The North Face Canyonlands Hoodie - Women's Review

The North Face Canyonlands is a lightweight fleece with a sweatshirt-like feel, full zipper, and a hood. It's made of 96% recycled polyester and 4% elastane and has two zippered hand pockets. It features a full-length wind guard, chin guard, and elastic hood hem.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

Though it's a lightweight sweatshirt fleece, the Canyonlands still packs impressive warmth for its thickness and weight. The full-length wind guard behind the main zipper helps a lot, but even the fabric itself does a solid job of holding in body heat. The fitted hood has a tall chin cover, facilitating burrowing on cold mornings, while still having enough space and stretch to fit over a beanie. The sleeves and torso lack a little bit of coverage, as both are shorter than most — particularly noticeable when we're moving around.

Comfort

The soft interior of the Canyonlands feels great against our skin. It's fairly stretchy, but not nearly as much as some others — and we notice it, particularly in our lessened shoulder mobility. It has standard seams across the tops of the shoulders and in the armpits rather than relocated seams to better facilitate comfortable motion and prevent chafing. Its slim straight shape offers a relaxed fit, but one that may not work on curvier body types. The two zippered hand pockets are also a bit small, as they stop three inches from the bottom, leaving a section of the jacket that can be secured under a hip belt or harness.

Versatility

Like just about every fleece we tested, the Canyonlands is not water resistant. It quickly soaks up light precipitation, eventually transferring it to our base layers. Though this happens faster than in some of the midweight models we tested, it takes longer for us to get wet underneath while wearing the lightweight Canyonlands than most other lightweight fleeces we tested. We're impressed by how wind resistant this little jacket is. Not only the fabric itself impresses us, but also the presence of wind guards effectively seals every zipper against errant breezes. The size Small weighs 10.6 ounces, which is on the light side of average among models we tested. It's not extremely packable but carries noticeably less bulk than many others.

Breathability

The Canyonlands holds no surprises when it comes to breathability. It's a lightweight sweatshirt made of mostly polyester. The full-length zipper allows for plenty of ventilation, though the proportionally heavy hood isn't our favorite when unzipped. The pockets are lined with microfleece, which adds warmth rather than breathability. The sleeves are also on the tight side for pushing up comfortably.

Layering Ability

This modestly stretchy, relaxed-but-slim lightweight hoody can be worn over other layers, though its fuzzy interior texture tends to catch on the sleeves of other shirts when layering. It can also be worn under other layers without adding too much bulk. The external surface is smooth, making it quite easy to throw a coat on as needed. The slightly short sleeves and torso also easily fit under most outer layers without sticking out.

Should You Buy The North Face Canyonlands?

The Canyonlands offers simple comfort and a straightforward design for a lightweight sweatshirt, at a more reasonable price than many others we tested. If you're on board with simplicity and don't need something extra warm, hyper-stretchy, or littered with clever features, the lower cost of the Canyonlands adds to its value.

What Other Fleece Jackets Should You Consider?

If you like the idea of a lightweight sweatshirt but desire a bit more breathability, packability, and cozy comfort, the Patagonia R1 Air is our favorite fleece. To keep that sweatshirt vibe but get more warmth, protection, and comfort, the Arc'teryx Kyanite is an excellent choice.