Layering with hoods…

[Sharon Bingham]

I'm currently re-thinking my "jacket" system.

I'm considering:

– a mid-weight wool layer (probably something by Icebreaker), and probably hooded.
– an UL down layer (probably something by Montbell – current candidates are the Ex Light, or the UL Down Parka or Jacket)
– a waterproof/breathable shell layer (probably the GoLite Virga)

Originally, I was thinking that I'd purchase all layers with hoods (which would limit my down layer to the Montbell UL Down Parka), but I'm wondering if maybe that's overkill – say, in the event that I need to be wearing all three layers at once…

I like hoods for the versatility and warmth they can add to a garment, and they come in handy when weather crops up that you're not expecting. They can also minimize or eliminate the need for extra neck protection against wind and cold. But I'm wondering if just carrying a hat might be a better idea than to potentially have lots of excess fabric to be managing, keeping it out of the way of my pack, if I'm not using it.

Does anyone have any thoughts?

[Jon Rhoderick]

I personally think you cant really have too many hoods, its really nice being able to pop another one on when it gets colder. Look for the particularly tight hoods as well, they are definately a little wierder looking, or so I'm told, I'm usually none the wiser whilst wearing it. My current system at its maximum is a light merino beanie, Patagonia R1 balaclava, merino wool hoodless midweight (missed out on the BPL Beartooth, that would have replaced it, and probably worked well) patagonia R1 hoody (Highly recommend that for colder temps) rain shell and hooded down parka. I'm probably going to get a wind shell with a hood as well. Overall when the hoods down its not that cumbersome it sorta lies in between the lid and your back, out of the way.

Bottom line is that hoods and hats are both handy, the hood is great for the back of the neck, which is always a really bad place to get wind or water, while with hoods its tough to have a nice seal like a tight beanie.

Hoods on UL gear gets the maximum amount of warmth for the weight.

[Michael Davis]

Sharon,
I have an Icebreaker Nomad hoodie (320 wt). I love it! It has a tight fitting hoodthat fits like a glove!

In general, I like hoods too. I have a hooded Patagonia micro puff jacket (Polarguard insulation) thats toasty warm for camp.

I also, have a light weight O.R. softshell made of Power Shield Lite that has a very thin stretchy hood thats not very warm but, makes me feel cocooned while cross country skiing.

[Matt Lutz]

Get a hood – they are intensely functional at retaining heat and shielding you from elements. I will probably never again buy an insulating layer or a softshell jacket without a hood.

My current system is R1 Hoody, UL Thermawrap Parka and Rab Drillium shell. Hoods = fantastic.

[christian gagas]

I love hoods on my midlayers. This winter I've been layering a Beartooth under an R1 Hoody and can't say enough about it. I sometimes add a thin beanie under it all, like when running or working hard, and so have a huge amount of versatility in the system. I love the ability to throw them on and off while on the move with no need to keep track of where I put a hat. And at night in camp I add hooded shell, Cocoon Pro90 with hood and hooded down parka over that. Super cozy in a snow camp, warm enough to sit around and read in the long evening without being stuck in a sleeping bag…and I love all the flexibility.

[Lynn Tramper]

I'll be the dissenting voice here. Although I think a hood is a good investment on your warmest insulation layer (down jacket), I otherwise find them bothersome and rarely used (unless they are removeable). I eve try to avoid using the hood on my raincoat, and opt for a wide-brimmed rain hat or umbrella. Hoods ruin my peripheral vision and muffle sound, plus make me overheat when raining. I always keep a WindPro hat with ear flaps in the pocket of my windshirt though.

[Brian UL]

Ill give a dissenting point of view and say hoods are waaaay more expensive and dont usually conform to the head thus limiting your view. Sure, some hoods may by luck fit you well but considering the long list of features a garment has to conform to asking that the hood be fitting is usually one step too far. I like balaclavas and hats. A neck warmer may or may not be needed depending on the balaclava. No hood I have found fits anywhere near as good as a run of the mill balaclava. Plus a hood has to be hanging there even when you dont need it- not so with hats and balaclavas. Rain shells and winter parkas need a hood though.

