Australian Hiker

Rating

Icebreaker Men's Cool-Lite Merino Long Sleeve Hoodie Review

The Icebreaker Men’s Cool-Lite Merino Long Sleeve Hoodie is bit of a strange beast and one that most outdoor stores tend not to wear because ‘hoodies’ are a divisive peace of clothing. My puffy jacket is also a hoody and I know from what I’ve seen on the trail, this style of garment is rare enough in jackets let alone something that is designated as a ‘mid layer’.

I’ve been keen to try out this garment for a while and was lucky enough to get my hands on one. At the time of writing this article I had been wearing the hoodie both on-trail and as street clothing for just over two months.  Before I go into the product review I’ll jump to the end. This garment has become a firm favourite from both a performance perspective as well as loving how it feels and looks when wearing it.

First up this garment is a Merino hybrid that uses a fine grain 40% Merino wool and 60% TENCEL. This ensures a luxurious feeling garment that is really comfortable to wear but also one that keeps on working when its wet and doesn’t stink (too much) after wearing it for multiple days. I really do love the feel of this against the skin. The fabric weight is classed as featherweight so even on days of around 20 degrees Celcius I didn’t find myself getting too hot. Having said that I would be disinclined to wear this top on days hotter than around mid 20’s degrees but I found it to be very comfortable even down around 0 degrees Celcius.

As a hoodie construction I’m a big fan because even if I don’t wear the hood I find that it helps to protect my neck from sunburn. This means that if it is a hot day I can pull up the hood to protect my bald head or if it’s a cold day I can keep my head warm. At one time over the past couple of months where the wind was so strong I needed to pull my cap off otherwise it was going to get blown away but the hood did a wonderful job of protecting me.

The length of the arms and the torso is excellent and as someone over 6 foot in height this garment has plenty of length. The other bonus with this good length on the arms is that there are thumb loops which allow the sleeve to cover the back of the hands providing some extra warmth and or protection from the sun.

Another little feature this top has is a small internal key pocket. I would feel uncomfortable storing a bare key (which I never do anyway) given I always have keys attached to a small key ring of some kind to make it more obvious particularly if I’m not wearing the top tucked into my pants.

This top really only has a couple of small negatives. Firstly it only comes in one colour; black. I’d like some different colour options because I love this one so much I could quite happily wear it all week. Second, the cluster of clothing tags at waist level is annoying so eventually I’ll cut them off; not a problem if this isn’t your base layer which is how I tend to wear it or with a second layer over the top in really cold conditions.

I own many tops for my outdoor adventures and this one is now firmly in the mix of what I wear.

Icebreaker Men’s Cool-Lite Merino Long Sleeve Hoodie front view with hood down

Icebreaker Men’s Cool-Lite Merino Long Sleeve Hoodie side view with hood down

Icebreaker Men’s Cool-Lite Merino Long Sleeve Hoodie rear view with hood up

Icebreaker Men’s Cool-Lite Merino Long Sleeve Hoodie side view with hood up

Icebreaker Men’s Cool-Lite Merino Long Sleeve Hoodie underarm view showing paneling construction

Icebreaker Men’s Cool-Lite Merino Long Sleeve Hoodie showing hidden key pocket

We Like

• High quality Merino/TENCEL Hybrid that is soft and comfortable to wear and moisture wicking
• Thumb loops to keep the backs of the hand warm or protected from the sun
• Good length in both the body of the garment and the arms which is great for those of above average height
• Lightweight hood
• Internal key pocket

We Don't Like

• I love black but a bigger range of colours would be good
• The clothing tags are annoying on bare skin so I tend to cut them off. This isn’t an issue if you wear as a mid layer

Best Uses

As an under layer in your layering system or as a standalone top

Buy One

You can purchase the Men’s Cool-Lite Merino Long Sleeve Hoodie from Icebreaker Australia or Icebreaker NZ

Disclosure:  We may earn a small commission, at no additional expense to you, if you click through and make a purchase. Please note that our affiliations do not influence, in any way, the independence of our reviews. If we don’t like a product, you’ll hear about it from us!

If you have worn the Men’s Cool-Lite Merino Long Sleeve Hoodie or if you have questions, we’d like to hear from you. Post your comment or question below

Investment

AUD $159.99 RRP

Other Versions

There is a women’s version of this top as well

 

Disclaimer

This review was done with product provided by Icebreaker for testing

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