NW Alpine is company out of Oregon that makes climbing apparel for the core user. All its products are USA made and exceptionally designed.
I recently had the chance to test the Women's NW Alpine Spider Hoody. While I’ve only had it in my hands for just over a week, my initial impressions are overwhelmingly positive.
I’m not much of climber, so instead I have used the Spider Hoody for a winter run, skiing and as around town wear. It transitioned seamlessly between all three activities.
Here’s what I like about the NW Alpine Spider Hoody:
- It’s made with Polartec® High Efficiency Power Dry® micro grid fleece, which is light enough layer to breathe well, while at the same time being heavy enough to keep you warm.
- It works well as both an outer layer – such as when I was running and in a coffee shop – and an under layer – such as when I was skiing.
- It has functional, streamlined features – a small front pocket and thumb holes.
- It’s designed with an extra length in the torso. Presumably this is to fit under a climbing harness, but it also helps with tucking it into your snow pants and preventing the hip belt on your backpack from chaffing.
- It’s USA Made. We mentioned this earlier, but want to highlight it again, as it’s so rare these days to find technical outdoor apparel that’s made domestically.
- It doesn’t hold smell. This can often be a big issue with base layers, so I am particularly pleased about this.
- It fits. Well. I’m a “smedium”... sometimes I wear a small and sometimes a medium. NW Alpine sent me a medium for this review.
I have yet to find a con about the NW Alpine Spider Hoody. But will update this review if I come across one as I give the base layer more mileage.
The Bottom Line: If you’re in the market for a solid performance base layer, you can’t go wrong with the NW Alpine Spider Hoody. They are also 10% off! (until March 25th)
Our CEO Lloyd Vogel also tested out the Spider Hoody. Check out his video review of the men’s version!
Grab 12% off the Spider Hoody using the promocode "spider12" at checkout!