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Are you looking to upgrade your layering system without shelling out an entire paycheck? A simple budget fleece jacket is an incredibly versatile option that can add a ton of warmth and comfort to your wardrobe. After researching the most popular and best-performing budget fleece jackets on the market today, we purchased the top 10 to use and compare for ourselves. We took each model out into the field, where we could discern where each excelled and where each one was lacking. We accounted for warmth, comfort, fit, how well they layered, breathability, and ease of movement. Whether you need a warm layer to wear to your cold office or something for your next backpacking trip, our review can help you decide which fleece makes the most sense for you.
The North Face makes gear ranging from fashion-forward streetwear to technical pieces designed for the world's most extreme environments. TKA Glacier ¼ Zip lands somewhere in the middle, threading the line between streetwear and a performance piece. A lightweight and slim-fitting fleece, this jacket is the ideal mid-layer in a classic three-piece layering system. Worn over a t-shirt, it's great for cool mornings or cold-weather athletics. When things start to get seriously cold or wet, it has no problem fitting under an insulating or rain layer. The fabric is soft on the skin and stretchy enough to move with your body, whether you're hiking, biking, or even rock climbing. The thinness of the material makes it one of the more breathable fleeces we tested and a great performer for higher-intensity activities.
One of the few downsides was the lack of pockets. It is also a fairly lightweight budget fleece jacket. If you're looking for a standalone jacket to wear on the coldest days, you might want to go with a heavier-weight option. This jacket performed quite well across all of our metrics and is an ideal piece for people looking for a breathable and lightweight fleece that they can use on their morning pre-dawn jog or take into the backcountry as part of their mountain-ready layering system.
The North Face TKA was the highest performing fleece we tested.
Credit: Buck Yedor
2
Best Bang for the Buck
Amazon Essentials Men's Full Zip Polar Fleece Jacket
The Amazon Essentials Men's Full Zip Polar Fleece Jacket was designed with one thing in mind: function. While it's not the flyest looking fleece out there, this piece is warm and comfortable. It's constructed of a stretchy material that offers wearers a mostly uninhibited range of motion. This model sports a classic fit; not too tight, but not at all baggy. The fit ensures you could fit a heavier base layer underneath but can still layer over it without feeling like a marshmallow. This piece is ideal to bring hiking, camping, or just about any outdoor activity you need some extra warmth for.
The breathability of this piece fell squarely in the middle of our test group; not horrible, but not exceptional. While not overwhelmingly great at any one thing, this jacket is a good choice for someone looking for a decent all-arounder offered at a great price point.
The Amazon Essentials Full Zip fleece is a quality all rounder.
The days of hitting the gym in oversized cotton hoodies are gone. The Under Armour Double Threat Hoodie is a modern upgrade to the classic workout hoodie. Whether warming up in a cold gym or heading outside for a brisk run, this pullover fleece is ready to move with you. It's incredibly stretchy and provided a great range of motion. The fit is relaxed but not so baggy that it's annoying while exercising. The fabric is the most breathable of all the fleeces we tested, making it a standout for athletics.
This is a casual-looking and fitting fleece. If you are looking for a work-appropriate option, it might be best to leave this fleece in your gym bag. While we loved it for exercising, it's not the warmest model when you're stationary, and thus isn't suitable for truly cold weather. This fleece is ideal for people looking for cold-weather workout wear or a relaxed fitting and casual hoodie for temperate weather.
Ideal for cool weather athletics, the Under Armour Double Threat is stretchy and breathable.
Warm, lightweight, and with the ability to be worn on many different occasions, the Columbia Steens Mountain Full Zip 2.0 is incredibly versatile. It's warm enough to be worn on its own in cool weather and thin enough to be easily layered; this classic-fitting jacket can fill many roles. Incredibly soft on the inside and out, it's stretchy and didn't limit our tester's range of motion.
While we found the arms to be on the long side, the elastic wrist cuffs kept them from sliding down and covering our hands. While this kept the sleeves from impeding function, it did leave the arms looking bunchy and a little sloppy. The only other issue we had was with this jacket's breathability. It wasn't the best at wicking moisture during sustained athletics. This highly versatile jacket is perfect for cold weather hiking or paired with some chinos, ready to head into the office.
