Fleece Jackets & Gilets

Fleece jackets and gilets: one fabric, two amounts of coverage

Fleece jackets and gilets do the same thing in the layering system, and differ only in whether the arms are covered. Fleece is a brushed knit that traps air in a raised pile, stays warm when damp and dries quickly. The range here leans towards sleeveless cuts, in lightweight and heavier piles, with full-length zips and hand pockets.

Sleeves or no sleeves?

The torso holds the organs the body works hardest to keep warm, so covering the chest and back delivers most of the benefit; the arms mainly need protection from wind. A sleeveless fleece gilet therefore feels warmer than its size suggests, leaves the shoulders free for a pack or a tool, and never bunches inside a shell sleeve. Sleeves win when the arms are still, on a belay, on a stand, or on a cold commute, and the sleeved cuts live in fleece jacket.

Is a gilet the same as a bodywarmer or a vest?

Yes. Gilet, bodywarmer and vest describe an identical garment, and the word on the label mostly reflects where it was written. The one confusion worth clearing up is the British use of vest for an undershirt: an outerwear fleece vest is the sleeveless jacket, not the layer against the skin. Fits are cut differently by gender rather than by name, and the male proportions, longer in the body and broader across the shoulder, sit in mens fleece gilet.

Why does wind go straight through fleece?

Because a knitted pile is full of air gaps by design, and moving air passes through them and takes the trapped warmth with it. That is a feature on a climb, where the fabric dumps sweat instead of holding it, and a problem on an exposed top. The answer is a thin windproof layer over it rather than a thicker fleece underneath. Some fleeces have a wind-resistant membrane sandwiched in the middle, which cures the problem and costs some of the breathability that made fleece worth wearing.

What should be compared between one fleece and another?

• Pile weight: microfleece for layering under a shell, midweight for standalone autumn wear, heavy pile for standing still in cold.
• Zip length: a full-length zip vents fast and goes on over a hat, a half zip keeps the chest sealed and weighs less.
• Pocket type: zipped pockets hold a phone on a hill, open handwarmer pockets do not.
• Hem and cuff finish: an elasticated or drawcord hem stops the fleece riding up under a rucksack strap.
• Face finish: a smooth outer face slides under a shell, a shaggy one grips it and drags on the sleeve.

How is pilling avoided?

Pilling is loose fibres rolling into balls where the surface rubs, typically at the underarms and along the sides where a pack strap sits. It is slowed by washing inside out on a cool, gentle cycle, without fabric softener, which coats the fibres and flattens the pile. Skip the tumble dryer: heat melts synthetic pile and leaves it matted and permanently thinner. Fleece dries fast on a hanger anyway, and a fabric shaver tidies the pills that do appear.