How to choose your hiking fleece?

Warm, breathable and compact product in a brushed material or not... Having the right fleece is essential to protect you from getting a chill while hiking.
Discover all our tips for making the right choice!

Whether it is for a short one-day hike or a long-term outing: what could be more pleasant than a comfortable fleece to stay warm?
But one question remains: which fleece should you choose? Should you focus on warmth? Low weight? Breathability or even thickness? We take a look at the criteria to take into consideration when choosing the ultimate fleece for your sporting discipline!

No, a fleece is not only to be worn for picking apples at the bottom of the garden. Nor is it to keep you warm when you take out the rubbish on a chilly evening. But it's true that in recent years, the fleece has replaced the good old sweater in our wardrobes. However, before becoming an everyday item of clothing, it was originally designed for sports – especially hiking – and this is what we will look at in this article!
Whether you are taking a stroll in the cool of a summer evening or on an intensive hike in the snow in the middle of winter, a warm fleece with good insulation will always protect you from the cold. But how do you know which fleece is right for you?
You will make your choice based on the following two criteria: the intensity of your physical effort AND the outside temperature.

Intensity of exercise

The first question to ask yourself when choosing your fleece is the following: what will you use it for? What type of physical activity and what level of intensity?

When making an intense effort, like hiking up a steep slope, you sweat more. To avoid being soaked inside a damp fabric, it's important to choose a breathable fleece, i.e. a fleece that can eliminate the water vapour generated by your perspiration.

To make it more breathable, there may be zipped openings on the fleece so that you can regulate the ventilation according to your physical effort: half-zip or full zip at the front...

For more moderate efforts, therefore, you will not warm up as quickly and you will sweat less. Consequently, the level of breathability is not as important. In this case, it would be preferable to choose a thicker fleece with more insulation.

Focus on breathability

Important: paying attention to breathability is a great idea when choosing your hiking fleece. But keep in mind that it won't be of any use in wicking away sweat if the garment you're wearing underneath doesn't have breathable properties. Your old cotton T-shirt, for example: it may be super comfortable, you can't get it off him... But it will wick away sweat much less efficiently than a technical garment. In summary: in order to enjoy the benefit of good breathability during your physical exercise, make sure that every layer of clothing you are wearing is breathable.

Outside temperature

The second criterion to take into account when choosing your hiking fleece is the outside temperature.
It may seem obvious, but depending on the weather, you will need a fleece that is more or less warm.

In cold to cool weather (above 7°c)

You can opt for a micro-fleece:
a very fine fleece that will have the benefit of be lighter and more compact.
This makes it easy to slip into your backpack when you are not wearing it!
In very cold weather (below 7°c)

Given that the level of warmth of the fleece depends on its weight, we recommend a very brushed fleece, i.e. a fleece with big loops or a long pile on the inside or outside.
The brushing traps more air, which is the best insulator, giving you better insulation from the cold as a result.

And for the children?

Well, the same applies! When choosing a fleece for a child, you can use the same criteria, namely the intensity of the physical effort and the outside temperature. Added to this are a few extra criteria such as the number of pockets for storing the treasures found in nature or keeping one's hands warm when the temperature drops, as well as the added features of the fleece, such as the hood, for example.

Fleeces that are more responsible

At Quechua, in addition to keeping you well protected against the cold, we design fleeces for you that are more respectful of the environment.
But first of all, what is eco-design? An eco-designed product is quite simply a product that is manufactured in a way that has the least possible effect on the environment. Typically, this is what we are trying to do with the hiking fleece. Because despite the polyester being a key component, it is possible to do without new polyester.
And make great fleece jackets with recycled polyester. An eco-design approach that enables the introduction of plastic waste into the manufacturing of sustainable textiles rather than in nature.

View our men's fleeces

View our women's fleeces

View our kids' fleeces

How to choose your hiking fleece? Discover all our advice to help you.

CLOÉ

Hiking lover at Quechua

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