Comfortable and offering great range of movement, the Columbia Steens Mountain is a highly versatile jacket.
The Gordon Lyons ¼ Zip is another relatively affordable fleece offered by The North Face. This model is both a thicker and warmer option than the TKA Glacier ¼ Zip. The inside of the jacket is brushed, meaning it has a fuzzy texture, making the interior much softer to the touch than the outer layer, despite being made from the same material. The thick material made this fleece one of the warmest of any of the jackets in our testing group. With an athletic fit bordering on the slim side, it offers a good blend of outdoorsy and street style, making it appropriate for everything from weekend camping trips to wearing out for drinks.
The thickness of the material does compromise some range of motion, and our testers noted that they felt some tightness in the shoulders. The biggest drawback to this fleece is the pronounced seams running down both sides of the arms. The seams are thick, a little scratchy, and fairly noticeable when bending your arms. Given the fit, weight, and lack of give in the material, it can feel awkward to layer over or underneath this jacket. This budget fleece jacket is stylish, warm, and ideal for someone looking for a midweight option that is warm enough to use as a standalone piece.
The North Face Gordon Lyons 1/4 zip is a comfortable and warm mid-weight fleece.
The Amazon Essentials Sherpa Fleece Full-Zip is the epitome of comfort. This fleece wears more like a fuzzy blanket than a jacket. With a brushed exterior and an incredibly soft and smooth interior, this fleece was by far the coziest piece we tested. It was comfortable and quite warm, with a satisfying weight to it. The material was also surprisingly stretchy despite its bulkiness.
While it is supremely comfy, this fleece is heavy, bulky, and has poor breathability, which means it isn't the best choice for layering or bringing it into the backcountry. This fleece is best suited for people looking to prioritize warmth and comfort over athletic capabilities.
The warm and cozy Amazon Essentials Sherpa 1/4 zip.
While fleeces often look a little frumpy, the Eddie Bauer Radiator ½ Zip is anything but. Sporting a flattering and slim fit, this fleece has an upscale look to it. The fit leaves enough room for a t-shirt or a light base layer underneath but not much else. The slim fit does make it very easy to layer another jacket over top. It boasts decent breathability, making it a good choice for hiking or outdoor wear, especially as part of a layering system.
While not uncomfortable by any means, the inner fleece isn't as soft as many of the other options, and the more tailored fit made the shoulders a little restrictive for serious overhead activity. This jacket is a perfect choice for those who need a fleece that looks good enough to wear to work but performs well enough to hit the trails.
Lightweight and breathable, the Wrangler Authentics Sweater Fleece 1/4 Zip is casual looking but not too sporty. It isn't terribly warm but perfect for cool days when you need something a little warmer and more grown-up looking than a cotton hoodie. The fit is slim in the arms through the shoulders but opens up into a boxier torso. The fit and stretchiness of the material, combined with its good breathability, make it a decent choice for hiking or using as part of a layering system.
The material wasn't the softest by fleece standards but wasn't uncomfortable. If you're looking for a standalone fleece that will keep you warm when the temps really start dropping, this model may be too lightweight. Sporting an athletic fit and an excellent range of motion, this fleece is a good pick for someone looking for lightweight warmth that won't slow them down.
The Wrangler Authentic is lightweight and breathable.
The Boxercraft Sherpa Quarter-Zip Pullover is throwing it back to the early days of fleece with its distinctly retro look. The material is stretchy and provides a cozy and somewhat baggy fit through the torso. The collar is fuzzy on the inside and out, making for a comfy situation when the jacket is fully zipped.
The cut of the arms is quite short, leaving the wrist cuffs floating at the top of our wrists, which we found to be a little awkward feeling and looking. While the fleece outer is fuzzy and soft, the inside of the jacket is the unfinished backing of the outer brushed layer. So despite the appearance of coziness, the inside really isn't that soft. The breathability and warmth are poor, and the general bulkiness of the material made it a mediocre option to layer over. This jacket is best used as casual streetwear for cool to cold days.
The Boxcar Sherpa fleece offers retro styles and unusually short arms.
