In my experience, most outdoor gear wearers always have something to say about the hoods on their jackets.
When you read reviews in magazines a lot of jackets don't come top in the review because of the hood, but these jackets still sell, so the hoods can't be that bad.
Are some hoods really better than others, or is it purely down to personal choice?
For me, a wired peak is essential, otherwise it flaps about and gets water everywhere. A hood must also move with the head, rather than stay in the same place so when you look sideways, all you see is hood! Some hoods have enough volume adjustment to get a helmet underneath, others don't. The drawcord thingies should also be able to be clipped away somewhere, or in a position where they don't fly about in high winds and whip you in the face!
I would imagine that the "bad" hood jackets still sell because people try them on in the shop, like the colour, shape, fit etc, and don't really think too much about the hood until they are out in bad weather. By which time they chalk it up to experience, but can't be bothered to return the jacket.
I think it's a matter of personal choice. My TNF Resolve jacket is, generally, pretty good, but the hood is less than perfect: large and floppy, it tends to completely enclose the face unless you're wearing a baseball cap. Then again, I'm not particularly fussy in the hood department, and can live with the disadvantages. But others might find this too annoying.
Personally I think the fit of the torso is more important than the hood as I very rarely wear a hood.
I have summer and winter waterproofs and the summer hood is very flimsy, doesn't have a stiffened peak and won't take a helmet. I still like wearing the jacket in summer though! If you are getting beaten in the face with hailstones then obviously is a different matter.
For winter bad weather than I just look for a hood that can take a helmet as I want to use the same jacket for mountaineering and walking, has a stiffened peak to protect my face and ideally moves with my head movements although on my old Flash this is just achieved by cinching the hood very tightly and I don't like wearing the hood that tight normally. I suspect other manufacturers solve the problem using similar methods.
I liked the hood on my old Sprayway Torridon jacket... held on with some bullet proof studs, fitted nicely, turned when I turned my head.
Bought another Sprayway jacket when my old jacket died, but this one had a built in hood and it doesn't turn when I turn my head, I just end up half looking inside the hood!
Moral of the story - don't buy online without trying the jacket in a real shop first or don't presume a new jacket will have a similar design to your old one just because it's the same manufacturer.
Is it more important to have a more technical hood on a winter jacket than a summer jacket, even though rain is still rain and there are still high winds in both seasons (the only difference being the temperature)?
I'd never thought that people would buy a jacket (that is designed to keep them dry)and not try all of the features out for fit. Especially if it is a jacket to keep you dry as it would make sense that this would be the sole purpose of the jkt and the hood would be a fundamental part of the process of keeping the rain out.
Or is it the case that you put a certain amount of trust in the manufacturer that they wouldn't have made a jacket with a bad hood in the first place?
Having a separate hat makes a lot of sense, as from a lightweight point of view you only take it when you need it. If you're running or biking, the amount you're going to wear a hood is faily small. On a Multi-activity piece it would make sense. Guy, do you get any problems with rain coming into the jacket down the collar at t he back of the neck, or does your hat cover that?
I don't like hoods, they restrict my view and my hearing and make my specs steam right up.
Wired hoods aren't necessary as long as the hood is well designed and moves with the head and is snuggable for a head whether helmeted or not.
In winter I use a Turtlefur hat; and a peaked cap in summer. Only if it is really blowing a hoolie with horizontal rain or is naffing freezing would I consider wearing a hood.
I'd need a decent stiffened peak to keep rain off my specs - the job the Marmot Precip cap does for me in the rain at present. The rain down the back of the neck things happens very rarely.
Julie - I'd disagree with "Having a separate hat makes a lot of sense, as from a lightweight point of view you only take it when you need it" - I take a hat and gloves with me on mountains all year round, the difference is that in winter I take two hats and two pairs of gloves. I'm sure most of us do the same.
I'm a huge fan of the Mountain Equipment wired hood design. Fits snugly over the head and around the face and will stay in place during the worst weather a scottish hoolie can throw at you. Moves with the head which is a bonus! Not always the case on some other jackets I have owned.
I like: hoods that move with my head, have wired and / or laminated peaks that stop the drips, that are easy to adjust with one hand, that I can pull over my head and replace without having to re-adjust (stretch panels at base of neck help...) and that are equally effective with or without a climbing helmet, which is a difficult one to crack.
I hate: hoods that flop around with loads of excess material, don't move with your head, don't have enough fabric so they restrict your head movement (hello Crags), I particularly dislike floppy peaks.
I can't be arsed with hats, I always overheat when using them and anyone who doesn't is either strange or not trying hard enough.
Best hoods I've used are Mountain Equipment's Stealth hood and the Arc'Teryx one, which is quite similar but a bit more minimalist.
Weirdest one is the new Berghaus thang that tightens onto your head when you depress two buttons. Very strange. I'm not sure what it's for really...
Yeah Chris, I've heard that ME make great hoods from various people, they seem to be the cream. Never tried one tho, so I'll take everyone's word for it.
Fair point JJ on taking a hat at all times, but do you take 2 waterproof hats or are they just warm and/or windproof. I was coming from the angle of just using a waterproof hat possibly being an advantage over a hood, but that obviously won't add any insulation it'll just keep what you've got inside.
