We’re committed to uncompromising craftsmanship and to your satisfaction. If you are unsatisfied for any reason, return your purchase within 60 days with proof of purchase to receive an exchange, repair, or refund. We call the Indie a perfect shoulder season fabric, and is cornerstone of our line. This Indie Hoody has a form-fitting, stealth-ready hood and thumbholes for hitching a ride up the road or getting streamlined. 9-inch zip neck adds versatility. If you have read some of my other reviews you will see I like wool. It is natural, durable, renewable, and performs well. Ibex makes high quality wool pieces with wool sourced from New Zeeland. Most of their pieces are Zque Certified. Zque fiber combines natural performance wool with an accreditation program that ensures environmental, social and economic sustainability, animal welfare (non-mulesed) and traceability back to the source. Also many pieces, including this one, are made in the USA and that is something I like to support.

If you would like to learn more about wool, check out the link below. The Ibex Hooded Indie is a “Jack-of-all-trades” top. It is not overly fancy by design. The Hoody is made out of 18.5 micron wool. Wool comes in a variety of thicknesses and the thicker you get the coarser the fabric becomes. Old school wool pieces used to be made out of 30+ micron wool. The finest wool fiber being used by Ibex is 17.5 microns so at 18.5 this piece is soft and built to be next to the skin. Using the 18.5 micron wool, the fabric weight of the Hooded Indie is 195 grams per square meter. This is how Ibex specifies the thickness of the fabric being used. The lightest fabrics are 150 g/m2 while sweater and warmer garments get up to 300-400 g/m2. At 195 g/m2 the Indie is a good middle to light weight piece that is made for a variety of conditions. The Hooded Indie does not have any pockets, which is the one thing I think is missing. Whether it was a hip stash pocket, arm pocket, or rear pocket;

a pocket on this would give it five starts for me. This is a preference and I imagine some will like it the way it is. There are thumb loops for those days when it might be a bit chilly but you do not want to wear gloves. Around the cuffs, thumb loops, and hood there is a contrasting piece of fabric to add durability and style. georgia aquarium hoodiesThere is a 9 inch chest zipper for venting with a zipper guard in the back to protect your chin. hoodie allen mixtape 2014It features raglan sleeves and flatlock seams for comfort. run dmc hoodie amazonOverall while not a flashy piece, it has been well thought out and designed.luipaard hoodie

The Ibex Hooded Indie fits me really well. I like to call it my “Speed Skater Hoody” as it reminds me of a speed skating outfit you would see at the Winter Olympics. It is built to be semi-fit which means it is close to the skin but not skin tight. The arms have a good length to them and the torso is long as well. nike fcb hoodieI sometimes find it hard to find pieces that fit my criteria in both these places but this one does. subaru brz hoodieI am normally a medium and the medium is what I like in this top as well. aegis hoodieThe arms are loose enough that I can pull them up on hot days. The thumb loops also work well instead of gloves. The hood is also semi-fit around the head. It is not tight but close enough that it moves when you turn your head and fits great under a helmet when skiing or climbing.

The fit on the Ibex Hooded Indie is spot on for a semi-fit hoody, one of the best fitting pieces I own. I like wool and this is no different. The performance has been up there with the other wool garments I have. The only issues I ever have is fit. I have had some products that in the past have not fit well, this is not one of those. The wool has a good stretch to it, breathes well, moves moisture off the skin, and keeps me warm when needed. It is possible to wet out the top if you are sweating a lot but it dries quickly, though not as quickly as some synthetic garments. One of the main features that wool  has is it does not stink. You can wear it for multiple days if needed and it will not stink like most synthetics. At 195 g/m2 the Indie is in between a lightweight and midweight piece. I like using it for cool weather running, hiking, and just wearing around town. It also can be used as a baselayer piece when skiing and snowshoeing. It is very versatile. The only thing I missed was a pocket, but this is my preference and it may not be yours.

The Ibex Hooded Indie has been one of my better purchases. I have the blue with gray contrast and it looks great too. I am a blue, black, and gray kinda guy so this fits my wardrobe perfectly. While the initial investment on wool is higher, you definitely get what you pay for. This top if taken care of will last a long time. One thing to remember on wool garments is not to put them in the dryer, air dry and you are good to go. If you are looking for a good all around hoody I would not hesitate to purchase this one. Ibex has made a winner here. Even better yet it is made in the USA. Thanks for reading, as always your mileage may vary. A lightweight layering piece with a versatile and expansive temperature range...easily one of my favorite pieces of clothing...and a reliable companion on my many adventures. In my closet things are basically settled and calm in the base-layer and shell regions...in these areas of my closet everyone knows their place...Pax Romana...and I hardly give a second thought to what piece is going with me when the time comes to pack and go.

