hood or hoodless wind shirt

If you sleep under an open tarp in a hoodless bag/bivy with only a headnet, I like a hood to prevent bug bites through the headnet. It provides extra wind blocking for my fleece balaclava.

There are lots of wind jackets to consider other than the two you have listed: Marmot Ion, Golite Wisp, Golite Ether and the Montaine Slipstream to name but a few.

However, out of your two choice, I would opt for the Houdini, but if money is a concern then I would buy the Golite Wisp for $30 from Campsaver over the Montbell UL.

I had a hoodless windshirt for a while until I tried my wife's hooded windshirt.

The hood helps me cut down on weight in 3 season conditions.
Now all I need on my head is a light knit cap. When the temps drop or the wind picks up, I pull the hood over the top. The combination keeps the ears and neck as warm as a much heavier hat.

I also find I don't need my rain jacket/cape as much and I am more comfortable because of it. The hooded windshirt repels light rain and vents perspiration much better.

I have an ID Pertex Wind Jacket (I love it). As the saying goes…Location, location, location. Hood, hood, hood…
I don't think you can go wrong. Really adds more to your system!

i am in the no-hood group as well. i have the golite wisp and its place is right above my baselayer. i feel this keeps a nice microclimate around my torso. i have yet to find a jacket with a hood that wasn't annoying, so i simply "deal" with the hood i have on my rain jacket. i have a rain jacket with a hood always in my pack, so a 2nd hood is redundant. imo

My take on the principles of multiple use would dictate choosing one with a hood. It can be worn either way and adds utility in sun and bug protection as well as heat and precipitation. It allows using lighter beanies and/or balaclavas can't be lost and it's there when needed.

You can ask the same kind of question for full zip or pullover. I went full zip for the greater utility.

The real question is whether you will use the hood. If you don't like hoods as a general rule and wear brimmed hats instead, then there's little point in buying one with a hood.

A few writers mentioned the redundancy of balaclavas with a hood. I have a balaclava that is a knit polyester something like a 100w fleece that is quite breathable and works well for sleeping as well as on the trail. It adds insulation while the hood cuts the wind and light precip.

FYI, I use a Patagonia Houdini. The chest pocket, full zip, hood, fabric performance, fit and weight all appealed to me. The Montane windshirts with similar feature sets would be my next choice.

Agreed. I never leave my rain shell behind (6.5oz Essence), so I have a hoodless GoLite Wisp windshirt. I always wear a nylon baseball hat.

Since my insulation (Montbell UL parka) is also hooded, I felt that this is a good compromise (not saying that I wear the insulation while hiking, just that I have many available head layers).

A windshirt is one of my most used pieces of gear. I have a few to suit different conditions. I dislike water-resistance in a windshirt, as i simply want it to block wind and be as breathable as possible.
Most of my hiking is in mountainous off-trail terrain, and i'm usually building up a good sweat, so i want my shirts as breathable as possible. No rainshell is breathable enough to cope with that amount of sweat, even my e-Vent ones. My Paramo Aspira can cope, but that is a different beast altogether. I like the windshirt to absorb the sweat and spread out over its surface, to disipate by evaporation.

There are 3 that i use the most.

In milder conditions, i prefer a hoodless Rab Quantum pull-on (92g) that is close fitting over a base-layer.

In colder weather, i use a PHD Hooded pull-on (96g) that is sized to fit over thicker layers. I also use this one at camp to protect my expensive Nunatak Skaha down pull-on.

For days spent on rock, i use a hooded Paramo pull-on (326g). The Paramo is full-featured with a wired peak on the hood, drawcords at hood and hem, and a large kangaroo and handwarming pocket. The fabric is very durable and stands up to rock abuse well.

The answer is to have a few windshirts! ;)

The hood on my Houdini is the best extra warmth you can get for the weight. And when cinched down properly is doesn't block my view at all.

I think the larger point is that a hood, be it on a wind or rain jacket, seals out drafts and precip in a way that no combination of shirts, collars, hats, balaclavas, etc can even approach.

"I think the larger point is that a hood, be it on a wind or rain jacket, seals out drafts and precip in a way that no combination of shirts, collars, hats, balaclavas, etc can even approach."

I disagree, a wind proof balaclava covers all of your head,neck and face other than your eyes nose and mouth and can cover those to if you pull it up.
The place where a hood shines in in rain because it stops rain from going down your collar. I only use wind shirts for the wind though as even the best most expensive wind shirt will wet out in about ten minutes of even light rain.

bar none my Houdini is the most versatile piece in my kit- the hood blocks out light rain, keeps wind out and keeps warmth in- you don't even know it's there when not being used

in regards to the 0.372 oz weight savings, I'll take the hood please