Fleece Jackets

Featured review by Micay

SO many pockets! Cozy, convenient zip pockets and inside drop pockets, easy to clean and versatile. My staple camping and hiking companion and an alternative to a hoodie. No need for a scarf because the zip goes all the way up to the collar and it doesn't scratch your chin. Great for any women's shape and honestly it's pretty flattering. I'm usually a Small but opted for the Medium to wear layers comfortably underneath.

Women tend to get the short end of the stick when it comes to outdoor clothing, thankfully this is slowly changing and companies can see we are a huge market.  I got the Better Sweater in Birch White. I fit perfectly into the women's small however, I ended up going home with the Medium. Here's why: the Patagonia staff weren't sure if it would shrink in the wash or dryer (it did just a little, I can tell when the zippers do the "bacon" curl). I washed on a tap cold normal cycle and medium/low heat in the dryer.

Read more: Patagonia Better Sweater Jacket reviews (4)

Reviewed by BigRed

The Trollveggen Powerstretch Pro Zip Hoodie is a warm, functional, and stylish Polartec Power Stretch Pro fleece hoodie for the mountain life, that also works as high fashion in Norwegian circles. Stretch fit goes on well over a base layer and under both close and loose fitting shell layers. A great mid layer for cold weather ascents, with a hood to help keep moving without having to layer up when the wind comes up.

The word norrøn (norr-RUHN, roll those Rs a little) is best translated as “Norse,” a general name for Scandinavian people of the Viking age, including settlers and traders rather than just the Viking raiders. Norrøna the brand, with its helmeted Viking logo, is the Patagonia of Norway: colorful, uncompromising, and pricey outdoor clothing that is as likely to be seen on the streets of Oslo or Trondheim as on a Norwegian summit. The Trollveggen Powerstretch Pro Hoodie is a simple mid-layer stretch fleece jacket for all-round mountain action.

Read more: Norrona Trollveggen Powerstretch Pro Zip Hoodie review (1)

Featured review by Bear

(LONG review) I am hard on all of my gear and these are pretty durable all things considered. I have had two now, over the last five years, pretty rugged for what is a light jacket. I had the first generation with the copper cuff snaps and I feel the fleece has been improved in the newer model (Polartec). The cuff snaps were more durable in the first generation models (no plastic). Both generations are very fragile with heat!! Please take this into consideration! They can easily be burned through by a cigarette.

Read more: The North Face Denali Jacket reviews (31)

Featured review by Junglecommando

Warm, warm, warm, fuzzy jacket with breathability and stretchiness to boot. The jacket is said to be non-piling, but I'm not so sure about that. Also, if you and your wife/girlfriend are already together, wear this on a date. If she is not your girlfriend yet, think twice—the fuzziness may be too much for unattached women.

Size L, black, bought 6 years ago.  5'9, 195.  Fits very nice, even flattering.  Ill start out with things this jacket does not do:  repel water or wind (just wear a shell).  That being said, this jacket does just about everything else. It is very very warm. I asked the REI salesman whether it blocked the wind, and he told me that when I wore this jacket I would appreciate wind. He was right.  This is a comfortable jacket, with all that fuzziness.   My former girlfriend (who is now my wife) loved to hug me in this jacket.

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Featured review by Charles

The best heavyweight fleece jacket on the market, bar none. Crushes the goofy TNF Denali Jacket. This jacket is incredibly warm, and is windproof, and has multiple pockets for storage. The best thing about this jacket is its unique shearling look. I recommend buying this jacket at size. It's not meant for multiple layers underneath. You don't need or want a sweatshirt or sweater underneath. A light long sleeved T-shirt or turtleneck will do. If you buy a size larger, then the bottom of the jacket will not hug your waist which in turn results in cold air blowing into your belly since there's no drawstring.

Read more: Patagonia Classic Retro-X Jacket reviews (7)

Featured review by Chris S

Overall a good replacement to a cotton sweatshirt. Great for mild temps/conditions.

