****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I've been stricken with the wool-everything-acquisition-disorder. For those of us that appreciate natural fibers, and their qualities, the search is on to find clothes that fit and feel as we wish, made of the fibers we want. Last winter I bought a merino hoodie, made by minus 33, which has been a great heavyweight go-to. But I didn't love the cut, it was floppy and baggy in places I didn't appreciate--so I tailored it by hand to trim the fat. This is a midweight, and the fit required no trimming. It's not slim-tight, it's just a nice level of streamlined. (I'm 5'8" 150 lbs, bought a small) The length is good, not awkwardly long, nor uncomfortably short. The sleeves are slim, but not restricting. The fabric feels like a fairly tight weave, not at all wind proof, but perhaps better than some. As other reviews mentioned, it's lightweight, and relatively thin. But the soft fleecy lining seems to hold my warmth well enough. I like it.If I were to nitpick, I'd mention that the hood is a tight fitting sporty swim-cap type hood. It fits, but there's not a lot of room in there. And when the zipper is up, it's a little snug on the neck. I'll live with that.One last thing that I appreciate, is that this hoodie is devoid of branding. Even the tag on the neck doesn't say who made it. Sometimes a perfectly pleasant piece of clothing can be spoiled, in my eyes, by an overly prominent brand badge. Even a subtle brand insignia can feel like I'm advertising, or promoting someone else's product image. This one speaks only through the clean lines of its design.Update after about a year:This hoodie has worn really well. I've only washed and dried it a handful of times, as wool doesn't seem to need a frequent cleaning. One time, it came out of the dryer and the zipper had developed a malfunction. The dryer made a derail spot in the zipper half way up. I figured out how to twist it just right when zipping to get by the rough spot, but I knew I was going to need a replacement. Sooo...I bought the same hoodie all over again. And this one came with tags, and product info, and all this branding stuff the first one did not have. At first I was put off, from the change... but well, it's almost exactly the same thing, with some very minor labels. The only other thing that changed, I think, is that they made a little chin flap on the top of the zipper at the collar. It's a lighter color fabric, which I didn't immediately take to, but in the end, it's probably an improvement.I did also notice that the new one fit a little baggier than my old used one. And this is probably due to shrinkage in the dryer. They say on the tags not to dry with heat, and that's true. So just keep that in mind.I really like this hoodie except that the zipper can be difficult. In a bad situation a bad zipper can mean bad delays. Needs a bigger zipper YKK zipper style. Otherwise just great. I especially like the fitted hood that fits under a hat for max warmth.Lighter weight, but still nice and toasty. Very comfy.Nothing not to like. Half the price of woolx or woolly or icebreaker for the same quality and style. I wasn't sure but with Amazon you can always return so gave it a try. Glad I did. The side pockets could go all the way to the center zipper but I guess it's just the style so small gripe. I have large hands though ? You'll live in this as a sweater indoors or a mid layer outside all winter longI bought this as an alternative to a Patagonia R1 hoodie. I love it. It's well made, good fitting and good looking. And it performs well. It keeps me warm enough early in a hikebut stays cool and dry when I start climbing. It also feels great under a puffy when the sun goes down.And it's a cool looking hoodie for everyday wear. It's quickly becoming a favorite. I washed it on gentle cold with vinegar and tumble dried on no heat. It came out great. Slight shrinkage if any.At this price it's a steal. Buy one.I'm 5'10 165 lbs and a large fits perfectly.Our heating unit was out for two months (no parts!), and I had to wear this, literally, night and day. Warm, light and durable, it solved my problem nicely. Washed up fine, and, of course, no dryer, so no shrinkage. The only minor issue is that left-handed zipper...Well, it has made it to the 4.75 group so I made it a 5! Fit is excellent, soft,and warm as well as lightweight. As this being my second merino purchase, while I'm stuck up north I will transition to more and more pieces.It fits perfectly to size chart if you wear 2x order a 2x it fit according size your usetoo wearing
