The fleece jacket is an absolute staple of any outdoor lover’s wardrobe. Whether you run, bike, climb, hike or camp there will be a fleece ideally suited for you.
What is a fleece?
The humble fleece first found its place into the layering system decades ago. Essentially it replaced the jumper in an area we in the industry call the midlayer.
The term 'fleece' actually covers a wide range of fabrics and technologies. They are usually based on synthetic fibres, and are increasingly made from recycled fibres such as polyester. As ubiquitous as fleeces have become, natural fibres have not been left out in the cold. In recent years they have seen a resurgence and fibres such as wool have many advantages in outdoor clothing.
Depending on how these fibres are woven, they can be tightly knit to provide a high degree of wind resistance, or loosely knit to trap air and provide more insulation.
In general the benefits of modern fleeces are that they dry quickly, wick moisture away from your skin, durable and can be easily recycled.
Everybody will have their go-to, whether it’s layering up for a campsite fireside singsong or keeping you toasty while you’re exploring the Great Outdoors. Here’s a run-down of the range so you can find your new favourite.
Our midlayer choices for running, riding and aerobic hikes
Highly breathable, fast drying lightweight fleeces for staying warm while being active. These fleeces tend to have a slim to active cut - our lightest technical fleeces for fast, intense activity such as trail running and biking.
- Griffon grid fleece jacket
- Griffon grid fleece 1/2 zip
- Laika half-zip micro fleece
- Akita full zip midlayer
Our warmest fleeces for slow, moderate activity
Ideal fleeces for hillwalking, camping or warming up after being in or on the water. These are our softest, thickest, warmest fleeces.
- Sastrugi Jacket
- Keeshond high loft fleece
- Yakutian half zip micro fleece midlayer
- Mamalute heavyweight hooded midlayer
Best everyday fleeces that you can wear on and off the hill.
Using the same heavyweight and mid-weight technical fabrics as the rest of the range you can still use these fleeces for skiing, climbing, hiking and camping.
- Sastrugi Pullover
- Loki snap neck pullover
- Sastrugi Shirt
- Kelpie quarter zip micro fleece
- Redpoint technical sweatshirt
Griffon
A firm favourite for hiking, biking, running, climbing, you name it! The Griffon is a full zip, hooded jacket using lightweight and breathable grid fleece. It’s just as suited to a British summer evening at the campsite as it is as part of a layering system.
What makes it special?
We’ve treated the ultra-versatile Griffon with Polygiene® – an anti-odour treatment for synthetic products which means you can go longer between wearing before washing. Not only has the packable fleece got a fantastic warmth to weight ratio, but it also has a great wear to smell ratio! Wear more, smell less, wash less. Perfect!
There are a couple of nifty little features we’ve crafted for the Griffon. The lightweight hood will fit under your helmet to keep your noggin nice and warm when riding or climbing. It’s got thumb loops: they’re there when you need the extra warmth but are out of sight when you don’t.
Use for: anything! It’s the lightweight layer that you can pack for any trip
Laika microfleece
Laika serves as a high-performance mid-layer. Crafted from brushed-back fabric made entirely from recycled materials, it is soft and gentle against your skin, capturing a layer of insulating air near your body. Its smooth, tightly-woven outer layer provides superior protection against wind chill compared to standard base layers, and it boasts enhanced durability. Additionally, a deep front zipper provides extra ventilation, ensuring you stay comfortably cool during strenuous activities in colder environments.
Akita
Move slow or move fast with Akita. There’s a place in your winter wardrobe for a slim, lightweight fleece. Use the Akita as an outer layer for fast activities in colder weather or layer it up for a day of hillwalking.
With a full zip and hand warmer pockets, there’s versatility in its toastiness. Unzip right down when you’re overheating and batten down the hatches when you’re getting chilly.
What makes it special?
It’s fast drying so you don’t have to fear getting your sweat on, but it’s insulating enough to ward off the wintry winds. Our Design Team have combined a wind-resistant, smooth-faced outer with a soft brushed inner, to keep you protected while you’re out on the moors.
Use for: hikes, trail runs and mountain bike rides in breezier, brisker weather
Sastrugi pile fleece
Sastrugi is our answer to a more environmentally friendly pile fleece. Now, we know that the word ‘sustainable’ is thrown around a lot these days, but we’re proud that we not only made our brushed Sherpa pile fleece recyclable, but also out of 100% recycled polyester.
What makes it special?
What do you look for in a fleece? Warm? Breathable? Layer-able? Sustainable? Sastrugi ticks all the boxes. It’s joyously cosy and a fleecy solution to an insulated jacket. A capable outer layer, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be worn under an outer shell for extra protection when the weather gets rougher.
Sastrugi suits the keen British mountain enthusiast for year-round climbing, walking and camping and is also available as a shirt and a pullover.
Use for: fun in the UK mountains. Bivvying, bothy-ing, camping, climbing even in windier conditions
Sastrugi Mens | Sastrugi Womens
Keeshond
Sometimes, you’re just not emotionally prepared to take your dressing gown off and step out into the cold. That’s okay, us too. That’s why we designed the super-soft Keeshond. It’s a ridiculously fluffy, full zip fleece, ready for winter hiking or even post-hike pub trips.
What makes it special?
Our Design Team have crafted the Keeshond fleece to keep you cosy in calm, cold conditions. With open hand warmer pockets, a tall collar and high loft fleece, it’s certainly toasty. The open structure of the Keeshond’s high loft traps air to warm you up, whilst its breathability means you won’t overheat. This breathability does mean that you have very little protection from the wind.