The Tommy Hilfiger Classic Zip Front Polar is a midweight budget fleece jacket that offers decent warmth and is made from a comfortable fabric. It is also equipped with two front zip pockets and two large internal pouch pockets. Despite checking these basic boxes you would expect in a quality fleece, our testers found this jacket to be lacking.
While the material is warm and soft, the cut of the jacket felt incredibly awkward. The arms felt like they were attached too low, and the way the front zipper was sewn in made the whole jacket feel incredibly stiff, and it did not move as a cohesive piece. The stiffness of the front made it feel even stranger when layered over. Given the higher price tag and the strange fit, we couldn't recommend this jacket over any of the other fleeces we reviewed.
The Tommy Hilfiger Classic Fleece has an awkward cut and an uncomfortably stiff front zipper.
Credit: Buck Yedor
Why You Should Trust Us
Buck Yedor, our lead tester on this project, was born in the mountains of Colorado and has been dressing in fleece since he was an infant. Whether using them as part of a cold-weather layering system during overnight searches while working for Yosemite Search and Rescue or on a backcountry snowboard mission in the Eastern Sierra, he knows how versatile and essential a good fleece jacket can be.
To begin our search for the highest-performing fleeces, we started by researching over twenty of the top-selling models. We then narrowed our selection down to ten of the most compelling. Known for its highly variable weather conditions, Buck used each fleece as his primary layer while hiking and rock climbing in Colorado's Rocky Mountains. We hope our research will help you find a fleece that is right for your unique needs with different styles, weights, and features.
The North Face Gordon Lyons keeping our testers comfortable while on the move.
We took our fleeces on a high alpine fishing trip to see how they fared in the elements.
The perfect size to stuff in you pack, the Eddie Bauer Radiator thrives on and off the trails.
Analysis and Test Results
Using all the different fleeces in a high alpine environment lets us experience them in a wide range of conditions. From chilly pre-dawn hikes to getting caught in serious storms, we got to see how each fleece handled the extremes. We were able to compare each one's warmth, comfort, fit, layering ability, breathability, and ease of movement.
Warmth
Fleeces are so popular in the world of outdoor apparel because of the tremendous amount of warmth they can provide relative to how light and stretchy they are. The fleece fibers act as an insulating barrier and keep your natural body heat from escaping without having to add a ton of bulk. Fleeces come in different weights, which is usually referring to the thickness of the material and the amount of warmth they provide.
Typically the thicker and heavier the fleece, the better insulator it will be. The North Face Gordon's Lyon ¼ Zip is a mid to heavyweight option that is incredibly warm, especially considering its lack of bulk. The Amazon Essentials Sherpa Full Zip with its brushed outer layer and inner liner was another warm option that can be utilized in colder temps as a standalone piece.
The midweight The North Face Gordon Lyons fleece offers a good blend of warmth and unencumbered range of motion.
Credit: Buck Yedor
While not intended for truly cold weather use, the Under Armour Double Threat is a lightweight option that is great for staying warm while active. If you're just going to be hanging out in the cold, it's probably not the right choice. Despite its fuzzy and warm look, the unlined Boxercraft Sherpa ¼ Zip was one of the least warm jackets we tested.
The fuzzy outer layer, combined with the soft inner liner, makes the Amazon Essentials Sherpa Fleece an extremely comfortable piece.
Credit: Buck Yedor
Comfort
Widely considered to be activewear, the comfort of the material is a crucial component of any good fleece jacket. While fleece is generally soft and fuzzy by its nature, not all fleece is created or finished equally. The Columbia Steens Mountain Full Zip was the softest feeling on the skin by far. A close contender was the Amazon Essentials Sherpa Full Zip. Soft and fuzzy on the outside with a smooth and comforting inner liner, this jacket felt like you were wrapped up in a big comfy blanket. With a ton of stretch, a soft, thin material, and minimal seams, The North Face TKA Glacier ¼ Zip was also a pleasure to wear and move around in.
The lightweight material of The North Face TKA Fleece is soft, breathable, and stretchy.