[Brian UL]

OK thats scary …
I used almost the same words as Allison!!

[Ross Bleakney]

I have both. I wear a synthetic T shirt as my base layer. If it is a bit chilly, I add the fuzzy hat. This is nice because I still have my peripheral vision. If it gets colder, I add the puffy jacket (which has a hood). Once it gets really cold, I put the hood on. There is a redundancy there (with hat and hood) but the weight penalty is very small for the added warmth and flexibility (in my book). Depending on the cut and material of your base layer, the hood might not effect the peripheral much, in which case it is similar to hat (or, better yet, a balaclava). Then, it almost comes down to whether you like the convenience of a hood (you know where it is) or whether you find it annoying when the hood just flaps there (when it is not used).

[Lynn Tramper]

Brian, you scared me too!

To answer the original question though, I would opt for the hood if the jacket is to be your warmest fall-back piece of insulation, otherwise not. I was mostly dissenting with the opinion that "you can never have too many hoods".

[Brad Groves]

Love the hoods-
Another consideration is that you'll probably end up wearing each of these garment independently of each other at some point–ie, maybe a t-shirt under the hooded down, or something… Given that our heads can account for such a massive amount of our heat loss, and weigh next to nothing, I don't think that 3 hoods in a layering system is crazy. That's actually what I use, and it's worked great for me…

[Ross Bleakney]

Just to reiterate what others are saying: I would definitely get hoods for the outer jacket(s), but could go either way on a hood for the base layer.

[Inaki Diaz de Etura]

redundancy is UL treason! you all pro-multi-hood gang should be banned from BPL :)

But seriously, hoods are nice and efficient at keeping warmth in for their weight but carrying several of them is not efficient. The combinations are endless so this issue may get complex but in general I prefer to keep my "hood system" independent of the rest so I can have a single set; usually, a waterproof layer and an insulation layer, the former being the most typical hood in rain gear and the latter some kind of beanie that when paired with a neck buff works similarly to a hood. Just because the head is such a powerful tool to regulate body temperature I want to keep my hood system independent of the torso garments.

Depending on conditions expected, I may add a thin balaclava and when presumably cold and windy but dry (typical winter conditions in some mountains), I usually take a hooded windshell. A bit of redundancy may be worth it sometimes like in those conditions when the rain shell will see little use but the wind shell will be on all the time.

I wouldn't take a hoodless rain top though, even if I'm using an umbrella.

[Sharon Bingham]

Well, I think if I were going to sacrifice any hood of the three, it'd be the wool base layer (i.e., something like the Nomad) – if for no other reason than that the hood appears to be quite contoured, and I think my long hair under it would get annoying.

A ponytail under a hood is already annoying enough in a jacket hood. But extra go buy super soft merino garments only to have the hood squash stiff hair into my neck, cheeks, and upper-shoulder region seems counter-intuitive the more I think of it.

Which is too bad, because I REALLY like hoods… And I really do like the versatility it would offer to have all three garments hooded if they were ever going to be worn separately…

On a slightly related note: does anyone have any experience with how Smartwool's garment material (i.e. shirt's, pants, etc.) compared with Icebreaker's?

I own a Smartwool partial zip turtleneck, and while I liked the softness and hand of the fabric before I washed it, it's not as nice now that it has been washed, and it's starting to pill already… >:(

[Lynn Tramper]

>redundancy is UL treason! you all pro-multi-hood gang should be banned from BPL :)

Well said, with maybe the exception of socks!

[Jon Rhoderick]

I'll tender my resignation tommorow, its been a good run…

[Lynn Tramper]

Jon, please don't go. Everyone's opinions are important. It's what makes these forums great. A person can get a perspective from all different points of view. So you have a hood addiction. It's probably a less harmfull problem than my down addiction.

