Buyer Considerations

Is an Alpha Direct Hoody Right For You?

If you are an ultralight backpacker who cares deeply about lowering base weight, then yes! An Alpha Direct hoodie is likely the right choice for you. But check yourself and be realistic before buying. This ain’t your grandpa’s fleece. An Alpha Direct hoodie is likely going to be the single least durable garment you’ve ever worn. Not only is it incompatible with bushwhacking, rock climbing, and many other forms of “roughing it,” but plenty of folks are simply too hard on their gear. If you have a track record of taping up puffy jacket holes, puncturing sleeping pads, patching tents, replacing pants, and otherwise damaging your outdoor gear, then an Alpha Direct hoodie is likely not a good choice for you. The same is true for people who hike with dogs, or are prone to tripping, falling, scraping themselves, and are otherwise clumsy on the trail. If that’s your style, we encourage you to check out our guide to lightweight fleece jackets, which are much more durable at the expense of only a modest hit to warmth-to-weight ratio.

Why Don’t Mainstream Outdoor Brands Make Alpha Direct Hoodies?

For starters, mainstream outdoor brands are usually 5-10 years behind the Cottage Ultralight Industry when it comes to adopting cutting edge lightweight materials into their product line. What’s more, most of the mainstream brands sell to audiences who are inexperienced with caring for ultralight gear, and would immediately eviscerate an Alpha Direct hoodie, rather than using it with the proper care it deserves. Lastly, many of those brands warranty their products, and the previous point would be exacerbated by a multitude of returns and negative reviews, rendering the design investment pointless. That’s why we were surprised to see largely non-technical Eddie Bauer manufacture an Alpha Direct Hoodie (the Super Sevens Fleece), and why we were not surprised to see Beyond Clothing choose 186 gsm fabric instead of standard issue 90gsm in their Alpha Aura Jacket.

Price

At time of publication, $90 to $100 seems to the going rate for an Alpha Direct Hoodie, with outliers as low as ~$74 and as high as $150, depending on features and brand. As ultralight gear goes, we feel they’re a pretty good value for the weight savings you are likely to achieve.

Weight

Because they’re mostly all made with the same 90 gsm fabric, there is very minimal weight difference between models. For the most part, they weigh five ounes, +/- one ounce. The weight differential stems from a combination of fit (looser fitting garments are made with more fabric and are heavier), and features (zippers, elastic cuffs, kangaroo pockets etc).  A super minimalist model without bells and whistles is generally superior in the sense that its performance is largely the same but weighs 20-25% less (the difference between a 4oz and 5oz garment, for example).

What About Kangaroo Pockets?

Kangaroo pockets are the overall best pocket configuration for puffy jackets and fleeces. They’re very useful, doubling as a large storage space and hand warmer, and we love them on most outerwear. However, they are at their absolute worst on an Alpha Direct Hoodie. That’s not to say they are unwanted, unwelcome, or strictly bad, just that you should lower your expectations for this feature on these garments. That’s because the fabric is so light and airy that any object heavier than a pair of gloves or beanie will pull awkwardly down on the pocket, bounce around as you move, swing back and forth, stretch out the pocket, and generally just not sit well. Put something too heavy in there, like a water bottle, and you might blow out the pocket stitching completely.

What’s more, by the time you get to camp and temperatures drop, you will likely have added a windbreaker overtop of your Alpha Direct hoody, covering up the kangaroo pocket and rendering it functionally useless. There’s also something to be said about the near-perfect minimalism of a feature-less Alpha Direct Hoodie, and how adding pockets and doodads can detract from that. As a positive, it does add a bit of additional core warmth. But it also increases manufacturing costs. Roughly $15-35 dollars, depending on who you purchase from. So whether or not to choose a model with a kangaroo pocket is mostly up to your personal preferences. The good and the bad come out in the wash, leaving us largely ambivalent to this feature.

Standard vs Balaclava Hood

With Alpha Direct Hoodies, you generally either get a standard drapey hood, or a balaclava fit. The designers manufacturing them seem to be split about 50-50 on this. And neither is strictly better or worse than the other, it just depends on what you like and how you will use it. A standard hood is comfier around camp or wearing as head insulation with a quilt. A balaclava performs better in wind or under a helmet. Both do great overtop of a cap. If you’re reading this buyer’s guide, you likely have enough experience with hoods to know whether you prefer balaclava or traditional fit, and you should stick with what you like. A couple hood features to call out is that if you opt for a standard hood, we recommend choosing a model with a cinch or drawstring-tie-off closure system to ensure the hood stays up in wind and can trap maximum heat in the cold. Another pair of notable features come from the brand Beyond the Trailhead, and their Alpha Direct Rip-Back 90 Hoodie. We nod to the neck buttons, which when used, create a neck-gaiter-like cowl. They also offer a dual layer hood (2 layers of 90gsm alpha direct), which we have not tested, but likely could eliminate the need for carrying a beanie. Cool features!

60 vs 90 vs 120 gsm Alpha Direct Fabric Weight

Alpha Direct is typically offered in three fabric thicknesses, measured in grams per meter squared (gsm). There is 60 gsm, 90 gsm, and 120 gsm. If the entire Adventure Alan & Co crew is certain of one thing (and we’ve also consulted with designers and industry experts) it’s that 90 gsm is the best fabric weight of Alpha Direct fleece. It offers the best blend of warmth, durability, and weight. We don’t see much point in the 60 gsm variety, as it’s not warm enough to replace a fleece, and even less durable than the 90 gsm. We would only consider the 120 gsm weight for use in late fall, winter, and early spring, when daytime temps don’t go above freezing. That’s because it’s too warm to wear on the move in calm conditions, too warm to wear on the move layered under a windbreaker, not warm enough to substitute as a puffy in true cold conditions, and not warm enough on the move in strong wind. Despite 120’s higher warmth-to-weight ratio, it’s less versatile.

Half-Zip & Quarter Zip Configurations

In studying the marketplace, we have seen some manufacturers design their Alpha Direct Hoodies as either a quarter, or half zip pullover, but we are unimpressed by this feature. For starters, it adds structural bulk, weight, manufacturing cost, and an additional failure point. But we also don’t see much purpose. Traditionally, half-zips are great for venting, but Alpha Direct is already so preposterously breathable that opening up a zipper is hardly additive. It would provide a non-zero amount of extra venting, but the benefit is so small that we don’t recommend seeking it out. Like kangaroo pockets, half-zips are at their least effective when paired with an Alpha Direct hoodie.

Elastic Cuffs & Hem

Some manufacturers design the cuffs and hem and hood trim to include elastic, rather than fold over and sewn. This is definitely desirable, as it protects edges from wear and tear, and gives the fabric a degree of stretch, finished look, and extra durability that static sewing does not.

How to Make it Warmer

For cooler weather trips, we recommend adding an ultralight puffy jacket into the system, like the Zpacks Goose Down Jacket. A down jacket also acts like a windbreaker overtop of the Alpha Direct hoodie, preventing heat from drifting off as you walk. That said, we don’t recommend cutting the windbreaker from the system, as its still useful in cool-not-cold temps, and when on the move in cold temps.