100 weight fleece, full zip, chest and hand pockets? Any suggestions?

Patagonia Micro D Jacket

Eddie Bauer Cloud Layer Pro Full Zip

L.L. Bean Men’s Trail Fleece, Full-Zip

All good options depending on fit. None of them will have a drawcord hem.

Several years ago, Costco sold a Kirkland-branded Polartec 1/4 zip pullover. I have one as my summer mid-layer. No longer available at Costco, but last year, I bought an XXL used from PoshMark to use as an overfleece for multi layering. Weights are 8.8oz for size L (my summer mid layer) and 10.5 oz for the XXL.

Thanks for the suggestions. I already have am UL Fila 1/4 Zip Polartec, which is probably the same thing as the Costco one. But I need full zip, chest pocket, and hand pockets for holding my phone and other gear. I’m not liking having to put that stuff in pant or backpack pockets.

Micro D doesn’t have zippered pockets, but if I had to, I could just add my own button snaps to them.

I will check out those other ones as well.

I just ordered the Marmot Reactor 2.0 since it is on sale at Marmot.com for $40 off. Hopefully it works out, and all I would have to add is the hem draw cord.

Oh, and for anyone reading this for ideas on fleeces, DON’T get the cheap junk off Amazon. I’ve gone through so many of the stupid things and they are always a let down in some major way, usually in the quality of the fleece which often feels/smells more like mangy dog than soft fleece. LOL

There is also the montbell CHAMEECE JACKET

Mark, that Montbell jacket looks really nice and super lightweight. Wish I would had seen that one earlier. I’ll probably check it out if the Marmot Reactor doesn’t work for me.

So, I now have the Marmot Reactor 2.0  Fleece Men’s XL. IT’S PERFECT!

Mine weighs around 13 ounces in XL, which is about as light as a jacket like this can be with full pockets and full zips. I still have to all a hem cord, but that takes 30 seconds at most to cut little holes and thread a thin cord through. The older model is sort of junk I think, as I find having any sort of solid face fabric on top of fleece ruins the core abilities of fleece.

Although, I am not sure if I would be so stoked if I had paid full price, which is over $100. I probably would have looked at others first.

I hope not too many people fall for the hype around other styles of fleece, at least in terms of ultimate warmth to weight ratio and performance in wet conditions. I feel too many people might be tempted by the fancy zig zag fleece from Patagonia in the R1. I found the R1 didn’t have adequate stretch for layering insulation under it, and the open mesh style fleece areas let in weather and wind too easily to work effectively in wet or windy conditions. It’s a very specific piece of gear that isn’t as versatile as Polartec Classic 100, in my opinion.

Mark V is right. Montbell Chameece is full zip, chest pocket, hand pockets. A bit lighter than 100 wt. Weighs under 10 oz. Only $65. My most  verstile top by far. Adds warmth without bulk. Looks good too with integrated chest pocket (no goofy patch pocket), big enough for my Samsung Galaxy 10.

It would be interesting to compare the Chameece  and the Marmot Reactor 2.0 (the 1.0 sucked, IMO). The Chameece 9.7oz weight is likely for the medium size, so XL would probably weigh a couple ounces more. Looking at my Marmot, I can’t find any place on it where weight could be dropped without going to too-fragile zippers or using a lighter fabric. After cutting the massive bundle of tags off my Marmot it actually weighs at 12.6 ounces. Based on full retail price though, I would be all over trying the Chameece first if making the decision again. My only beef with everything Marmot makes is that they sewn their giant logo into the worst places. LOL

Also, as a side pro tip, always add an elastic hem cord to your fleece jackets. Closing off the bottom makes a big difference sometimes, especially in an emergency situation where one needs to stuff it with vegetation or gear to stay warm. (I’ve done this)

Marmot lists the fabric weight @ 149 gsm for the Reactor 2.0

Montbell lists the fabric weight @ 160 gsm for the Chameece