[Anonymous]

Personally I do not like hoods because the conditions to use them in are so rare. The rest of the time they are just sitting around on your back blowing in the wind or catching the odd rain drop when it sprinkles. I can see them for rain gear but not much else and even then they usually don't have a wide enough brim to keep the rain off of you so you have to end up wearing a hat under them.

It pretty much has to get below 40F for me to wear my MH PS balaclava as a hat and another 10F or so to wear it as the balaclava. But then just a week ago I was out with that and the MH Dome Perignon on in -20F with the windchill and I was fine. I would say to not get any of the hoods and instead just get a PS balaclava which is much more versatile.

[Inaki Diaz de Etura]

> with maybe the exception of socks

spare gear (if that is what you mean) is not exactly the same as redundant gear. The line is blurred, I know

[KRS]

1. Ok bringing this thread back to life! My backpacking gear has changed quite a bit over the years. The one thing that has changed is my upper body clothing system. It has changes so much because I moved from a sleeping bag with a hood to a quilt. I had been using a hoodless Montbell down inner jacket and a Zpack down hood to extend my quilts temp rating and it worked, but here on the damp east coast I wanted something that would not flatten out when the weather was wet. I started with the base layer first. I then bought a cap 4 hooded mid layer(love it). Then Houdini windbreaker with a hood (love it). Then it happened, my down got really damp when flat and was very cold, so I ordered a Nano Puff. Today the mail came and my Nano puff with a hood had arrived (Holy Patagonia) I wanted to try everything on to make sure it all fit layered and was comfy. Doing so I realized I have a crap load of hoods. OK playing around with the layers I realized its not so bad. Here is my question, Should I still bring a beanie cap and a Buff being I have so many hoods? Im thinking there might be times that it would be nice to have a beanie or a Buff, but as far as staying warn in my quilt or around camp 4 hoods should all about cover it. Oh ya 4th hood my rain gear LOL

[jimmy b]

Dealing with a similar situation.

I have been hiking and snowshoeing this year with an non hooded base and a power stretch hoodie. Keep in mind I run a little on the cold side. This has worked for me remarkably well here in New England . When the wind picks up or the (moist) snow starts to fall I throw on my rain jacket with hood up. Some colder days I did haul along a beanie to supplement but when I got going good it spent more time in the pack . Even on a day hike I have along a hooded down layer for stops or in the event it hits the fan kinda thing.

Normal 3 season stuff I have a non hooded down layer but I’m thinking of changing to a hooded jacket being I have gone to quilts as well. When I find the hooded down layer I’m looking for 3 season I will leave the beanie behind. I think adding in the hood for the sleep system should boost the warmth. I like the idea of one less piece of gear to look after.

Although the new set up should be warmer and come in at about the same weight I may not like hiking with a hood on days when a beanie would do. Time will tell.

[Justin Baker]

I don’t know what you guys are talking about, multiple hoods being redundant? In cold weather sitting around I want the almost the same amount of insulation on my head as on my torso. You guys who wear wool beanies with no hood(s) sleeping in quilts are missing the point of insulation efficiency by weight.

[lee kingry]

I’m with Justin I love cold weather backpacking but there is nothing that substitutes for being warm in the cold weather and the multiple hoods give me multiple options based on the activity ,wind ,my body conditions and comfort all for about two ounces to 3 ounces in addition to my thin beanie of total weight between a hooded and not hooded on 3 items. In less then freezing climate the difference isn’t the hoods but the number of layers that are hooded that I bring instead of having multiple jackets with and without Hood based on summer through winter

[Link .]

A classic video to watch on this very subject ULTRALIGHT BACKPACKIN’ clothes (a tutorial) .

[Matt Dirksen]

“Should I still bring a beanie cap and a Buff being I have so many hoods?”

I, too love my Cap 4 Hoodie, use a Lukes down hood when the weather welcomes it, and have hoods on my Squamish and the poncho and/or rain jacket.

– but I always carry my 30 gram beanie stashed up in the front pocket of my Squamish. I see it as a part of my base layer, and an essential part of my kit all year.

[Author]

Posts