Don’t be fooled by the fluffiness– it’s light, slim, and versatile enough to be used as part of your layering system. The grid fleece panels are carefully placed to keep you cool where it matters. The relaxed hood (on the women’s version) fends off the dreaded brain freeze when you’ve forgotten your hat.
Our Design Team have treated the fleece with Polygiene®. This means that you can wear it more and wash it less, ultimately reducing your water and energy consumption. The Keeshond is not just handy for reducing the workload on laundry day, but also for use across a variety of sports.
Use for: ski mountaineering, winter climbing, and hiking in cold, calm conditions
Keeshond Mens | Keeshond Womens
Yakutian
Introducing our showstopping fleece, the Yakutian. When the wind is the villain, Yakutian is the superhero. It’s a half-zip, hard-wearing, wind resistant mid layer.
Although it’s fairly lightweight (380g for men’s medium and 320g for a women’s 12), it’s still tough enough to withstand the strain of rucksack wear-and-tear. It’s breathable, fast drying and has four-way stretch to give you the freedom of movement you need for a variety of outdoor activities.
What makes it special?
Yakutian has 4x better wind resistance than standard fleece. It may have a tough, dense-knit outer face for fighting off fierce winds, but it has a super-soft inner, with warm brushed fleece. The Yakutian technically sits in the midlayer category, but its level of wind resistance means it sits just below soft-shell territory.
Use for: windy, damp conditions whether hiking, scrambling, or cramming in the post-ride snacks
Yakutian Mens | Yakutian Womens
Mamalute
Entering the ring is our heavyweight fighter, the Mamalute. It’s a notorious challenger to the fiercest competitor (the biting wind on a British hilltop). In other words, it’s our relaxed, windproof, full zip, knit face fleece.
What makes it special?
The V2 of our bestselling Mamalute is more mobile and less stiff than the previous version, meaning you’ll stay agile for a day climbing at the crag. As our heaviest weight fleece, it’s seriously warm but it doesn’t lack on freedom of movement. That’s why we see it on climbers, hikers and summer campers alike.
Mamalute is comfortable, wearable and practical. With its chin guard, snug fit hood and zipped pockets, it keeps your head toasty and your hands cosy. It might have a relaxed fit but it can still be layered under a shell for ultimate protection against the elements.
Use for: slow moving activities in harsh winds
Mamalute Mens | Mamalute Womens
Sastrugi Pullover
Thick and warm half-zip pile fleece pullover. Your cool weather midlayer for hiking and climbing or deep winter layering at the campsite.
What makes it special?
A half-zip version of our winter-favourite fleece jacket, the Sastrugi Pullover is a proper winter weight midlayer for the frostiest of days and bone-chilling winter camping.
Furrier than an ice age mammal, the Sastrugi’s thick, 100% recycled pile fleece fabric traps a huge amount of insulating air to keep you cosy and warm. Chunky, 320gsm fabric means you can also wear it as an outer layer for everything from cold morning walks to chilly evenings around the tent.
Use for: With high levels of breathability and a hood free design for easy layering; the Sastrugi makes a fantastic midlayer for extreme cold, whether flying down Alpine pistes or battling Cairngorm winds.
Sastrugi Mens pullover | Sastrugi Womens pullover
Loki snap neck pullover
A lightweight and breathable pull-on fleece with a low profile snap neck opening. Designed for instant warmth on chilly crag days, campsite evenings and big days in the hills. Your new go-to layer for every trip. Loki is a modern take on a classic style, with block colours and bold trim. Made from 100% recycled fabric, Loki does it all - cosy and stylish at the campsite or bothy, and as a performance midlayer on big mountain days.
Sastrugi Shirt
Sastrugi shirt is your secretly technical pile fleece overshirt for winter-weight layering warmth on cool weather hikes, lamp-lit boulder sessions and chilly evenings around the campsite.
What makes it special?
When there’s a chill in the air, cosy up with the new Sastrugi range. This brand new fleece is made from 100% recycled polyester pile for high warmth and high breathability, designed for the rough and tumble of life outdoors; from winter hikes and bouldering to hunkering down and setting up basecamp. When the air is crisp and leaves are falling, Sastrugi’s calling..
Use for: a versatile midlayer for those who want to keep winter's chill at bay on active days in the hills, and look good while doing it.
Sastrugi Shirt Mens | Sastrugi Shirt Womens
Kelpie
Weightlessly warm, the Kelpie is a versatile micro fleece with a quarter zip. It’s a fleece that’s equally at home on the fells as at the pub.
The Kelpie is ready for movement: it has low profile seams to prevent rubbing under your rucksack or harness. The quarter zip gifts you the flexibility and freedom to warm up, cool down and throw whatever kind of funky shape you fancy. Kelpie is an essential bit of kit you can chuck in your rucksack no matter where you’re headed.
What makes it special?
The beauty is in the simplicity with the Kelpie. But don’t be mistaken – it’s still a fast-drying, quick-wicking, technical garment with a high-performance fabric. Lightweight microfleece is layer-able and highly breathable.
Use for: almost any outdoor fun
Redpoint
The Redpoint is no nonsense, and to the (red) point, this is a technical crew neck fleece.
What makes it special?
There’s nothing like an effortless, transitional piece that takes you from pub to mountain and back to the pub again. Redpoint is a technical sweatshirt: it’s wicking and fast-drying, so it’s ready for high-intensity adventure.
The best outdoor pieces don’t even need thinking about – they just work. Pull it on. Throw it off. Layer it up. If you’re a hiker, biker, climber or camper, there’ll be a place in your outdoor wardrobe for an active layering piece like Redpoint.
Use for: transitioning from bouldering to beers, a stand-alone piece in the summer or a layer in the winter
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