Hoody Question

[Veronica]

Has anyone bought this? Where is the pocket? is the fit really as huge as they say? I can't imagine I need an extra small.

I've come to the conclusion that a hoody may be the answer to my cold issues. A balaclava makes me too warm unless I'm descending. A wool headband is not warm enough. For the bevets I like that the hood is just there. I don't need to try to stuff another piece of clothing into my bags.

I do have a cashmere sweater with a hood.

V.

http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=21570

[divingbiker]

Can't answer your question about that specific hoody, but the Sugoi midzero speedster has become my favorite piece of winter clothing.

http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=21106

Sometimes the hood is enough, and sometimes I wear a skull cap under it. It keeps my neck warm down to the mid-30s.

[Bikingmomof3]

I second Divingbiker. I love my Sugoi Midzero Speedster. I wear mine in colder temps, but I am running, not biking. Very comfortable and toasty.

[Velobambina]

V -- Terry had some of their hoodies on sale and I stocked up (last year's colors but the heavier weight--they make a lighter weight version, too). A hoody is great--keeps your neck, torso and head very warm. The only downside of the Terry hoodie is that it has one small pocket on the side. Zips up but only big enough for your keys. I also have some very soft Mt. Hardware hoodies that are nice but lighter weight. Hoodies are a good addition to a biking girl's winter attire.

[SouthernBelle]

Have it. Love it. that being said, the hood doesn't have a place for my ponytail. Course neither does my helmet.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Has anyone bought this? Where is the pocket? is the fit really as huge as they say? I can't imagine I need an extra small.

I've come to the conclusion that a hoody may be the answer to my cold issues.

Yes I have the Smartwool hoodie from TE. I got the orange one and found I liked wearing it around so much that I got the black one later on too.
I normally take a size medium, and I got them in size small instead. The small was a nice comfy fit on me with enough relaxed room to be able to wear smartwool longsleeve crew layer under it. I tend to think of hoodies as lightweight sweaters to put on top. I don't think i would like it any more form fitting, so the one size down from normal worked out well for me. If you normally take a small, then yes i would say get the XS. If you normally take a medium, then order the small and see if you like that.

The hood is nice and fitted and fits under helmet well. Hey thanks for mentioning the pocket- I never noticed it!! It's concealed inside, behind the left side seam, behind your left hip, and it's nice- big enough for a small wallet too.
I also really like the thumbholes, and the sleeves can be pulled down to use them, but the sleeves are not awkwardly too long to begin with.
It's a slightly heavier merino fabric than the micro SW weight. It's probably as thick as the SW midweight Zip-T, but it has a sort of micro-rib texture...not as fuzzy-soft as the zip-T's.
Because it's pure wool, it doesn't get BO after sweating in it a few times. I have a polyester-ish Terry hoody i like, but that has to be washed after every other wearing because of that issue. I can wear my SW hoodie like a dozen times and it STILL doesn't smell. Besides, i like the snuggly-ness of the merino.

[Susan Otcenas]

Veronica -

If you wear smalls in Smartwool regularly (and maybe even if you wear mediums), you WILL take an XS in the Smartwool Hoodie. We've all tried them on here in the office and they definitely run big.

Now, that said.... I love love love the MidZero Speedster. I'm wearing one at this very moment. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I own 4 of them (black, blue, green & chalk ). I wear them ALL the time, and they are fantastic in cold weather. They keep my head, neck and ears warm on cold rides and are sleek enough to easily fit under my helmet. No extra bulk.

My oldest Speedster, in fact (which dates back to when they used to called it the SpeedSkin) is 3 or 4 years old. You'd think it would look trashed, considering how often I wear it, but it still looks great. Almost completely free of pilling anywhere.

I also own one of the Terry Hoodies that VeloBambina mentions ( we used to sell them). I love it for casual wear, but I won't wear it cycling anymore. It's Meryl, which I've come to think is much more appropriate to summer wear than winter. Meryl tends to hold the moisture, and whenever I wear it on cold days & work up a sweat in it, I get very quickly chilled when I take a break (like for food.) It just feels clammy and I have a hard time getting warm again until I really get moving. YMMV, but I'll stick to my MidZero and my Smartwool base layers under my other jerseys.

Susan

[Veronica]

Thanks for all the info ladies.

V.

[Velobambina]

Susan -- I put a Craft base layer under my Terry thermal hoody and I haven't noticed that the hoody holds moisture. Maybe because I wear the hoody only when it's really cold (below 30 degrees) and in temps like that, I don't stop for nothing! I'll have to keep in mind not to wear it as a base laye--thanks much for the tip! The smartwool hoody sure looks nice, tho. Should have put it on my Santa list! No doubt the x-small will sell out by the time I make a wish list for my birthday.

[Susan Otcenas]

Susan -- I put a Craft base layer under my Terry thermal hoody and I haven't noticed that the hoody holds moisture. Maybe because I wear the hoody only when it's really cold (below 30 degrees) and in temps like that, I don't stop for nothing!

Sounds reasonable. I don't typically wear a base layer underneath that hoodie because it's pretty warm on it's own and with that plus a jacket, a base layer would be overkill in the temps we usually ride in here in the PNW. For me, at least. I tend to sweat, so when I stop I can easily get chilled if my next-to-skin layer doesn't handle moisture well.

Susan