This is a wrap up to our earlier review of the Triple Aught Design Ranger Hoodie. Our first look was back in October of 2011, and the TAD Ranger Hoodie has seen a lot of use, with quite a few people, and in all sorts of venues. The extended time with the Hoodie allowed us to really find the pros and cons. With a few hundred hours of use, lets get right into it.
The foundation of most clothing items is a triad of material, design, and construction. Click the below picture to jump into the rest of the review.
moreStarting with materials, the Heavyweight Polartech WindPro, this material does an admirable job of not only blocking wind, but of also shrugging off the rain. When I think of traditional fleece, this material truly stands apart from its primitive siblings from which it came. Traditional fleece works well for layering, but it blocks rain like a sponge, and shields wind like a sieve. The use of Polartech WindPro is highly appropriate, and allowed us to use it as a primary outer garment in many situations where we thought he would have needed a soft shell. The Pacific North West with its winters of cold drizzle put the Ranger Hoodie though a lot, but never once did we get soaked. While common sense wouldn't recommend this as a primary rain jacket, I was continually impressed. In fact, the TAD RH did better than one of the soft shells we were testing in inclement weather, which says a lot about both garments, especially when the Ranger Hoodie kept us dry while shooting proned out on wet ground and the soft shell had our clothing damp (actually border line wet).
Design of the Ranger Hoodie is sleek and well laid out. Starting from the top, the hood lays flat. Not only doesn't the hood roll around when you are leaning forward, but it is flat enough to be worn under a pack or plate carrier if needed. The contours of the body are tapered, and are in stark contrast to the other generic fleece I own. The sleek design may make it a tighter fit for guys who need to loose a little weight, but it prevents bunching when layered under armor and hard shells. Thumb holes are one of the included little details that don't seem to matter, or at least they don't matter until you need it, when of course it is well appreciated. Side and shoulder pockets are laid out in what I would consider the correct positions and sizes. I use shoulder pockets on a regular basis, and I've had several jackets where anything that goes into the shoulder pocket results in the item flopping around by my triceps. No such issues here, and again, it reflects the overall thought and design going into the garment. Velcro, pit vents, and media ports for running cords are well placed, though I admit I didn't use the media ports at all. The rear hunter pockets lay flat enough where you will probably forget about them if they aren't used on a regular basis.
Quality of the construction is evident throughout the entire Ranger Hoodie. Seams all lay flat, no extra or loose threads were found on initial inspection, nor are there any after several months of use. Seams are all straight, and pulling on them induced no pops, rips, or noises. The quality of both the materials and the construction leave little to be desired. The zipper was a bit stiff in the start, but has loosened up and is a solid performer.
The Ranger Hoodie has been durable through its outings, though fleece will obviously catch on more items than a hard shell. I've noticed no pulls, tears or thin spots, but I've also not been wearing it through thorn bushes or cutting heavy trails in the brush.
You can see from the pictures this jacket has spent quality time hiking and snowshoeing on Mt Rainier. The Ranger Hoodie is warm, and that might actually be an understatement. It is so warm that even in snow and cold weather it was typically unzipped, and pretty quickly taken off with any strenuous activity. When we stopped, or the wind started howling on exposed ridges, it got zipped up or quickly put back on.
The secondary use for the TAD RH was much more mundane, but working out in the shop in the winter, running around town and similar tasks are where most people are likely to see regular use with it anyway. It handles these tasks nicely, in fact it handles them so well my wife has taken to using it for daily wear around the house in the colder weather. She wears a t-shirt, and throws on the Ranger Hoodie to fight off any chills in the house. When most people are curling up with a blanket to watch TV, read a book, or sit on the computer, she is wearing the Ranger Hoodie.
The TAD Ranger Hoodie is a functional, warm, wind blocking, comfortable garment that both looks and feels good. There is no doubt you can find cheaper fleece jackets, even cheaper ones using Polartech WindPro, but what you will have a hard time trying to find are the fit, features, and attention to detail.
With a MSRP of $235, TAD isn't going for the bargain shopper market. Nor do they need to as that market is saturated. The upper end name brand garment market is one which develops big brand loyalty and following. A check of the TAD Facebook page shows they have this in droves. People look to TAD to provide a good looking item which they can wear in a variety of settings, as well as being functional. They are also willing to pay a little more to get it. If you are in the market for a fleece, heavy insulation layer, or all around jacket, this one is worth a look.
http://www.tripleaughtdesign.com/
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