Montbell Cool Hoodie?

[Matthew / BPL]

Has anyone tried Montbell's Cool Hoodie?

I live and hike in Arizona and get lots of sun exposure. I'm tired of my scratchy REI Sahara long sleeve shirt. I am mostly bald and have a huge head. I've yet to find a hat that I am happy with. I prefer hiking with a bandana but I get lots of exposure on my face, neck and ears.

I'm thinking maybe this hoodie would provide a good solution for me to dayhike this fall/winter/spring here in Phoenix. Any experiences with this top?

[Caledonia Heather]

I don't have any experience with the montbell shirt you mentioned, but I swear by the women's version of the kuhl wunderer. The fabric feel and texture is way superior to any other synthetic button front shirts I have tried. I have it in two colors I love it so much.

http://m.rei.com/product/846060/kuhl-wunderer-shirt-mens

[Matthew / BPL]

I've not tried one of those shirts. Perhaps a button down in a better fabric would be a step in the right direction. I appreciate the response.

[Dale Wambaugh]

There are a number of "sun hoodies" there, but I found most too heavy and too warm. I like a loose fitting white polyester long sleeve base layer style shirt and a sun hat. IMHO, most sun hoodies are aimed at beach wear/surfing.

I have a Sunday Afternoons broad brimmed hat (model uknown) and a one of their Sport hats with a neck cape that works better with a tall pack. Sunday Afternoons makes their hats on the big side and a large fits my 7-3/4 noggin.

I have a Royal Robbins polyester button down shirt that has become my summer travel choice. If you want a button down shirt with a silkier feel, look for polyester rather than nylon.

[David Chenault]

I've not used it, but a glance at the numbers suggests promise. 98 g/meter is 1/5 to 1/4 lighter than most "lightweight" base layer fabrics, and 100% knit poly will almost certainly be more breathable than just about any safari style sun shirt (esp as most light ones use woven nylon). Odd they didn't make it in a light color.

[Jennifer Mitol]

I would love to find a sun hoodie that isn't too hot.

I do a lot of day hiking here in central TX and holy crap it's hot. I keep going back to my rail riders adventure shirt paired with a hat (but now everyone has me thinking maybe a visor?? but doesn't the top of your head get hot from the sun? Sun on my head usually gives me a headache…) but if I could find a hoody that would work I would be one happy lady.

This does look promising, but I've just been disappointed with all of them up to now.

[Matthew / BPL]

David, I totally agree with your comment about the color. It seems obvious to make it in some lighter colors.

[Rog Tallbloke]

I wear my Italian fur felt crusher when it's hot. (I wear it when it's cold too).

Sound counter-intuitive, but it works for me. I just dip it in any available stream or water butt, and stick it back on. The felt soaks a lot of water up and the evaporation keeps my head cool.

Mine came from the tyrol somewhere, but it's like the crusher on this page:

http://www.delmonicohatter.com/category/Borsalino.htm

[Matt Dirksen]

If you are trying to get a better solution for sun protection for your head, than I'd recommend to continue the search for a better hat first. Or an umbrella.

Unless the fabric is very lightweight and basically white, I'm not sure how any hoody can compete with a good quality, well fitted hat (most folks get hats that are too tight on the head). A top garment with a built in hood would simply capture body heat from your head, or at a minimum, slow down cooling. Some days would certainly welcome that, but certainly not all the time.

I have a Cap 4 hoody which appears mildly similar to Montbell's hoody. I would never use it in lieu of my Tilley, for sun shading. When it's cool and sunny, I am wearing both my hat and the hood under it. Your hat should be loose enough to allow for a hood to be warn underneath of it, imo.

[Diane Pinkers]

For a change, the women's model is better–full zip for better venting, and really light colors, including white. Plus, it is way lighter than most similar offerings I'm seeing, suggesting it might not suffocate you in the heat. Ex Officio's version is a pullover, no zipper for venting–what the heck?

[Greg Mihalik]

Diane,
Do you have Montbell Cool Hoodie?

I'd like to know how the hood fits.

Is it loose and large enough to go over the bill of a ball cap?

Also, note that the sizing on the Women's is "Asian Sizing" –

[Serge Giachetti]

I tried this thing on at the mb store and i think its well suited for the job. Its way different than a cap 4 hoody. This is a very thin, 3d woven summer weight baselayer. The hood is loose enough for air flow and the material is more breathable then many of the sun hats that get talked abiut around here. This would work great paired with a visor. The red and blue are a tad darker than I'd prefer, but nothi g i wouldnt wear on a hot sunny day. Only thing i do t like is the kango pocket. Messes with the purpose of a baselayer.

