The Rab Ascendor Light Hoody is our best overall for hiking pick, and we rate it 81 out of 100.
A 292g micro-grid hoody with high-loft internal stripes and open channels between them, built so heat leaves faster than it builds up on a climb.
It went out with seventeen other fleeces, scored on Breathability, Warmth, Layering and Fit, Weight and Value for Money. Weights were put on a scale rather than copied off a spec sheet.
Best Overall for Hiking
Rab Ascendor Light Hoody
- Weight (men's M): 292g
- Fabric: 94% polyester, 6% elastane micro-grid
- Weight class: Lightweight
- Pockets: 3
- Hood: Yes, helmet compatible
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
Our Verdict: Rab Ascendor Light Hoody
The only fleece here that stayed on all day at a working heart rate, and it undercuts every jacket it beats.
It scored 81 out of 100 across our five scored metrics, and it took the best overall for hiking award.
Highest breathability of anything tested is what earns it that spot.
Almost no warmth when you stop moving is the trade-off, and for this buyer it is the right one.
We would hand this one to hikers who move fast and want one layer that stays on all day.
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
How It Performed
Strongest on weight, weakest on warmth.
Here is how it did on every metric, with the rest of the field for comparison.
Breathability
Top breathability score of the 18 fleeces we tested. The micro-grid face is built as high-loft stripes with channels between them, so warm air has a route out instead of sitting against the skin.
Our testers kept it on through alpine climbing, spring skiing and long uphill grinds without the sweat build-up the midweights produced. The deep front zip is there for manual venting when the grid alone cannot keep up on a steep pitch.
| Breathability | Rating |
|---|---|
| Highest in this guide | 8.5/10 |
| Rab Ascendor Light Hoody | 8.5/10 |
| Guide average | 7/10 |
| Lowest in this guide | 5.6/10 |
Warmth
Standing-still warmth is minimal, and Rab has not pretended otherwise.
The channels that vent heat are also the channels wind comes through, so this needs a windshirt or hardshell the moment you stop.
Treat it as a component in a layering system rather than a jacket that works alone.
| Warmth | Rating |
|---|---|
| Highest in this guide | 9/10 |
| Rab Ascendor Light Hoody | 6.5/10 |
| Guide average | 7.1/10 |
| Lowest in this guide | 6/10 |
Layering and Fit
The elongated torso and long sleeves are deliberate, and they stop the hem lifting when you reach overhead. That matters more than it sounds on a climb, where a short hem pulls out of a harness every time you place a hand high.
The cut is properly technical, which is exactly why casual buyers should look at the Summit Grid instead. Three pockets, and the hood sits under a helmet without bunching.
| Layering and Fit | Rating |
|---|---|
| Highest in this guide | 8/10 |
| Rab Ascendor Light Hoody | 8/10 |
| Guide average | 6.7/10 |
| Lowest in this guide | 5.5/10 |
Weight
292g in a men's medium, which is the second lightest jacket ranked here.
It compresses into a pack corner rather than eating a compartment.
The weight comes off the fabric, not off the features, so you keep the pockets and the hood.
| Weight | Rating |
|---|---|
| Highest in this guide | 9.1/10 |
| Rab Ascendor Light Hoody | 8.9/10 |
| Guide average | 7.2/10 |
| Lowest in this guide | 3/10 |
Value for Money
It undercuts the Patagonia and Black Diamond grid fleeces by a wide margin.
Nothing near it on price matched its breathability in our testing.
Rab's own Ascendor Summit Hoody is the softshell-faced version if you want more wind protection built in.
| Value for Money | Rating |
|---|---|
| Highest in this guide | 9.5/10 |
| Rab Ascendor Light Hoody | 8.5/10 |
| Guide average | 7.5/10 |
| Lowest in this guide | 5.5/10 |
Should You Buy the Rab Ascendor Light Hoody?
It is best suited to hikers who move fast and want one layer that stays on all day.
The big win: Highest breathability of anything tested.
The main compromise: Almost no warmth when you stop moving.
Also from this test: the Wrangler Authentics 1/4 Zip, our cheapest that still breathes pick, if the budget is the whole brief.
Specifications
| Weight (men's M) | 292g |
| Fabric | 94% polyester, 6% elastane micro-grid |
| Weight class | Lightweight |
| Pockets | 3 |
| Hood | Yes, helmet compatible |
What Other Fleece Jackets Should You Consider?
Not sold on this one? Three others in this guide are worth a look.
Black Diamond CoEfficient Hoody, our fastest drying. The quickest drying fleece we tested, which is the reason to pick it over the more famous grid hoodies.
Mountain Hardwear Summit Grid Hoody, our best value. A fully featured grid fleece at half the premium money, and the one our testers had to be talked out of keeping.
Arc'teryx Kyanite Hoody, our best for cold camp. 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.
Conclusion: Rab Ascendor Light Hoody
Tested against every other fleece jacket on this list, the Rab Ascendor Light Hoody came out as our best overall for hiking pick at 81 out of 100.
Highest breathability of anything tested is the reason it wins.
You do give something up. Almost no warmth when you stop moving is the catch.
This one is for hikers who move fast and want one layer that stays on all day.
Still weighing it up? See how it stacks against the full field in our 10 Best Fleece Jackets for Hiking, Tested and Ranked guide.
