Hood or Balaclava?[pic]

I like the idea of the simplicity of the hood, especially since I usually just use a single base layer. If you get cold, it's always there ready to go, no hunting in pockets. If you want to take it off, it's pretty much out of the way & out of mind. You should also end up with a bit less material since you have no overlapping material & less hemming.

But.. in practice I stick with separate balaclava. Why?
– you can't buy microweight short sleeved hooded tops, whereas you're spoilt for choice for lots of good value balaclavas & non-hooded baselayers.
– a balaclava fits much better over the head than a hood – hoods aren't good at covering right up to your eyes.
– I'm of the opinion that different materials suit the head covering & the torso baselayer (eg stretch fleece vs lightweight merino/synthetic). If you're hot, you can whip your hood/balaclava off, conversely if you are wearing it it's because it's cold. So it can afford to be a bit less versatile than the baselayer & warmer & less breathable. Plus a super stretchy fabric like powerstretch makes it easy to get a good fit around an awkward shape like your head & face, and it's more durable than thin baselayer merino for constantly being stretched back and forth over your head.

But if you gave me the ideal hooded top with the fit of a balaclava I'd jump on it. I've daydreamed about sewing a powerstretch balaclava to a zip collared merino top, but eventually decided I'd just make an expensive mess for minimal gain.

Imagine sneaking up on somebody at night wearing that…

The villagers will hunt you down with torches and silver bullets, methinks.

what in the world is that jacket(can not tell if it is a jacket/pullover/shirt/etc…)made of? looks warm?

I use both: a integrated hood for a shell, and a balaclava for insulation. My insulating garments (various weights of long underwear, down sweater, or Micropuff pullover) are hoodless; I add the balaclava (or an R.5 watch cap, or both) as needed based on temperature. My shell garments (windbreaker or poncho) have integrated hoods. This way, there is no break in the surface for wind or water to work its way in. And, of course, I can always leave the hood down on the windbreaker and use the balaclava or cap with it.