The mid-layer region however is much less settled...it is where the action is...it does not take a lot to make the team (I easily have more layering pieces than any other)...but the starting line-up is a competitive free-for-all...a crucible of fire where articles of clothing are laid-waste to and never heard from again. From this cauldron of death a few pieces have emerged as frequent champions...the Ibex Hooded Indie is one of those rare pieces.I'll come out and say it...the odds were stacked against this top from the beginning...living and playing in a wet and humid environment...I think wool is over-rated except for its use in socks and gloves. Wool absorbs significantly more moisture (adding to its already heavier weight) and takes twice as long as synthetics to dry. /cgi-bin/backpackinglight/comfort_moisture_transport_wool_synthetic_clothing.html#.UnmSTCcoHLE ...so in drier climates where the difference in drying times is .5 hour vs. 1 hour the other properties of wool are more appealing...but when the difference is 5 hours compared to 10 hours...those of us in humid and wet climates quickly lose interest.

Sure wool is slightly more comfortable while wet (it also has a scientifically unquantifiable "comfy" quality which pleases me)...but dry synthetics are much better than wet wool...and for long durations in humid and wet environments wool is simply overwhelmed. More than anything...what makes the Indie a star in my view is without question its thermo-regulating capacities. As a sometimes shell sometimes mid-layer piece the true strength of the Ibex Hooded Indie is on full display. Through carefully balancing tried-and-true features (long-sleeves + fitted hood + zip-neck) with a large helping of minimalism (no pockets + hybridization) the Indie is easily one of the most comfortable pieces of clothing I have ever worn over an impressive range of temperatures and conditions...for which it has caught the covetous eye of trail-companions on more than one occasion (also girlfriends will try to claim it...so NEVER clean it!). I find that when wearing this piece I tend to wear it longer than any other mid-layer piece in my closet...and have on many occasions wore it comfortably over a base-layer all day...needing only to flip the hood...pull up or down the sleeves...or play with the zipper to get just the right amount of warmth and ventilation...all without the hassle of stopping to dig into my bag and shuffling layers.

The hood is so wonderfully done I though it worthy of its own paragraph...in addition to the many cozy nights it has given me...it also provides critical warmth and ventilation with a simple flip forward and back...I don't need to stop...and there is no fussing about with stowing a hat (or losing it!)...just flip and go! Part of the hood's success is owed to its complex three-piece construction instead of the simple two piece construction you find in lesser hoods. This 3-piece construction in combination with the elasticized seam around the face provides a snug fit for layering and also helmet wearing (if you wear helmets)...and as a bonus it provides that much desired "scuba" look which is really hot right now! The hood of the Indie is easily the most functional 2-3 ounces in my pack. I'll be honest with you...I think thumb-loops are over-rated for backpacking...in all my years being outdoors I have never once had the thought "I wish I had some thumb-loops"...but I can see how others would appreciate them...if nothing else they ensure longer sleeves which I care very much about (which might be why I have never found a need for thumb-loops).

I suppose that thumb-loops could help keep the sleeve inside your gloves...or if you forgot gloves it could make keeping your sleeves from sliding down easier...but I use trekking poles and have always found it easy to hold my sleeve between my palm and the trekking pole handle. With all that said...the construction of the thumb-loops on the Indie is top notch...with a tight double zig-zag stitch that both reinforces while providing ample stretch (though one should stretch wool with caution...as it seems stretching wool repeatedly creates weakness and failures). Flat-stitching is used throughout the garment...with only traditional hems on the hood + sleeves + bottom of the piece. More importantly...at least as far as I am concerned...is that the shoulders use a more complicated construction which eliminates the seam that runs across the shoulders in pieces that are less well designed and constructed. For those who would consider wearing this for a heavier base-layer piece this is surely an important aspect...but it might seem like a rather insignificant aspect when used as a mid-layer piece.

However...wool is thick...so a traditional seam would be thick...and I wear this mid-layer piece for long periods of time in cool and windy weather (one of the primary reasons I think so highly of it)...so I believe a thick seam running across my shoulders under the constant (though small) shifting of my pack would have long ago been the end of this piece...or at least relegated it to less spectacular auxiliary duties. To prevent any premature excitement over this piece...I should warn you of the serious draw-backs...however few they might be.Merino wool is terribly expensive...and Ibex does not seem to be concerned with those folks with more modest budgets...so while I believe you will easily pay less per hour of use for this piece than you might another...the initial cost is a little staggering. If you are of limited financial means...but you would really like to get this piece...do as I do and play the eBay or Amazon game to ensure the best price...though you might be forced to purchase strange shades of purple + yellow + pink (as if those colors weren't bad enough!)

...you can sometimes save 30-50 dollars for accepting a poor color choice.I'm one of those people that finds wool intolerably itchy against my skin...so even if I lived in a drier climate I couldn't wear this piece as a base-layer. Still...despite it having a somewhat limited use for me because I cannot use it as a base-layer...I find it is still one of my most worn pieces of clothing..so if you do enjoy the feel of wool against your skin...you may never have a reason to take this piece off! To conclude with the draw-backs...I will once again mention that wool both absorbs significantly more moisture than synthetics and takes twice as long to dry...and this is a factor that I think one should take very seriously...for those of us who live and play in humid and wet environments...wool cannot only be more uncomfortable and heavier...when the temperature drops it can be the difference between danger cold and uncomfortable cold. To summarize...the Ibex Indie is not perfect...but I do believe it is a great example of what we should be able to expect from manufacturers in terms of quality + design + construction.