[Matthew / BPL]

Thanks, Serge for sharing firsthand knowledge of the shirt.

[J-L]

I got a Montbell Cool Hoodie to replace my aging Patagonia Sun Hoody (no longer seems to be made). I wore a Small in the Patagonia, and got a Medium in the Montbell. The fit is pretty similar, with the Montbell being longer in the torso. The Montbell material is much lighter – it's very thin and breathable – almost like wearing nothing. It is very well made, with some nice touches around the zipper to make it more comfortable. I used it on a 2-night trip this past weekend, with temps between 35F and 70F. Worked great. I found it comfortable. I did not find the half-zip to be of much use, but it can't hurt. Despite the thinness, the material seems like it should be fairly durable The thumb holes provide good sun protection over the back of the hand; however, I will continue to use my sun gloves when using trekking poles to avoid wearing through the shirt's material. The hood is also nice and layers over my hat well. It provides good shade and does not press my hat's brim down into my glasses like many hoods. The hood does blow back in the wind, so I might sew in a drawcord to help Visor with a sun hoodie…great idea! I'll have to try that

[Greg Mihalik]

John, Regarding the hood – Will it extend beyond the bill of a cap? Is it a loose around the neck and face? ehhh… photos? Thanks.

[J-L]

The hood won't extend beyond the bill of a cap. I think that would block out a lot of peripheral vision? It is fairly loose around the neck and face.

[Greg Mihalik]

Thank You, John! You just saved me. The hood Much shorter than a Patagonia Tropical Comfort, and I really do need all of it. The search continues.

[J-L]

"The hood Much shorter than a Patagonia Tropical Comfort, and I really do need all of it." That's surprising. I would say the Montbell hood provides the same or slightly greater coverage than my Patagonia Sun Hoody.

[Greg Mihalik]

… and the cap is a Headsweats with a long bill. Its like a tunnel in there. [the grunge in the photo is the backing coming off an antique mirror)

[J-L]

Tunnel is a good description. Looks like a rain jacket's hood

[Brett Peugh]

Personally I just use a OR ls zip Echo in white along with the $1 craft visors you get at Hobby Lobby and some $3/yd cotton banadana material from Wal-Mart. I make my own larger bandana that I just put on my head and that covers the sides and neck. Easily dipped in water to cool my head, to use as a towel or for a sling. And I can just wear the visor with a rain jacket or poncho if I need to. A lot more versatile and cheaper.

[jscott]

Sun Precautions makes white drape style hats out of Solumbra–100% spf. The drape is large and loose fitting. This is a relatively cool hat. the hard part of sun protection is shading your cheeks, nose, ears and neck. Without a mirror it's impossible to see how well they're shaded. A bill hat is pretty lousy for shading your face, but it will shade your eyes and so give you the impression that your entire face is shaded. Of course, the hoodie takes care of the neck and ears–good! for me, the simplest solution is a big brimmed hat like the Sunday Afternoon, which uses spf style fabric. cotton is not very good at all. Hiking in the southwest, it's important to take the sun seriously. Problems begin to show up decades after all of the exposure.

[J-L]

I think I will end up looking for a wide-brimmed visor. Convenient timing as my hat has begun tearing. I've tried full-coverage wide-brimmed hats, bandannas, etc, and my favorite method is still a sun hoody.

[Michael Schwartz]

@ John Harper. Hey John, you’ve had the Montbell Cool Hoodie for a few seasons now. How are you liking it? How does it compare with the Paty Sun Hoody you have used? Looking forward to your comments.

[Matthew / BPL]

I can answer this one.

The Cool Hoody in grey is significantly warmer than the Patagonia Tropic Comfort Hoody. The color is too dark. The red and blue are not much lighter in appearance in person and I doubt they would but much cooler. The cut is generous. The kangaroo pocket is unnecessary in my opinion.

My son LOVES the MB Cool long sleeve  (no hood) shirt in bright green. This leads me to believe it’s the color of the shirt combined with the double thickness of fabric on the torso.

I will be wearing it over the next six or eight weeks of “cold” weather here in Phoenix to save wear and tear on my beloved Tropic Comfort. For the record, I was extremely dissapointed in the cut of the 2016 TC Hoody with insanely long sleeves. My fingers are crossed they do a little better job on the 2017 model due out in January.

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