, and skip the fabric softener. Dense sweater-knit faces resist it far better than brushed fleece, which is what you are paying for with the Arc'teryx Covert Cardigan.
How much should I spend on a hiking fleece?
The middle of the market buys the performance. The Mountain Hardwear and the Rab both outrank premium jackets in this guide. Pay up only for a specific gain, such as the Black Diamond's drying speed, and pay less if the jacket is for camp rather than climbing.
Fleece or a synthetic insulated jacket for hiking?
Fleece breathes far better and dries faster, so it wins for anything with a sustained heart rate. Synthetic insulation wins for warmth per gram when you are standing still. Most hikers who move a lot are better served by a light fleece plus a windshirt than by one warmer jacket.
Our Analysis, Comparisons & Test Results
We rated every fleece jacket on this list against the same criteria, so the scores are directly comparable.
Here is how the field compared on each.
Breathability
The Rab Ascendor Light Hoody leads the field for breathability at 8.5 out of 10, and the North Face Retro Denali trails at 5.6.
| Fleece Jacket | Breathability |
|---|---|
| Rab Ascendor Light Hoody | 8.5/10 |
| Black Diamond CoEfficient Hoody | 8/10 |
| Arc'teryx Kyanite Hoody | 8/10 |
| Mountain Hardwear Summit Grid Hoody | 7.5/10 |
| Cotopaxi Abrazo Half-Zip | 7/10 |
| Wrangler Authentics 1/4 Zip | 7/10 |
| Arc'teryx Covert Cardigan | 6.5/10 |
| Columbia Steens Mountain 2.0 Full Zip | 6/10 |
| Amazon Essentials Full-Zip Polar Fleece | 5.8/10 |
| The North Face Retro Denali | 5.6/10 |
Warmth
The North Face Retro Denali leads the field for warmth at 9 out of 10, and the Wrangler Authentics 1/4 Zip trails at 6.
| Fleece Jacket | Warmth |
|---|---|
| The North Face Retro Denali | 9/10 |
| Arc'teryx Kyanite Hoody | 8/10 |
| Cotopaxi Abrazo Half-Zip | 7.5/10 |
| Amazon Essentials Full-Zip Polar Fleece | 7.3/10 |
| Arc'teryx Covert Cardigan | 7.2/10 |
| Columbia Steens Mountain 2.0 Full Zip | 7/10 |
| Rab Ascendor Light Hoody | 6.5/10 |
| Black Diamond CoEfficient Hoody | 6.5/10 |
| Mountain Hardwear Summit Grid Hoody | 6/10 |
| Wrangler Authentics 1/4 Zip | 6/10 |
Layering and Fit
The Rab Ascendor Light Hoody leads the field for layering and fit at 8 out of 10, and the Columbia Steens Mountain 2.0 Full Zip trails at 5.5.
| Fleece Jacket | Layering and Fit |
|---|---|
| Rab Ascendor Light Hoody | 8/10 |
| Black Diamond CoEfficient Hoody | 8/10 |
| Mountain Hardwear Summit Grid Hoody | 7.8/10 |
| Amazon Essentials Full-Zip Polar Fleece | 7.2/10 |
| Cotopaxi Abrazo Half-Zip | 6.5/10 |
| Arc'teryx Covert Cardigan | 6.2/10 |
| Arc'teryx Kyanite Hoody | 6/10 |
| The North Face Retro Denali | 6/10 |
| Wrangler Authentics 1/4 Zip | 5.5/10 |
| Columbia Steens Mountain 2.0 Full Zip | 5.5/10 |
Weight
The Black Diamond CoEfficient Hoody leads the field for weight at 9.1 out of 10, and the North Face Retro Denali trails at 3.
| Fleece Jacket | Weight |
|---|---|
| Black Diamond CoEfficient Hoody | 9.1/10 |
| Rab Ascendor Light Hoody | 8.9/10 |
| Mountain Hardwear Summit Grid Hoody | 8.7/10 |
| Wrangler Authentics 1/4 Zip | 8.1/10 |
| Cotopaxi Abrazo Half-Zip | 7.8/10 |
| Arc'teryx Kyanite Hoody | 7.2/10 |
| Amazon Essentials Full-Zip Polar Fleece | 6.8/10 |
| Columbia Steens Mountain 2.0 Full Zip | 6.6/10 |
| Arc'teryx Covert Cardigan | 5.7/10 |
| The North Face Retro Denali | 3/10 |
Value for Money
The Mountain Hardwear Summit Grid Hoody leads the field for value for money at 9.5 out of 10, and the North Face Retro Denali trails at 5.5.
| Fleece Jacket | Value for Money |
|---|---|
| Mountain Hardwear Summit Grid Hoody | 9.5/10 |
| Amazon Essentials Full-Zip Polar Fleece | 9.5/10 |
| Columbia Steens Mountain 2.0 Full Zip | 9.5/10 |
| Rab Ascendor Light Hoody | 8.5/10 |
| Cotopaxi Abrazo Half-Zip | 7.5/10 |
| Black Diamond CoEfficient Hoody | 6.5/10 |
| Wrangler Authentics 1/4 Zip | 6.5/10 |
| Arc'teryx Kyanite Hoody | 6/10 |
| Arc'teryx Covert Cardigan | 6/10 |
| The North Face Retro Denali | 5.5/10 |
Our Final Verdict: 10 Best Fleece Jackets for Hiking, Tested and Ranked
After testing the field, three fleece jackets stood out.
The Rab Ascendor Light Hoody is our best overall for hiking at 81 out of 100, best for hikers who move fast and want one layer that stays on all day.
The Black Diamond CoEfficient Hoody is our fastest drying at 78 out of 100, best for multi-day trips where you have to re-wear a sweaty layer the next morning.
The Mountain Hardwear Summit Grid Hoody is our best value at 77 out of 100, best for hikers who want grid fleece performance without premium money.
Conclusion: Which Fleece Should You Buy?
For hiking, buy the Rab Ascendor Light Hoody. It vents better than anything else we tested, it weighs 292g, and it sits below the premium hoodies it beats.
If your trips run back to back and you have to put a damp layer on again at dawn, pay the extra for the Black Diamond CoEfficient Hoody and its drying speed.
If a premium fleece is not happening, the Mountain Hardwear Summit Grid Hoody gives up surprisingly little, and the budget Amazon Essentials is a genuinely warm jacket with a quality-control lottery attached.
Whichever you pick from the grid fleeces, budget for a windshirt in the same order. Every one of them is half a system, and the half you are missing is the one that keeps the wind out.
