Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake Lengthy Sleeve Hoody Assessment

Backside Line

Total, the Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake Lengthy Sleeve Hoody (males’s / girls’s) is an incredible solar shirt. The knit materials feels luxuriously comfortable 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 nicely with no hat beneath; 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 Choose for Summer season Consolation in our information to the very best solar shirts. Once you’re already restricted on luxuries whereas on the path, the comfortable issue on this hoodie goes a good distance. The UPF 50 score, hood, and thumb holes are additionally a present to your future self, preserving you coated and shielded from the solar when 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 beneath fleeces, and breathes nicely however doesn’t really feel too technical.

How We Examined

We examined this solar hoody on day hikes in gentle 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 comfortable, nearly brushed feeling in opposition to the pores and skin. Frequent sense would say {that a} material this comfortable could be thicker and hotter, however this high is the lightest weight knit within the 2024 solar shirt assessment and even fourth lightest general. 

The shirt matches nicely and the material stretches when wanted, which was to be anticipated from the knits on this class. The match does really feel somewhat extra cosy in comparison with others within the Greatest Solar Shirts for 2024 assessment so that you may wish to measurement up in the event 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, comfortable contact, and glorious breathability.

Solar Safety

This shirt supplies 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 best way as much as the knuckle to maintain all the again of the hand protected. The material is so stretchy that pulling the sleeve round your hand could 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 could be in more difficult climate. It did match higher with a hat on beneath.

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 most important 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 beneath 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 shortly as a few of the different top-rated solar shirts, nevertheless it falls someplace in the course 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 massive 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 cherished 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 as if a kind of “female” design parts 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 an alternative, we discovered it to be a bit awkward, drooping down in our crotches and flopping round as we walked. Once more, which may not hassle everybody. 

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

Lastly, there is perhaps some high quality points. Straight out of the washer, some threads have been coming unfastened, and a few threads appeared like they have been ripping once 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 vulnerable to snagging.

Ought to You Purchase the Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake Hoody?

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

This is able to even be a superb choice for longer adventures as it would dry quicker than different knits. This looks like a sensible choice for somebody mountaineering 5-10 miles who desires one thing technical,  comfy, and inside funds. 

This may not be the only option for somebody who’s on the lookout for an ultra- fast drying layer to tackle adventures like backcountry snowboarding, the place a number of sweat and chilly temperatures must be anticipated.

What Different Solar Shirts Ought to You Contemplate?

Earlier than you make up your thoughts, be sure you try our information to the very best solar shirts. Listed below are some choices which are much like the Crater Lake Hoody:

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

Minus 33 Micro Weight 1/4 Zip Solar Hoodie Woolverino Assessment: Mushy, light-weight, and a terrific mixture of breathable and wicking. This one isn’t fairly as comfortable 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 larger general consolation. 

Arc’teryx Taema / Cormac Hoody Assessment: Although extra technical than the Crater Lake, the Arc’teryx is a superb selection for layering in cool climate. It’s light-weight, breathable, and glorious at wicking. It resists odors and dries shortly.  This feature is dearer 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.