The KUIU Peloton 97 Fleece Zip-T Hoodie is a versatile and ultralight fleece hoodie that can be worn as an active outer clothing layer down to about 20 degrees but also works well as a mid-layer in colder conditions. It’s amazingly warm for its weight, a mere 5.7 oz (in a men’s XL), with a brushed synthetic fleece interior that’s hydrophobic, wicking, and treated with odor control.
KUIU, if you’re unfamiliar with the brand, specializes in making ultralight clothing, backpacks, tents, and outdoor gear for hunters and wilderness explorers. They make a lot of cutting-edge crossover clothing that male and female hikers and backpackers can benefit from. In addition to the Peleton 97 Hoodie, I can recommend their Ultra Merino 145 Zip Off Long Underwear, the KUIU Attack Pant, and the amazing ultralight Summit Star double wall tent. Good stuff.
Specs at a Glance
- Gender: Men’s
- Weight: 5.7 oz in a men’s XL
- Material: Toray Karuishi Fleece and Spandex
- Odor control: Toray Makspec Odor Control
- Layering position: Midlayer
- Temperature range: 70F – 32F
The KUIU Peleton 97 is a very thin and wicking fleece pullover that’s good to wear when you need extra warmth over a baselayer, like when climbing a steep mountain in freezing weather or hiking on a cold morning. In addition to torso and arm warmth, it has a hoody and thumb-holes that provide you with the opportunity to micro-adjust your warmth level by retaining more body heat without the need to stop and put on another clothing layer.
The Peleton 97 also excels as a mid-layer under a wind shirt, rain jacket, or soft shell jacket because it has a fine porous weave that transports moisture from your baselayer to your outer layers where it can evaporate. Thin mid-layers like the Peleton 97 are the best ones to carry for cold-weather hiking because they let you fine-tune the degree of warmth you need without perspiring because you’re too warm or freezing because you’re too cold. They also wick moisture more efficiently away from your skin and up through your layer “stack” because there’s less fabric to soak through to reach the next outer level. Moisture on your skin will chill you if you stop to rest, so it’s best to move it away from your skin as soon as possible.
Fitwise, the Peleton 95 hood is a bit oversized but still provides warmth when used without a fleece cap. I like how it encloses your neck with a turtleneck fit when you zip it up all the way. The seams are flat-locked so they don’t chafe if worn next to your skin and they are less bulky so garments made with them fit better. Personally, I’ve found the Peleton 97 fit to be true to size and there are a LOT of sizes to choose from from a men’s Medium up to a 3XL for bigger guys.
On the flip side, the hoodie does not have drawcords to adjust the size of the face opening, nor does it have a chest pocket. In addition, while it is treated with an odor control agent, the hoodie gets pretty stinky after a full day of use, enough to scare away animals and companions with sensitive noses. Despite that, I do prefer a synthetic garment like this hoodie over a Merino wool one because I’ve found synthetic garments to be much more durable than wool garments and they’re far better for wicking since wool holds onto moisture more and takes much longer to dry.
Recommendation
The KUIU Peloton 97 Fleece Zip-T Hoodie is a very thin ultralight fleece hoodie with an impressive warmth-to-weight ratio. It’s really the only garment I own that can serve multiple roles in a cold-weather layering system: as a base layer, a mid-layer, or an outer layer, which is a testament to its versatility. I like having a lot of flexibility in how I layer on cold weather hikes and a garment like this gives me the ability to really fine-tune my warmth level. A reader recommended that I try this hoodie and I’m so glad I did because it’s a keeper.
Disclosure: the author purchased this product.
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