Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake Hoody

Kate Agathon

In Colorado’s high country, sun hoodies are an absolute necessity.

Not only do sun hoodies protect skin from harmful UV rays, but their versatility for nearly any outdoor activity (hiking, paddle boarding, etc.) make them as much of a clothing staple for mountain community locals as trucker hats and down vests.

 

After reviewing several sun hoodies this season, I very much like the thoughtfully designed Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake Hoody due to its features, color options, feel, and overall fit.

For a very simple item, the Crater Lake Hoody is packed with a surprising amount of features:

 

• Drawcord ties at hem

• Zipper for valuables

• Full hood (fits comfortably over a trucker hat)

• Thumb holes

• Long sleeves with dropped shoulders for extra mobility

 

Note that the Crater Lake Hoody fabric is not Mountain Hardwear’s trademark butter fabric with the suedelike feel, but instead a different one. Instead, the Crater Lake Hoody uses a high performance solar knit UPF 50 rating fabric that feels lighter and is best described as silky smooth and nearly luxurious on skin.

Unlike other companies with sun hoodies, the Crater Lake Hoody is available in a wide range of colors and prints (seven to be exact), which means there’s a hoody for every occasion. If you are very particular about colors, pay more attention to what color they appear to be online, and not the name. For example, although my hoody was described as “Blue Slate Crag Camo” it was really more of a gray (totally fine by me) and less blue.

 

I’ve worn the Crater Lake Hoody hiking, mountain biking, and just walking the dog or doing errands. If you like a sun hoody with a little more (color options, features, etc.), then the Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake Hoody is the sun hoody for you.