REASONS TO BUY
Simple
Super light and packable
Fits well with harness and pack
Breathable
Loose but fitted
Cute style
REASONS TO AVOID
Poorly sized chest pocket
Durability issues
Expensive
Mountain Hardwear Type 2 Fun 3/4 Zip Hoody - Women's Review
A super light and packable fleece best for women that like to move
Credit: Mountain Hardwear
Price: $160 List
Manufacturer:
Mountain Hardwear
By Amber King ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ May 11, 2020
Our Verdict
The Mountain Hardwear Type 2 ¾ zip will keep you warm and dry whether you're hiking to your first mountain pass or trail running through the Ponderosa Pines. We love this fleece's looser fit and ¾ zip that dips below the chest. It easily moves with the body, while providing minimal warmth and maximal comfort. Its wind resistance is impeccable, making it a good layer for windy mountain ridges. Unfortunately, we noticed some pilling after a couple of washes and a couple of minor durability concerns. Aside from that, while it's not super warm, it's intended for the women that appreciate light gear that's easy to pack but offers just the right amount of protection. This is one of the more light and packable fleeces you'll find on the market.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The ¾ Type 2 Fun lightweight fleece is built for ladies that love windproof coverage, great breathability, and no-frills features. It has everything you need (except for a large chest pocket) to get out on the trail with comfort. Wear it from the trails to the streets of any mountain town. It's cute and offers a versatile fit that'll work for most women.
Performance Comparison
This lightweight technical fleece is simply, breathable, and incredibly light and packable. Take it on your next backpacking trip or trail running adventure.
Credit: amber king
Warmth
This lightweight jacket doesn't feature a ton of loft in its design, making it cooler than most fleeces tested. It is constructed with 55% polypropylene and 45% polyester. While it'll wick away moisture from the skin (when worn against it), it doesn't offer much stand-alone warmth. We used it in a layered system in cool weather, which felt sufficient, but one we wouldn't recommend for the coldest days. For use on its own, reserve it for cool Spring mornings or as a sun layer on a hot, summer day.
When we start to move while cross-country skiing in the winter, we put away our jacket. This ultralight layer offers a decent amount of warmth while in motion. Standalone warmth, however, is limited.
Credit: amber king
Comfort and Fit
We absolutely love the lightweight nature of this jacket, making it quite comfortable.
It features a very long torso with arm lengths suitable for the tallest and shorts of women.
Credit: amber king
It fits nicely with a looser fit through both the arms and torso. The ¾ zip comes all the way up over the chin so you can nuzzle into the fabric when the wind starts to blow. It also features a nice thumb loop, which is convenient, but not our favorite design. This jacket will work for our longer limbed testers, offering coverage all the way around the hips, and a comfortable, loose fit throughout the arms.
The helmet fits nicely over the balaclava style hood.
Credit: Amber King
Our big caveat with its design is the chest pocket. While it looks large, it's a lot less functional than it looks. A smartphone does not fit smartphones inside. Functionally, this was our biggest let downs, especially since it doesn't have any other pockets.
The chest pocket is really no bueno. It almost fits our smartphone. We wish it was a little larger, especially since its the only storage on this jacket.
Credit: Amber King
As a result, we had to bring additional storage with us to contain our phone and other items, where a good-sized pocket would normally suffice. That said, we do appreciate that it'll fit nicely with a harness or backpack hip strap as no storage is located around the hips or torso.
This fleece is exceptionally lightweight and packable.
Credit: amber king
Breathability
This jacket is highly breathable. The super-thin fabric provides ample airflow, which makes it a great contender for Alpine missions, hiking, and cross-country skiing. The ¾ length zip offers nice ventilation, but not as nice as a full zip (which we wish was an option).
Here we take on a cool crisp day, mid-winter in Colorado. This layer proves to be the perfect friend on this sweaty mission.
Credit: amber king
The grid-pattern built into the jacket provides ample ventilation throughout the fabric, without having any dedicated panels made of thinner fabrics. While it doesn't vent as well as other jackets with larger "squares" in its grid, it's still is an excellent choice for any sweaty mission you might embark upon because of its thinness.
A look at the grid-pattern that features square islands that are denser and smaller than most. It still offers good breathability.
Credit: Amber King
Layering Ability
This jacket layers well with its smooth face fabric. It does well under any shell, harness, backpack. It also layers nicely over thicker base layers because of its super thin architecture.
This jacket fits nicely under a backpack or harness because of its pocketless design around the hips.
Credit: Amber King
To add more warmth, layer it overtop a thicker base layer. It features thumb loops to assist in pulling it on, but we hardly used them for that purpose.
Easily wear it over a base layer or under a jacket. Its thin materials easily slide, while the additional space through the chest, arms, and torso allow for thicker layers underneath.
Credit: amber king
Ease of Movement
The looser fit of this jacket makes it incredibly easy to move. It's constructed with thin, yet stretchy fabrics that provide lots of room throughout the shoulders, bust, and arms. This is a fleece we'd easily use for climbing and backpacking as the materials are highly mobile.
The top does come up with your arms, but the looser fit provides ample length in both the torso and arms. As a result, this mobile jacket is one of our top choices for climbing or other full-body sports.
Credit: Amber King
Weather Resistance
The tightly knit fabrics actually provide a good barrier against the wind but don't hold its own against snow or water. We wore it several times as the wind was blowing, and it easily maintained warmth while breathing well. We didn't feel the wind cutting through. That said, we got caught in a winter storm with this layer. We wore it for a while, noticing the snow beading up on the fabric, but quickly absorbing. Furthermore, in our water tests, the water absorbed right through the fabric. Luckily it insulates when wet and dries out quickly. However, you'll want a shell on hand if poor weather is in the forecast.
While the water beads for a moment, it eventually soaks in. While this jacket offers some wind resistance, it's far from water resistance.
Credit: Amber King
Value
This jacket is a little on the expensive side for its lightweight design. While we appreciate its unique functionality, women seeking a lightweight and breathable technical layer will see the most value in it.
We get a little sidetracked on this backcountry ski mission, looking up into the trees for some birds. The Mountain Hardware Type 2 Fun hoody is a great companion on any sweaty mission, summer or winter.
Credit: amber king
Conclusion
This Mountain Hardwear ¾ Type 2 Fun Hoody is a versatile technical fleece hoody that's just at home wearing to work as it is on the trail. Enjoy its ample fit, light fabrics, and excellent breathability that'll help you climb your way to the tops of peaks; it'll also keep you cozy while slamming a great meal when the day's done.
We soak up the sun while taking a break from writing this review. The Mountain Hardwear Type 2 Fun hoody is a great option for those that like to lounge in the sun and explore high in the mountains.
Credit: Amber King
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Amber King
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