Credit: Buck Yedor
The Tommy Hilfiger Classic Polar Front Zip has thick and stiff stitching where the main zipper was sewn into the jacket. It creates a strange and quite uncomfortable scenario where the middle front of the jacket doesn't move with you. While not uncomfortable, we found the inner material on the Eddie Bauer Radiator to be less soft than most other choices.
The cozy Amazon Essentials Sherpa Fleece is perfect for cold weather lounging.
Credit: Buck Yedor
Fit & Layering Ability
Fleece jackets have long been considered an essential part of the standard layering trifecta. The typical formula starts with a base layer like a t-shirt or long sleeve, then utilizes a fleece, and when the weather takes a turn for the worse, an insulating or rain layer on top. With that in mind, it's important to think about how a fleece will fit over or under your other layers. The North Face TKA Glacier ¼ Zip has an athletic bordering on slim fit that stretches in all the right places; this accommodates a tighter fit and remains comfortable. You can only really fit a thin base layer underneath but will have no trouble layering with just about anything over this piece. The Eddie Bauer and the Wrangler are also two comfortable and athletic fitting options that layer well. If a fleece feels restrictive on its own, you may feel a bit constricted when you start layering over it.
With an athletic fit, The North Face TKA is great for off trail exploring.
Credit: Buck Yedor
The Amazon Essentials Sherpa generally fit well; it was a little snug in the shoulders and sports a long torso. It, however, was too bulky to layer over comfortably and worked best as a standalone piece. The Tommy Hilfiger Classic Polar Front Zip (again, because of its weird stiff zipper) was awkward to layer over. The jacket's arms also felt as if they were sewn on too low, and it made overhead reaches feel strange.
Not too bulky to hike in, the slim fitting Wrangler Authentic fleece was a great hiker.
Credit: Buck Yedor
Breathability
A jacket's breathability is usually correlated to the thickness of its material. The thicker the fleece, the less breathable it will be. Another factor is the actual weave of the fabric; how tight are the threads? The more active you plan on being while wearing the fleece, the thinner and more breathable your choice can be. The North Face TKA Glacier ¼ Zip is a highly breathable option, making it a good choice for hiking, running, or any other high output cold-weather pursuit. The Under Armour Double Threat, designed as workout wear, is another breathable option that is excellent for cold weather athletics.
Having a breathable fleece is key if you plan on being active while wearing it.
Credit: Buck Yedor
The thicker and heavier options, such as the Amazon Essentials Sherpa, don't breathe very well and are better suited for cold days where you won't be working up a big sweat. The Columbia Steens Mountain, while warm and comfy, for the same reasons, wasn't as breathable as the thinner options.
The North Face TKA was on the of the most breathable fleeces we tested.
Credit: Buck Yedor
Ease of Movement
If you plan on using your fleece for cool or cold weather athletics, having your movement remain unrestricted is a must. While almost all of these fleeces are fine for walking or hiking, some were more suited to more athletic pursuits where overhead mobility is crucial. The Under Armour Double Threat was incredibly stretchy and left you fully unencumbered, whether lifting weights or rock climbing. The North Face TKA Glacier ¼ Zip was also highly agile and had no trouble moving with our testers' bodies. The Columbia Steens Mountain was the stretchiest and had the best range of motion of all the mid to heavyweight fleeces we tested.
The stretchy Under Armour Double Threat was ideal for cool weather athletics.
Credit: Buck Yedor
The Wrangler, Eddie Bauer, and The North Face Gordon Lyons all had decent stretch but were slightly restrictive in the shoulders. The Amazon Essentials Sherpa had adequate stretch but generally felt too bulky to really want to use it while being super active.
The North Face Gordon and TKA and the Wrangler Authentic fleeces were all great pieces for layering and being active.
Credit: Buck Yedor
Conclusion
After researching, purchasing, and then testing a highly diverse offering of affordable fleece jackets, we were able to get a clear picture of how they all stacked up against each other. From athleisure wear to office wear, and even options for your next backpacking trip, we submitted them all to the same rigorous testing process. We compared their warmth, comfort, fit, layering ability, breathability, and ease of movement. We hope our in-depth breakdown of these fleeces will help you make a more informed choice during your next purchase.
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GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. No cherry-picked units sent by manufacturers. No sponsored content. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing and comparison.
