The venerable hoody - a longsleeved shirt with an attached hood. It’s a great garment because you can never lose your hood - unlike your hat or cap - and thus always have something to keep your neck and head warm. It’s great between spring and autumn, when it allows you to leave your sleeping hat at home; but really shines in winter, when cold wind and sub-zero temperatures dig into your skin and you’re happy to pull that hood over your head and zip it closed, so that there’s less skin exposed to the elements. Five different Hoodys compared. The Smartwool Midweight Hoody appeared last year in La Maison Morkel, and has been worn a lot since. Skiing, hiking, cycling, walking with my son - it’s a trusty companion between September and May. Made of 100% Merino Wool it hugs you with all that soft warmness, as if you’re lying down next to one of them fine Merino Sheep who donated its wool to make it. The Merino used is a thicker weave than in the BPL Beartooth, which makes it 37 gram heavier - and a lot warmer.

The hood is great, it has thumbloops, and a deep zipper for good ventilation when you’re running warm. The thumbloops are the best in my opinion, they warm your hands up quickly, are super-comfortable and easily layer over/ under gloves. My favourite Merino hoody for winter. The Tvister Helmet Hood from Röjk has my favourite hood from the bunch; it thus is no surprise that it won the Best Design and Innovation at the Innovation for Extremes Awards, too. It’s a damn fine hood, creating a nice tunnel and thus more protection from wind, snow and rain; and unlike its brethern in this article, doesn’t hang down your back when you’re not wearing it, but stands nicely there, keeping your neck warm. I lament the absence of thumbloops, though Jan assured me that in the next reincarnation it will have those. No zip means no venting, but their unique Tvister Fabric - a half-layer insulation fabric is supposed to keep your temperature just right, which is not the case for me - I just run warm and to cool down need to open the outer layer.

They’re ethically made in Europe, and come in swell colours. My favourite hoody for day hikes. The Rab Baseline Hoodie is a hoody made from Polartec Power Dry. That’s a mad material, let me tell you: It wicks the moistness away from your skin, and even if the complete garment is drenched in your sweat, you feel dry. I was utterly surprised when I undressed after some skiing last winter to find out that I felt dry, but that the outsode of the hoody was moist. The zippered chest pocket keeps an energy bar or two, the zip goes acceptably deep for ventilating, just the thumbloops could be improved - they’re OK, but not as comfy as others here. If I go out skiing in winter, this is the hoody I’m most likely wearing. For over two years I hike, ski & snowshoe in this hoody, and there have been a lot of questions about it. The Silkbody Cellular Pilot Top has a lot of great details going for it: sunglasses slots, off-centre front zip, thumb loops, flat seams and a ninja hood. It’s also unique because it made from 80% Silk (and 20% Merino), making for a comfortable feeling.

It keeps you warm when you need it to, and cool when the heat would allow you to fry eggs in your Ti pan (without fire). The superb Ninja hoody goes over your nose, so no need for a Balaclava with this one; and thanks to the off-centre zip and stormflap behind it nothing rubs against your skin. An year-round usable hoody, though in deep winter it needs something extra over it. The out-of-production BPL Beartooth Hoody is probably THE ultralight hoody. hoodie acnl qr codeIt’s a lovely garment, and there isn’t really a hoody available yet that has replaced it. aotearoa hoodieIt’s a thin and fine Merino weave, but surprisingly warm - though I’d not wear it in deep winter, to be honest. topshop knitted angora hoodie

But I find it perfect from spring to autumn, where it is the perfect package - a deep zip for venting, thumbloops for extra warmth, and a good hood which also works great for sleeping. It’s my pick for cold spring and autumn trips. If you’re able to get one, take it! The Ultimate Hoody is ethically made (wherever, but fair wages are paid and working conditions are excellent) from renewable and recyclable materials. It wicks the sweat away like the Rab Baseline Hoody, has the thumbloops of the Smartwool Midweight Hoody, looks as good as the Silkbody Cellular Pilot Top and makes use of their off-centre zip (which will be deeper for better venting) and combines their Ninja hood with the Röjk Tvister’s hood. assassin creed hoodie volanteIt’s as light as the BPL Beartooth, and comes in a host of fresh colours.sjc hoodie More photos of all the Hoodiesjoules hoodie ebay

