Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake Lengthy Sleeve Hoody Assessment

Backside Line

Total, the Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake Lengthy Sleeve Hoody (males’s / girls’s) is a tremendous solar shirt. The knit materials feels luxuriously gentle whereas nonetheless delivering good breathability and wicking powers. The drawbacks are slight and nit-picky: the material clings to the higher arms; the drawstring on the hem feels awkward; the hood doesn’t match effectively and not using a hat underneath; and the seams on the thumbholes started to put on after simply a few makes use of. 

This solar shirt’s mixture of advantages awarded it the Greatest Decide for Summer time Consolation in our information to one of the best solar shirts. Whenever you’re already restricted on luxuries whereas on the path, the cozy issue on this hoodie goes a great distance. The UPF 50 score, hood, and thumb holes are additionally a present to your future self, conserving you lined and shielded from the solar whilst you journey. 

This high is nice for day hikers wishing to go for longer adventures. It dries faster than different knits, weighs much less, feels good as a layer underneath fleeces, and breathes effectively however doesn’t really feel too technical.

How We Examined

We examined this solar hoody on day hikes in delicate temperatures. We additionally loaded up our in a single day pack to see how this high works on backpacking journeys. We strolled, walked, jogged, and lounged on this high to gauge its breathability, consolation, wicking, versatility, and dry time. 

Consolation

The Crater Lake’s material is divine –– delivering a silky gentle, virtually brushed feeling towards the pores and skin. Frequent sense would say {that a} material this gentle can be thicker and hotter, however this high is the lightest weight knit within the 2024 solar shirt evaluate and even fourth lightest total. 

The shirt suits effectively and the material stretches when wanted, which was to be anticipated from the knits on this class. The match does really feel somewhat extra comfortable in comparison with others within the Greatest Solar Shirts for 2024 evaluate so that you may need to dimension up when you’re between sizes.. It’s relaxed and drapey within the physique, however does hug the arms.  

Total, this shirt is an expensive expertise worthy of notoriety for its sheer lightness, gentle contact, and glorious breathability.

Solar Safety

This shirt gives glorious solar safety. It has a UPF 50 score, thumbholes, and a hood. 

The thumb holes are very comfy, even when the arms are outstretched. They supplied full protection of the hand, hiding all the way in which as much as the knuckle to maintain the complete again of the hand protected. The material is so stretchy that pulling the sleeve round your hand can be simple with out utilizing the thumbholes. Be cautious of stretching this shirt an excessive amount of, as UPF score decreases when material is stretched.  

The hood initially felt prefer it match nice, however as we have been mountaineering uphill, the rattling factor saved falling again off our heads. The ironic half is that it was a uncommon nonetheless day in Reno –– not many days that we don’t have wind right here! We have been getting fairly pissed off with the hood falling off on this windless day, so we couldn’t think about how ineffective the hood can be in tougher climate. It did match higher with a hat on underneath.

Breathability & Wicking Energy

When testing, we hiked a loaded in a single day pack up the Sierra Entrance Path in Reno, Nevada on a sunny, 50-plus-degree day. After the foremost climbs, as we panted for breath, somewhat sweat saturatedthe shirt, but we didn’t really feel stuffy or like sweat was pooling up on our pores and skin. 

After taking our packs off for the preliminary climb, we have been stunned to see how a lot sweat the shirt picked up across the hip belt, on the again, and underneath the arms. There was a superb quantity of sweat, however I didn’t really feel any of that whereas mountaineering. As we hiked extra, we realized that the material clings a bit extra when sweaty and feels chilly. 

Sadly, this doesn’t dry as rapidly as a few of the different top-rated solar shirts, nevertheless it falls someplace in the midst of the pack.

Versatility

The flexibility of this shirt is funky and really subjective. Our gear analysts didn’t notably discover the zippered pocket on the aspect that helpful. It’s giant sufficient to suit keys or two small bars, however not each. Whereas operating on this shirt with keys within the pocket, the drape of the material that we liked a lot earlier than made the keys bang round. We discovered it annoying, however others may not. 

Most notably, the tie on the hem on the ladies’s model is a bit awkward. I’m not going to lie—this looks like a type of “female” design components that’s completely out of date. We didn’t discover that it helped alter the match or consolation of the highest (these classes are already 10s in our eyes!). As a substitute, we discovered it to be a bit awkward, drooping down in our crotches and flopping round as we walked. Once more, which may not trouble everybody. 

We additionally discovered that we needed to preserve switching from fleece to no fleece over after this shirt turned sweaty. It was too chilly on the 50-degree day to only put on a skinny, moist material, however this turned too scorching underneath a fleece. 

Lastly, there is perhaps some high quality points. Straight out of the washer, some threads have been coming free, and a few threads gave the impression of they have been ripping after we have been altering out and in of it. The opening for the thumbholes isn’t stitched all the way down to the sleeve, so the stitching is uncovered and susceptible to snagging.

Ought to You Purchase the Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake Hoody?

The Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake is a superb possibility for many who need one thing a bit extra technical than their common knit however nonetheless has that traditional stretch, softness, and excellent solar safety that knits excel at. It really works effectively for informal hikes andthe zippered pocket is the right place to stash keys when you don’t need to take a pack. 

This is able to even be a superb possibility for longer adventures as it’s going to dry quicker than different knits. This seems like a good selection for somebody mountaineering 5-10 miles who needs one thing technical,  comfy, and inside finances. 

This may not be your best option for somebody who’s in search of an ultra- fast drying layer to tackle adventures like backcountry snowboarding, the place numerous sweat and chilly temperatures ought to be anticipated.

What Different Solar Shirts Ought to You Contemplate?

Earlier than you make up your thoughts, make sure to take a look at our information to one of the best solar shirts. Listed below are some choices which can be much like the Crater Lake Hoody:

Milk & Whiskey Chaser Assessment: One other nice possibility for informal day hikes is the Milk & Whiskey Chaser solar hoodie. It has a snug match, actually gentle material, zippered pocket, and solar protecting options. It’s barely pricier than the Mountain Hardwear, however seems like higher high quality supplies and extra versatility for cooler climate. 

Minus 33 Micro Weight 1/4 Zip Solar Hoodie Woolverino Assessment: Tender, light-weight, and a terrific mixture of breathable and wicking. This one isn’t fairly as gentle because the Mountain Hardwear however its wool base guarantees to get softer over time. It has solar protecting options, however solely has a UPF score of 20 which locations it beneath the Pores and skin Most cancers Foundations advice for defense. Nonetheless, this high is simply as gentle, with extra versatility and higher total consolation. 

Arc’teryx Taema / Cormac Hoody Assessment: Although extra technical than the Crater Lake, the Arc’teryx is a superb alternative for layering in cool climate. It’s light-weight, breathable, and glorious at wicking. It resists odors and dries rapidly.  This selection is costlier and never as comfy because the Mountain Hardwear, however could also be a greater bang for buck for its long-lasting high quality and year-round utility.