Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake Lengthy Sleeve Hoody Assessment

Backside Line

Total, the Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake Lengthy Sleeve Hoody (males’s / ladies’s) is a tremendous solar shirt. The knit materials feels luxuriously tender 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 with no 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 season Consolation in our information to the very best solar shirts. While you’re already restricted on luxuries whereas on the path, the comfortable issue on this hoodie goes a good distance. The UPF 50 ranking, hood, and thumb holes are additionally a present to your future self, conserving you lined and shielded from the solar whilst you journey. 

This prime 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 prime works on backpacking journeys. We strolled, walked, jogged, and lounged on this prime to gauge its breathability, consolation, wicking, versatility, and dry time. 

Consolation

The Crater Lake’s material is divine –– delivering a silky tender, nearly brushed feeling in opposition to the pores and skin. Frequent sense would say {that a} material this tender can be thicker and hotter, however this prime is the lightest weight knit within the 2024 solar shirt assessment and even fourth lightest general. 

The shirt matches effectively and the material stretches when wanted, which was to be anticipated from the knits on this class. The match does really feel a bit of extra cosy in comparison with others within the Greatest Solar Shirts for 2024 assessment so that you would possibly wish to measurement up for those who’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, tender contact, and wonderful breathability.

Solar Safety

This shirt supplies wonderful solar safety. It has a UPF 50 ranking, thumbholes, and a hood. 

The thumb holes are very comfy, even when the arms are outstretched. They offered full protection of the hand, hiding all the best way 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 straightforward with out utilizing the thumbholes. Be cautious of stretching this shirt an excessive amount of, as UPF ranking decreases when material is stretched.  

The hood initially felt prefer it match nice, however as we had been climbing 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 had been getting fairly annoyed with the hood falling off on this windless day, so we couldn’t think about how ineffective the hood can be in more difficult 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 main climbs, as we panted for breath, a bit of 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 had been shocked to see how a lot sweat the shirt picked up across the hip belt, on the again, and underneath the arms. There was a great quantity of sweat, however I didn’t really feel any of that whereas climbing. 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, but it surely 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 facet that helpful. It’s massive sufficient to suit keys or two small bars, however not each. Whereas working 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 kind of “female” design components that’s completely out of date. We didn’t discover that it helped regulate 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, that 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 simply 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 had been coming free, and a few threads seemed like they had been ripping once we had 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 prone to snagging.

Ought to You Purchase the Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake Hoody?

The Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake is a good 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 for those who don’t wish to take a pack. 

This could even be a great possibility for longer adventures as it’s going to dry quicker than different knits. This appears like a sensible choice for somebody climbing 5-10 miles who needs one thing technical,  comfy, and inside price range. 

This may not be the only option for somebody who’s searching for an ultra- fast drying layer to tackle adventures like backcountry snowboarding, the place plenty 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 here are some choices which might be just 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 tender material, zippered pocket, and solar protecting options. It’s barely pricier than the Mountain Hardwear, however appears like higher high quality supplies and extra versatility for cooler climate. 

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

Arc’teryx Taema Hoody Assessment: Although extra technical than the Crater Lake, the Arc’teryx is a good alternative for layering in cool climate. It’s light-weight, breathable, and wonderful at wicking. It resists odors and dries rapidly.  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.