Hooded or non hooded baselayer for cold weather running

A hoodless zipneck + beanie will offer all the versatility you need for running. A buff around the neck will be fine, but if you need to pull it up to the chin, look into a balaclava like the OR option. It will stay in place while running, whereas a buff pulled up to the chin will not.

A hood and thumbloops will make you look and feel more technical, which is important to some people.

Define cold weather. Some guys are out in -20F. My wife thinks 40 is cold.

Personally I've gone both ways. I used the hood on my Icebreaker jacket (GT260 Quantum) the other morning when it was 16F with light wind (no hat). The jacket zips up tight around the neck and to the chin so with the hood up it sealed me against the wind a bit better than a jacket/beanie.

That was my 2nd time out with that jacket and it works well if the wind isn't too high and its cold enough. The hood is tight though, unlike some other hoods I have that flop around more this is stretched around my head like a tight beanie.

If it gets real cold I put on a OR brand 1/2 mask I picked up. Vents better than a balaclava

It's hard to lose or forget a hood and you don't have to dig it out of you pack. When you stop for a break, it's there to swing into place. A well made hood on a midlayer can make up for a hat, balaclava, or buff and no gaps.

I'm generalizing here, bu it seems to me that people who have a lot of hair on their heads don't understand and don't like hoods.

Those that have none or very little hair on their heads like hoods and use them a lot.

I am one with very little hair on my head and I always prefer a hood on my base layer and my windhsirt and I use the hood a lot.

I rarely used a hood when I had a lot of hair on my head.

Believe me, a hood is a pain in the rear with long hair. Then again long hair in general is a pain. That said, I still prefer hoods to hoodless since the minimal weight addition is always more thermally efficient. The only real problem I find with hoods is that they can be goofy looking for city life.

Velimir,

I prefer a hood for running in the cold, especially when the weather is windy and the route involves significant exposure. I find that a well fitting hood seals up my neck/head better than a beanie and/or Buff (*I do still bring a Buff or beanie). My standby midlayer for the colder morning runs has been the Melanzana Microgrid Hoody, similar to your MEC hoody and the R1, minus a few bells and whistles. I can dial in my comfort by adding the hoody to my layering system, especially on long runs where I may take a chilly stop break to take in some calories or fill up a bottle. People complain about a hood, when not pulled on, bouncing around while running, but my experience has been different.

I have both the MEC T2 and T3, both hooded. On a layer this light and thin it doesn't add so much bulk or weight to go for the hood regardless of how much you think you'll use it.

When I run with a buff and a beanie, then no, I don't wear the hood. But there have been instances where I suddenly want to seal up with that extra layer for comfort. Sometimes a hooded layer is also easier to adjust on the go – without having a buff or beanie to take off and then hold in your hands. Maybe you start out for a run without needing a buff or a hat and wish you had one later… then that hood is very nice. When I'm not using the hood, I don't notice it's there and it tucks away nicely under whatever shell I'm wearing.

Eventually a buff gets wet and stretches out a bit and becomes annoying to adjust. A lot of times I like a balavlava-like hooded layer on the bike instead of messing around with a buff and beanie.

I have had both really long hair (down to mid back) and a shaved head, so I understand where that discussion comes from and I agree.

this is my first season of consistant winter running but so far my favorite base layers have been a rab meco 120 LS & a MEC T2 hoodie, and then I usually have a light TNF hoodless breathable windshirt. its nice to have the hood when i dont have a hooded windshirt, but I think I prefer not to have a hood on my base if I've got one on my windshirt. I've been using a wool buff which I will look to replace with a synth headband asap. that buff is pretty useless once you sweat in it in the cold.

I usually run year round on Chicago's lakefront…and I'll go unless the temps drop to below -10 F. Having said that, when the temps dip into the mid to low teens I absolutely want a hood AND my beanie, as well as a neck gaiter to pull over the lower part of my face. From teens to low 30s I'm quite happy with hoodless, some kind of neck gaiter and a hat…then once it's above 30 or so I totally go hoodless, no neck gaiter and a hat. My running jacket does NOT have a hood…just the base.

I also really like the thumb loops, because i cannot wear gloves while running unless it's below 15 (so I like my hands a bit covered…just not all the way).

So…my answer is it depends on how cold it is.

Hope that helps…

I run in fairly warm Seattle but love my Indie Hoodie for when it gets "cold" here (below 30 degrees F, which is rare). My Indie Hoodie also does duty in cold weather biking (good for under the helmet), skiing (good for under the helmet), and as a part of my shoulder season sleep clothing system (good for under my down balaclava). I like the versatility the hood offers.

Hi,
thanks a bunch to all who joined the conversation.

"A hoodless zipneck + beanie will offer all the versatility you need for running" Thats what I think as well! Never had problems with Buff falling off my chin but when buff aint enough I use microfleece balaclava and it's perfect,

"Define cold weather. Some guys are out in -20F. My wife thinks 40 is cold" Anything from 0 to -10C..we rarely get colder to that..yeah I know some guys are going out at -20F and I envy them for that:),

"A well made hood on a midlayer can make up for a hat, balaclava, or buff and no gaps" Agree to that but when you get too warm and would need just a little more exposure to your neck to cool off what do you do to protect your sweaty head. Put on a beanie?

"I'm generalizing here, bu it seems to me that people who have a lot of hair on their heads don't understand and don't like hoods" lucky I have loads of head fur just for now and I like hoods:)..

Eugene,

thanks. Never noticed hood bouncing at my back and like you I take hat and buff to add to the mix of conditions even if my base is hooded..

"Eventually a buff gets wet and stretches out a bit and becomes annoying to adjust" 1+ to that and it cools you off when at rest.

@Serge&Jennifer
very good points both of you. Yes from all of the above it realy depends how cold it is!

"love my Indie Hoodie for when it gets "cold" here" I love mine as well but I find it soggy mass if used for high exertions.

I think general consensus here is that it all depends on personal preferences which are dictated with weather/temperature conditions you do your run in?

Thanks!

I usually have a hoody plus ear band but no beanie or buff unless it is really cold (say <20F) in which case I may want a beanie and hood.

I like a hooded 1/4 zip base/only layer as it is super easy to adjust on the fly. A beanie is easy to take on and off too but a neck gaiter/buff is more of a pain and they don't tend to make non hooded zip neck garments with a super high neck. Thumb loops are great too for when you need some extra hand warmth.

"A well made hood on a midlayer can make up for a hat, balaclava, or buff and no gaps" Agree to that but when you get too warm and would need just a little more exposure to your neck to cool off what do you do to protect your sweaty head. Put on a beanie?"

I don't know about all the layers but the icebreaker I mentioned has twin zips so you can pop the top and the bottom a bit. That's been all the vent I ever needed and the hood stays on tight.