The Wrangler Authentics 1/4 Zip is our cheapest that still breathes pick, and we rate it 67 out of 100.
A bargain quarter-zip whose baggy waist lets air move through it, which is the whole explanation for a breathability score premium fleeces would want.
Scored on the same five metrics as the premium jackets: Breathability, Warmth, Layering and Fit, Weight, Value for Money.
Cheapest That Still Breathes
Wrangler Authentics 1/4 Zip
- Weight: 354g
- Fabric: 100% polyester
- Weight class: Light to midweight
- Style: Quarter-zip
- Pockets: 0
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
What We Make of the Wrangler Authentics 1/4 Zip
Finished last overall and still out-breathed jackets costing five times more, for an unglamorous reason.
Across 5 metrics it landed on 67 out of 100, good enough for the cheapest that still breathes award.
What tips it: out-breathes fleeces costing five times more.
Lowest comfort and warmth scores on test.
Made for a rock-bottom budget and casual use rather than trail miles.
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
Our Analysis, Comparisons, and Test Results
weight is where it wins. layering and fit is where it does not.
The scores below come from the same tests every panel here went through.
Breathability
7 out of 10, ahead of both the Arc'teryx Kyanite and The North Face Retro Denali.
The mechanism is not clever fabric, it is a baggy waist that lets air move through the jacket.
That is a real finding and it is also the reason the fit scores badly.
| Breathability | Rating |
|---|---|
| Highest in this guide | 8.5/10 |
| Wrangler Authentics 1/4 Zip | 7/10 |
| Guide average | 7/10 |
| Lowest in this guide | 5.6/10 |
Warmth
6 out of 10, the joint lowest here.
There is no hood, no hem drawcord and no cuff adjustment, so wind takes the heat out fast.
It works indoors and around town more than on a cold hill.
| Warmth | Rating |
|---|---|
| Highest in this guide | 9/10 |
| Wrangler Authentics 1/4 Zip | 6/10 |
| Guide average | 7.1/10 |
| Lowest in this guide | 6/10 |
Layering and Fit
5.5 out of 10, the worst fit score in this ranking.
The athletic cut is not there, and the synthetic hand feel is obvious next to anything above it.
No pockets at all.
| Layering and Fit | Rating |
|---|---|
| Highest in this guide | 8/10 |
| Wrangler Authentics 1/4 Zip | 5.5/10 |
| Guide average | 6.7/10 |
| Lowest in this guide | 5.5/10 |
Weight
354g, lighter than the Amazon Essentials.
Light enough to throw in a bag as a spare layer without thinking about it.
| Weight | Rating |
|---|---|
| Highest in this guide | 9.1/10 |
| Wrangler Authentics 1/4 Zip | 8.1/10 |
| Guide average | 7.2/10 |
| Lowest in this guide | 3/10 |
Value for Money
It is a functioning fleece at the lowest money here, and that is the whole case.
The Amazon Essentials sits at the same money and scores higher on warmth and features.
Buy this only if the bottom of the market is the hard ceiling and you want the more breathable of the two.
| Value for Money | Rating |
|---|---|
| Highest in this guide | 9.5/10 |
| Wrangler Authentics 1/4 Zip | 6.5/10 |
| Guide average | 7.5/10 |
| Lowest in this guide | 5.5/10 |
Who Should Buy This One?
It is best suited to a rock-bottom budget and casual use rather than trail miles.
The big win: Out-breathes fleeces costing five times more.
The main compromise: Lowest comfort and warmth scores on test.
Also from this test: the Rab Ascendor Light Hoody, our best overall for hiking pick, if you want the best venting we measured.
Specifications
| Weight | 354g |
| Fabric | 100% polyester |
| Weight class | Light to midweight |
| Style | Quarter-zip |
| Pockets | 0 |
Three Alternatives Worth a Look
It will not suit everyone. These three came closest in the same test.
Amazon Essentials Full-Zip Polar Fleece, our best budget buy. About the price of a burger and a drink, and it still scored 70.
Columbia Steens Mountain 2.0 Full Zip, our longest lasting. Owners report 10 to 15 years out of this jacket, which no scoring model built around performance can see.
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.
Final Word on the Wrangler Authentics 1/4 Zip
The Wrangler Authentics 1/4 Zip finished this test as our cheapest that still breathes choice, scoring 67 out of 100.
It comes down to one thing: out-breathes fleeces costing five times more.
Not perfect: lowest comfort and warmth scores on test.
It belongs with a rock-bottom budget and casual use rather than trail miles.
Compare it against the other nine in our 10 Best Fleece Jackets for Hiking, Tested and Ranked guide.