There are other Hoodies around. I don’t own them, and hence they were not compared here.Endangered WesternNovember 8ThBlackpool ZooGorilla BabyHealthy BabyWestern Lowland GorillaZoo BabiesBirthday Throwbackthursday2Nd BirthdayForwardChristmas has come early for Blackpool Zoo following the birth of a critically endangered Western Lowland Gorilla. Njema, who is 19, gave birth to a healthy baby in the early hours of November 8th following a natural and uncomplicated labour. It's been a while since we were told to 'Hug a hoodie' but as we gallop headlong into the guns of winter it is time for me to urge you all to embrace the hood once more. Hooded base-layers have a couple of neat tricks that deserve some attention as we start to think about keeping warm in the mountains. The main advantage of a hooded base-layer over a separate base-layer and hat is that you will never lose or forget your hood! Obviously in deep winter you may need to carry other hats as conditions dictate but having that first layer, always at the ready, in just the right place is a god-send and saves faffing around in pockets or your pack.

If thermo-regulation is less of a chore then you are more likely to do it, keeping your body at just the right temperature to fend off sweat and heat loss. If your knitted hat is sewn into your base-layer then it's also one less thing to carry in your winter pack which, despite your best efforts, is bigger and heavier than your tiny summer UL satchel.   Hooded base-layers aren't always the easiest thing find though. For some reason the outdoor clothing industry doesn't see the need for them. While there are a few options if you search hard enough it was BPL that had the market almost exclusively 'sewn up' at one point with their legendary merino wool Beartooth Hoody. Seemingly always 'out of stock' some people resorted to stitching a balaclava to their base-layers while the rest of us signed up for e-mail stock alerts and waited and waited and waited... Then I read that Andy Skurka was wearing an Ibex merino wool hooded base-layer, called the Indie, on his crazy Alaska-Yukon expedition.

I hopped on over to Ibex's web site and liked what I saw. With a weight of 195g/sqm the Indie's 100% 18.5 micron New Zealand wool is a slightly heavier than the Beartooth's 150g/sqm but I don't usually wear merino until well into autumn and winter so the extra warmth and durability would be welcome. I pulled the trigger and ordered one.   The Indie has all the features I was looking for. Having a decent length in the body helps keep the top tucked-in in winter. The arms were also nice and long. This keeps your wrists covered when using ski or hiking poles or reaching up when scrambling. The 'thumb loops' I can live without. If the arm length is long enough then I've never quite seen the point of thumb loops. My size Medium tips the scales at 285g.   The hood is nice and snug. I didn't want anything too 'casual' that would blow down in a wind and pulling the zip up to the top cinches the hood nicely around your face. Add a Buff or face mask in deep winter for even more protection. Another benefit of a hood is the seal around the neck, especially useful for those pushing quilts into the colder months.  

Above 10C (50F) I have found the Indie to be a bit warm, despite the venting offered by the 9in chest zip. It's in cooler temperatures that the Indie really shines. Changeable autumn days is the perfect environment for merino base-layers and the Indie's flexibility is welcome. On the way up the sunny side of the mountain you can push the sleeves up and pull the zip down for maximum cooling effect. Walking in and out of the weak autumn sun-light you can easily flip the hood up and down as required. On the wind swept summit ridge you can pull the sleeves down, put the hood up and pull on a wind-shirt for a really breathable but warm combination. I've not had a chance to wear the Indie on ski tours in deep winter yet and it will be interesting to wear it alongside my Patagonia R1 Hoody, a slightly heavier, synthetic hoody that has achieved Holy Grail status in alpine climbing circles. The R1 should theoretically dry quicker but the Indie will stay warm when damp so it will be interesting to see which one wins although I have a sneaky suspicion that they might work best together as part of a system...