Black Diamond Alpenglow Hoody - Women's Review
Compare prices at 3 resellers Pros: Comfortable cuffs, breathable fabric, hood fits comfortably under helmet
Cons: Odd seam in middle of neck, tight band at bottom of torso
Manufacturer: Black Diamond
Our Verdict
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Black Diamond Alpenglow Hoody - Women's | |||||
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| Awards |  |  | |  | |
| Price | $84.95 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $59.95 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $64.95 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $59.95 at REI | $55 List |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Comfortable cuffs, breathable fabric, hood fits comfortably under helmet | Incredibly lightweight, very breathable, great coverage, super stretchy | Super lightweight, built in hand covers, extremely breathable, ponytail hole in hood | Flex fabric/vent in armpit, attractive cut and style, good for diverse activities | Very comfortable, good construction, hides dirt well, impressively soft, cute natural colors |
| Cons | Odd seam in middle of neck, tight band at bottom of torso | Gets dirty easily, too stretchy to keep heavy items in the pocket | Snags easily, very low UPF | Wrinkles relatively easily, sleeve tab extremely high | Few color choices, small hood, sleeves a bit short |
| Bottom Line | A hooded breathable shirt that does away with thumbholes and stays put well | A versatile shirt that's hard to beat | Incredibly lightweight and easy activewear with helpful features | We feel this shirt is well made for a wide variety of situations and activities | A solid choice for an everyday sun shirt hoody that's sure to be loved by women who don't want thumbholes |
| Rating Categories | Alpenglow Hoody | Crater Lake Long Sleeve Hoody | Echo Hoody | Co-op Sahara Long-Sleeve | Capilene Cool Daily |
| Comfort And Fit (30%) | |||||
| Sun Protection (25%) | |||||
| Breathability (20%) | |||||
| Versatility (15%) | |||||
| Durability (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Alpenglow Hoody | Crater Lake Long... | Echo Hoody | Co-op Sahara... | Capilene Cool Daily |
| Sun Protection Level (UPF) | 50 | 50+ | 15 | 35 | 50+ |
| Coverage | Long sleeve, hood | Long sleeve, hood, thumb holes | Long sleeve, hood, hand cuffs | Long sleeve, collar | Long sleeve, hood |
| Features | Hood | Extra large hood, draw string at waist, hip pocket (zipper) | Fold-over mitt cuffs, ponytail hole in hood | Chest pockets (snap), tab sleeves, back vent, vented underarm, sunglasses loop, seams removed from arm pit | Hood |
| Fit | Relaxed fit | Standard fit | Trim fit | Classic fit | Regular fit |
| Material | 91% polyester 9% elastane | 88% polyester 12% elastane | 100% polyester | 95% nylon 5% spandex | 100% polyester (50% recycled) |
| Odor Control? | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Available Sizes | XS - XL | XS - XL | XXS - XL | XS - XL | XXS - XL |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Black Diamond Alpenglow Hoody is a lightweight, breathable sun shirt made of Black Diamond's Wick-It fabric. It boasts a UPF rating of 50 and features a hood and tighter bottom hem to help hold it in place.
The Alpenglow Hoody has been updated recently to offer a slight increase in UPF value from 50 to 50+. Black Diamond has also added a zippered hip pocket to this shirt, but the overall design and material remain the same. This review reflects the earlier version of this shirt, with no hip pocket.
Performance Comparison
Comfort and Fit
One of the only sun shirts in this review to NOT have a feminine cut, the Alpenglow Hoody instead has a wide cuff around the bottom of the torso. While we feel this cuff perhaps makes the shirt a bit less stylish, we do like how it keeps everything in place even when not fully upright — like when climbing under a ledge or doing an exuberant cartwheel. The fabric is soft and provides a lot of comfortable stretch to accommodate all motions from climbing to paddling to cheering on your team. This shirt also lacks bulky hems, which makes the neck, hood, and cuffs much more comfortable.
Sun Protection
Just like most of the tops we tested, the Alpenglow has a high UPF rating of 50+. Combined with a hood, this shirt offers excellent protection from the sun. The lack of thumb holes limits protection for the hands unless you're able to just keep the ample sleeves pulled down.
Breathability
This shirt is lightweight and has a relaxed fit to facilitate airflow. However, the bottom cuff around the torso stifles the airflow more so than some of the open-bottom designed sun shirts we reviewed. The fabric is decently thin, though, and wicks moisture away relatively quickly, helping to keep you cool even under the blazing sun.
Versatility
Because of its bottom torso cuff, our reviewers feel this shirt has a similar style to a thin, fitted sweatshirt. Though this fit isn't perhaps the most fashionable, it does help it to stay put through inverted activities (fancy some climbing or park yoga?). With seams removed from the armpits, it's also a better choice for the added arm motions that are required during things like paddling, climbing, and even hiking. It comes in limited light to medium colors and has a large seam in the front and center of the neck. Perhaps not headed to the next fashion runway show, if you like the relaxed look this hoody provides along with its coverage and lack of thumb holes, we think you'll enjoy the Alpenglow a lot.
Durability
With strongly reinforced seams and a tight-knit, albeit thin, fabric, our reviewers feel that this shirt stands up to lots of abuse. It's also treated with a Polygiene odor control treatment, though in our experience, it doesn't seem to make a big difference when sweating a lot. Additionally, the model that we tested had a bit of seam damage along the bottom cuff. While we had no major issues during testing, the looser knit of the fabric does make us worry a bit about snags. But unlike several of the other thin, lightweight options we tested, this shirt did not actually pick up any snags during our intensive testing and laundering, which is a good sign.
Features
Aside from the hood, the 2018 version of this shirt has no features besides a hood. The 2019 version adds a zippered hip pocket, like so many competitors' models have. The Alpenglow also has no thumbholes or specific back of hand sun protection.
Value
This is one of the more expensive sun shirts we reviewed. While this might be your dream shirt, there are plenty of other sun shirts in this review that are far less expensive, and, we feel, just as good. But if you like the look, we think you'll appreciate this top's solid performance.
Conclusion
The Black Diamond Alpenglow Hoody is a solid option for anyone looking for an active sun shirt with a hood. The underarm detail allows for a comfortable range of motion, and the lightweight material is breathable while wicking moisture away from the skin. If you're impartial about thumb holes but really want that hood and added range of motion from the underarm seam placement, we'd recommend checking this shirt out!
— Maggie Brandenburg