I always like Columbia fleeces, but over the years it has changed. Now if you have a Benton Springs which is the same thing but a women's, the Benton is a lot softer compared to this. I will do a review on that later. I bought the Steens jacket on sale as I certainty couldn't pass it up. I wanted a replacement for a sweatshirt after learning cotton sweatshirt is not fun when wet. It surpassed my expectations of warmth compared to cotton. Now you can't wear this in a downpour as it's fleece and you will get soaked.

Read more: Columbia Steens Mountain Full Zip reviews (6)

Reviewed by Alicia MacLeay

The Patagonia Re-Tool Hybrid Fleece Pullover is warm, cozy, and technical enough for a range of outdoor activities and travel. Patagonia considers it a more casual layer, and it is on the boxy side, but I've worn mine in fall and winter hiking and walking, birdwatching, photographing nature, as a layer skiing, and even on a horseback ride. While it won't replace my more technical wool and fleece layers, it earns a spot as a great, everyday fleece and so gets a lot of use.

  wearing Patagonia in Patagonia (Chile) When I bought the Patagonia Re-Tool Hybrid Fleece Pullover in August 2024, Backcountry called it the Re-Tool X Nano Pullover; however, it's the same jacket (I compared materials). I've used mine regularly in the five months since—on a two-week trip to the Andes and Patagonia in Chile; hiking, walking, birdwatching, and more in Maine and a New Hampshire throughout fall and winter; and generally, around town and doing errands. My one disappointment with this pullover came today, while writing this review, when I suspected Patagonia is discontinuing it.

Read more: Patagonia Re-Tool Hybrid Fleece Pullover review (1)

Featured review by Daniel Oates

Great cardigan for fall hikes or everyday wear. Keeps the warmth in and the cold out.

I've had this cardigan for about 4 years now, received it as a gift in college and I still wear it every fall through the spring.  I love it. It's my go-to jacket. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was that it doesn't stay clean after it's washed.  I have a black one and even with a dryer sheet and lint roller but it'll still get "fuzzies" on it.  This can even be part of your nicer looking wardrobe. Not really recommended if you have a pet that sheds.  Perfect for a layer under a hard shell.

Read more: Arc'teryx Covert Cardigan reviews (3)

Reviewed by David

The perfect fleece as an outer layer or mid-layer in colder temps for a trip to the backcountry or as a daily use item. It is warm, lightweight, soft, and snuggly. The drawstring cinch on the hem is perfect, the pockets welcome your hands, and there is no restricted movement when you need to move your arms around.

Let's do the negative first. This thing is a little bulky and takes up more room in my pack than I would like. As a mid-layer, it would be nice if it had thumb loops, and I may sew in some small elastic ones myself. I'm sure some people want a pocket on their upper arm for their phone or whatever, but for me it's ugly and I have no use for it.  Now, let's do the positive. This jacket is amazingly comfortable. The large fits perfectly on my 6 foot tall, 185 lb frame. The length of the hem and the sleeves are just right.

Read more: Marmot Reactor Jacket review (1)

Featured review by Heresthedeal

This is my go-to fleece, I've worn this fleece every fall, winter and early spring since I got it in 2008. It's made 2 trips to the middle east and kept me warm and the dust out every time I needed it too. This is the best fleece i own, when i wear it out (if i wear it out) I will buy a new one.

FIT&COMFORT- the fit was good, I got an XL because i usually wear a few layers under a fleece. I could have went with a large, i don't need a bunch of layers under this fleece. plenty of length on the sleeves, no ride up if you stretch forward or up. jacket is plenty long enough to cover your waist, it goes down past my belt by at least 10 inches. this was one of the first things i noticed and liked. it goes down plenty far enough to cover a CCW, if you are licensed or choose too. ADJUSTABILITY- there is no adjustment, i guess you could pull up the sleeves if you wanted to.

Read more: TAD Ranger Hoodie reviews (7)