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Insulated Jackets for Backpacking: Hood or No-Hood?

Patagonia Nano Puffs

When purchasing a lightweight insulated jacket for hiking or backpacking, should you get a down or synthetic jacket with or without a hood? This is a valid question since many companies make both, and each has pros and cons.

Hoods Add Warmth

Hoods provide added warmth to insulated jackets. They insulate your neck even when you don’t have the hood on, blocking the wind and providing added insulation around the back and sides of your neck. But hoods are maximally effective when you can cinch the front around your face to trap the warmth generated by your neck and head and prevent the wind from stripping it away. Without a front hood adjustment, the value of a hood is greatly diminished in terms of warmth retention.

The hood is human-compatible with external toggles to shrink the face opening.
The Torrid hood is human-compatible with external toggles to shrink the face opening.

Front Adjustable Hoods

Front adjustable hoods are rare, however, on lightweight insulated jackets and are a feature that is only generally found on much heavier insulated mid-weight jackets or parkas. Some exceptions are the synthetic-insulated Enlightened Equipment Torrid Jacket, the down-insulated Feathered Friends EOS Jacket, and the Montbell Ex Light Down Anorak. It’s no accident that all these are made by companies catering to backpackers who use these jackets as head insulation with hoodless sleeping quilts.

Lightweight Hoodless Jackets

If you wear a lightweight hoodless jacket with a mid-layer hoodie for neck insulation and/or a fleece or wool beanie for head insulation, you can enjoy many of the same benefits as wearing a jacket with a hood but with far greater flexibility since you can layer with them when not wearing the jacket. This is an alternative worth serious consideration if you plan to carry these garments anyway and want to keep functional redundancies to a minimum in your clothing system. Furthermore, while you can wear a hoodie or beanie when hiking, you can’t wear an insulated jacket without sweating out your mid-layer, which is best avoided.

Hoodless jackets are also preferred if you have to wear them with a protective helmet like a ski, riding, or motorcycle helmet because a hood will interfere with the fit. The exception to this are hooded jackets designed to fit over climbing helmets. However, their hoods are usually too large and awkward to be worn without a climbing helmet, so they are best avoided for hiking or backpacking use.

The extended neck prevents any leaks when used with a hoodless jacket.
The extended neck of the Montbell Down Balaclava prevents any leaks when used with a hoodless jacket.

Insulated Hoods Without Jackets

Of course, you can also buy a standalone insulated hood, particularly for sleeping, and use it with or without an insulated jacket. Enlightened Equipment, Montbell, and Zpacks all make them. Most people don’t use these, but it is an option worth considering if you want maximum sleeping warmth, particularly in spring or autumn, in addition to the flexibility of using a hoodie or beanie independently.

Make / ModelWeightInsulation
Montbell Down Balaclava3.1 oz800 FP Down
Enlightened Equipment Torrid Hood1.5 ozClimashield
Hammock Gear Down Hood3.6 oz850 FP Down
Goose Feet Gear1.3 oz850 FP Down
Jacks R Better Down Hood2.0 oz800 FP Down
Katabatic Gear Windom Hood1.5 oz850 FP Down
Katabatic Gear Crestone Hood2.2 oz850 FP Down
Zpacks Goose Hood 1.3 oz900 FP Down
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4 comments

  1. I always say a hood is a hat you can’t lose.

  2. For backpacking, I prefer a seperate hood. Prior to getting a quilt, I just used a never-produced prototype Patagonia R2 Snoopy cap with my puffy (WM Flight Jacket). Once I went to a quilt, I got an Outdoor Vitals LoftTek Hybrid Balaclava / Hood for use in my sleep system.

    My winter weight puffys have hoods.

    I still carry the Snoopy Cap on all trips as it is useful for more active use.

  3. This is very much a personal preference. Wife loves hoods. I avoid hoods unless it is very cold and windy. I don’t mind the cold as much as she does, I guess? We hike together in the same conditions and are both perfectly happy with our own separate preferences.

  4. I think it depends on how hot you run. I never buy anything with a hood because I depend on my head to shed heat. I wear ear muffs if its cold and carry a hat for sleeping.

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