Patagonia Better Sweater Epic Blue Patagonia Womens Performance Better Sweater Hoody
Patagonia Performance Better Sweater Hoody Review
A good balance of style and technical features
Patagonia Performance Better Sweater Hoody
Credit: http://www.patagonia.com/
Price: $159 List | $159.00 at REI
Compare prices at 2 resellers
Pros: Warm, stylish, stretchy side panels offer more breathability
Cons: Not breathable enough for endurance activities, large hood doesn't stay in place very well
Manufacturer: Patagonia
By Matt Bento ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ May 17, 2017
Our Editors independently research, test, and rate the best products. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and we never accept free products from manufacturers. Learn more
Our Verdict
Patagonia has updated the Better Sweater since our test cycle. We're linking to the latest version, though it may differ from our review published below.
Comfortable, warm, and stylish, the Patagonia Performance Better Sweater Hoody is our favorite of the "around town" style-focused fleeces in this year's review. The knitted model looks and feels great, and an athletic cut and stretchy, breathable side panels make this jacket equally at home at the boulders, on the chairlift, or out on the town for date night. If style is your main priority in a fleece, the Better Sweater is a good option that will keep you looking good while still accommodating light activity. Looking for a fleece with a more significant cut? Check out The North Face Denali 2 or the Arc'teryx Covert Hoody.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The $159 Better Sweater Hoody from Patagonia is a favorite of our testers for its good looks and comfy features. Two handwarmer pockets keep your hands toasty, while a chest pocket secures your keys, chapstick, or an energy bar. Though the hood is too big to fit under a helmet, it kept our heads warm around town and on short hikes. This stylish jacket is available in bandana blue, big sur blue, black, feather gray, and legend green.
Performance Comparison
Warmth
Made of 7.2 oz of polyester knit fleece, this slim fitted model makes the Performance Better Sweater a toasty feeling jacket. On a windless evening at the local boulders, our testers felt perfectly warm in this jacket as the sun went down and temperatures dropped into the upper 50s. The Better Sweater feels warmer than the Arc'teryx Covert Hoody because it has longer, snugger fit, but not as warm as the heavy, weather-resistant The North Face Denali 2.
This fleece has a casual look and a slim technical fit, thanks to stretchy side panels. The hood is too big to fit well underneath a helmet.
Credit: Jenni Snead
Comfort
The Performance Better Sweater Hoody is the most comfortable fleece in its category. Despite the performance-enhancing stretchy side panels, this fleece still has the comfy feel of your favorite cotton sweater, and our testers felt an overwhelming urge to lounge and relax when around the house or between burns at the boulders. The stretchy side panels allow for full range of motion, and the "media compatible" chest pocket has a small hole for your earbuds. Snug elastic cuffs keep the sleeves in place without ever feeling too tight. Finally, two hand warmer pockets with small flexible zippers invite your freezing mitts out of the cold. The hood was the one point of comfort where our testers had issues, as it's too loose to stay in place well, too bulky to fit under a helmet comfortably, and too small to fit over a helmet. The top scorers for the comfort metric include the Patagonia R3, along with the Better Sweater, Arc'teryx Fortrez, and Mountain Hardwear Monkey Man Grid II Hooded.
Breathability
The stretchy side panels make this fleece more breathable than the similarly styled Arc'teryx Covert Hoody, but the better sweater is nowhere near as breathable as similarly weighted technical jackets like the Patagonia R3 or the Mountain Hardwear Monkey Man Grid II. We don't recommend this fleece for endurance heavy activities like running or ski touring-- you'll end up a sweaty mess. We were delighted using this fleece for bouldering sessions and mellow bike rides around town. For an even more breathable option that still has enough style for around town check out the Patagonia Crosstrek Hoody
Elastic cuffs help to keep the heat in and the breeze out. Thin, stretchy material lines the sides and underarms of this jacket, making it more breathable than the Arc'teryx Covert Hoody and the North Face Denali 2.
Credit: Jenni Snead
Layering Ability
Amongst the more stylish fleece options in this category, the Performance Better Sweater Hoody excels in this metric. Its slim cut and low-profile zippers allow it to fit nicely under a wind layer or a hardshell — much better than the Arc'teryx Covert Hoody, which has stiff, annoying pocket zippers. It also layers much better than the bulky The North Face Denali 2. Underneath the Better Sweater, you're not likely to want anything thicker than a light base layer. The Patagonia Crosstek Hoody has fewer pockets and flat seam construction, making it a better layering piece.
Weather Resistance
This fleece is not the best choice if you're in the market for a weather resistant jacket you can wear around by itself in wet and windy conditions. In light rain, it soaked up even the smaller droplets like a sponge. The North Face Denali 2 is a better choice if you want a stand-alone, weather resistant fleece. Fortunately, the layering ability of this model is excellent, and it's easy to pair the Performance Better Sweater with a wind layer or a light rain jacket when conditions deteriorate.
The tight-knit woven fleece gives this jacket a comfy, casual feel, but it soaked up even light precipitation and offers little wind resistance.
Credit: Matt Bento
Weight
Fleece weighs 16.7oz, making it the lightest of the style-centric fleeces in this year's review. It's 2 ounces lighter than the Arc'teryx Covert Hoody, and a full 8 ounces lighter than the heavyweight The North Face Denali 2. It also packs down smaller than both of the aforementioned fleeces.
Style
Style is subjective, but our testers all felt that this jacket looks good! We awarded the Better Sweater a perfect 10 for style. It looks great with a pair of fancy jeans for date night. The tight-knit looks and feels casual, and doesn't have the "tech weenie" look of the high performing Patagonia R3 Hoody. Our lead tester felt classy, maybe even smarter, when wearing this jacket out to the local brewpub.
Best Applications
While the stretchy Polartec Powerstretch side panels greatly enhance the mobility and breathability of this fleece, our testers still felt this jacket wasn't breathable enough for high endurance activities. We also felt it was a little too bulky when under a climbing harness. This jacket excels at mellow bike rides, chilly bouldering sessions, and looking good around town.
Our lead tester is psyched to head down to the brewery after a long day of bouldering. The Better Sweater is just as at home in the boulders as it is at the bar.
Credit: Jenni Snead
Value
$159 gets you a super comfy fleece that is versatile enough that you can wear from the office to the climbing gym without looking out of place at either location. This jacket is backed by Patagonia's excellent Iron Clad guarantee, and we've had great experience with their warranty department regarding blown zippers and cactus-shredded clothes
Cooling down at the end of the day, the Better Sweater kept our testers warm as the sun went down and temperatures dropped.
Credit: Jenni Snead
Conclusion
The Patagonia Performance Better Sweater kept our testers warm while looking good. This is not a jacket for taking deep into the backcountry where more breathable models like the Editors' Choice Award-winning Patagonia R3 Hoody and the Patagonia Crosstrek Hoody are more appropriate for staying dry when you're huffing and puffing up the hill, but for staying warm around town, the Better Sweater is a solid, stylish choice.
Poised to launch, this jacket keeps our tester warm and looking good without restricting his movements.
Credit: Matt Bento
— Matt Bento
glennieansinver49.blogspot.com
Source: https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/clothing-mens/fleece-jacket/patagonia-performance-better-sweater-hoody
0 Response to "Patagonia Better Sweater Epic Blue Patagonia Womens Performance Better Sweater Hoody"
Post a Comment