****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Nice garment. Hood is much too big.Update after 5 years: has held up very well and proven to be a reliable garment for everyday wear, camping, and travel. I've never learned to love to oversized hood, but I think that has more to do with preferring the two-panel hood design over the three panel, on any garment. There is no denying the hood keeps me warm though! After 5 years of regular wear, including frequent camping trips and travel, the jacket looks almost as good as the day I got it. The color has not faded or anything. The cuffs are beginning to fray a bit. I did get one small hole in the lower back, I think from moths, but it was easy to darn and is not visible unless you look for it. This is common for wool garments where I live, unless they are stored in cedar chests or mothballs. I mention it only to point out it's not a fatal flaw, just part of expected maintenance for wool garments for me. Most of my other wool has darning repairs, too.This is a true multi-use garment. I can layer it under a nice coat or denim jacket for cold weather use in the city, or wear it alone. It looks equally at home in the woods or in town. It makes a fine emergency rain coat, and is all you really need anyway if you are only going from the door to the car. Wool provides a wide range of comfort, compared to fleece, though it is heavier. I also like the fire resistance for camping and flying. I'm returning a down jacket because I realized it was only ever one spark away from being wrecked, whereas the wool hoody cares nought about sparks. When camping, I sleep in the hoody and it keeps my head and neck warm. In fact, I kinda never take it off camping, once the Temps get down to the low 60s or less.I have the Medium, and it weighs 1 lb 14oz, which is fairly porky for hiking gear. But, I generally am wearing it, not carrying it, and the weight doesn't matter so much then. The fit is long (I'm 5' 9" tall) and I like that it covers my tail feathers, because I don't like cold tail feathers. The sleeves are almost too short, but long enough, although another inch or 3/4" would not hurt.Honestly, the only reason I even have other jackets is for novelty, because this one jacket really does do it all for me. Sometimes I just need to give it a break and wear fleece or a cotton hood for variety, not because those are better than this jacket. If you like wool garments, I think you will like this one.