Hiya Jon, ta for the input, re "that I can pull over my head and replace without having to re-adjust (stretch panels at base of neck help...) and that are equally effective with or without a climbing helmet, which is a difficult one to crack.", are there any hoods that can master these 2 or is that the ME and Arc ones? Getting a good fit on your head on a helmet sized hood when you've not got your lid on is a feat and a half. One real problem is that just cos you're a size large doesn't mean that you have a large head, and just cos you're a small doesn't mean you have a small head. Heads are a law unto themselves.....
What about when you're not wearing the hood, personally I just leave it flapping, but there's a lot of other options, removable, tab away, rollaway, fold into the collar, or does it depend on what you're doing?
dont listen to Jon its well known that his home planet has a differnet temperature to that of earth :)
I find the most extreme conditions I'm out in tend to be with the Mountain rescue and the hood is just too restrictive in that situation. You can't hear properly with a hood and they get in the way when using the radio and generaly observing , a hat keeps me dry and doesn't interfere.
I use paramo jackets and the hoods roll into the coller creating a good snug fit, and i wear either a wool or lycra buff depending on the heat which effectivly seals the neck gap, and if any moisture does get in, then thats ok as its paramo so it will just be pumped back out again in jiff.
In summer I do use a light gortex but again very rarely use the hood.On the occasions when I do use them it needs to have volume adjustment, abiliity to pull it back away from the face and a wired peak. But it is rare, thinking about it the last time i useed one was in the winter when I put it up over my climbing helmet, but generaly i like to be able to see well and hear well when i'm out and hoods just dont allow that
Julie - two hats in case one blows off and I get hypothermia - but yes, one is waterproof/windproof and one is a warm one. I also overheat but TBH in winter a buff round my ears (I get terrible earache) does the business most of the time. In summer, dipped in a cooling beck it makes a great bandana.
Sorry, I was digressing into buff-dom.
The waterproof hat moves with my head, keeps water off my spex and sun out of my eyes. I can both see and hear. Find a hood that does all that and doesn't fog up me bins and tell me about it.
I used to wear hats, the best ones being a one of those fleece-lined waterproof ear-flapped peaked caps, and a goretex wide-brimmed thing. The problem with hats is that when the rain's coming sideways you get wet anyway and it then runs down your neck.
I'm a glasses wearer and going over to contact lenses for outdoorsing was a revelation - suddenly the world looked a lot clearer when it was raining.
Once I got a hood for my Buffalo shirt I stopped using hats - one less thing to lose, it's rather pleasant having the wind in your hair when it's not too cold or wet, and the Buffalo hood is very cosy without being too restrictive.
I'm curious to see how the hood on my Paramo Velez performs - will report back once I've been thoroughly weathered!
The hood is the only thing that has stopped my buying a Montane superfly, I hate it, and it's a superb jacket in every other way. I like a hood with a stiff and wired peak that doesn't press onto your forehead and can be pulled in around the side of your head, I suppose like one designed for/without helmets. That way if it's heavy rain with light winds you can have the hood up but relaxed so you don't overheat. Best hood ever was the one karrimor put on the last summit jacket they did before their demise. Also, when zipped up it has to touch my nose, exposed face in winter? no, I don't like it I tell you.
Personally i think its impossible to make a good hood for a both a climber and a walker. In other words a climber needs a hood that will go over a helmet where as 99% of walkers do not.
Why dont companies that make jackets with detachable hoods, design 2 hoods for the same jacket, a large adjustable one for the climber and a smaller one for the walkers etc? The buyer then picks which hood (or can even buy both) they want depending on what activities they use it for.
Over the years i have had a few jackets (and tried others) so here is my best of them (as Hoods go), bear in mind that since i dont climb this is more from a walkers point of view:
1. Rab Bergen (seems just right for a walker) 2. Mountain Equipment (if you want one hood for everything then this is probably it) 3. Mountain Hardwear (great adjustable hood, very similar to ME but maybe not as big, which means they are just as good for a walker) 4. Paramo (very good, only downside is the side view and they can flop about a bit when soaked needing you to keep adjusting them) 5. Rab Corrie and Latok (good hoods but still too big for just walking in, the Bergen is better) 6. Montane Superfly (the version i had, the hood was horrible (can you believe it was too Small!)and just sort of sat on the top of your head, it had a velcro strap at the back that just didnt do anything, i gave it to my girlfriend :-) 7. Marmot (the hoods are again too big and floppy, and not adjustable enough, i sold mine because of it) 8. Lowe Alpine (the jacket i had a few years back had a horrible hood that just flopped all over the place, i sold the jacket in the end because of it)
Like: Hoods with a Laminated peak like the arcteryx one's that fit well, move with my head, fit over a climbing helmet and donts restrict movement.
Hate: Wired peaks that always bend into odd shapes in your sack and make you trip over stuff cos your too busy fiddling rather than looking where your going. Hoods that restrict vision, inflate in high winds etc etc.
Tend to wear either a buff or baseball cap during the summer or a buff / beannie in the winter. Find baseball caps make up for shite peaks when its really raining hard as i found out in scotland.
