Outdoor Vitals Ventus Active Hoodie Review for Hiking, Backpacking, and Alpine Climbing
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You can find the Outdoor Vitals Ventus Active Hoodie, here:
No piece of gear does everything. For each design feature you add, you make it better for one thing and worse for another. In the review, I talk about a lack of hand warming pockets on the garment. That’s a perfect example. The lack of hand warming pockets make it better to tuck in and worse to wear as an outermost layer. You need a different set of pockets, either in your trousers or in a parka or some such.
You can say the same thing with a hood that is designed to fit over a head but not a helmet. If you want to be able to toggle the hood when doing something technical, you can’t. It’s locked under your helmet. But a baggie hood that can fit over a helmet is less warm and can blow off if there is now helmet filling up that excess space.
So, I wouldn’t choose the Ventus Active Hoodie as a belay jacket for technical climbing. But, for technical climbing on both moderate and cold days, it does a great job as a midlayer. The key - for me - is that it only works if it’s a piece of clothing I’m not going to be taking on and off. The hood has to stay on under the helmet. The garment - and it’s lack of hand warming pockets - should be staying tucked in.
Being able to stay on for changing and highly variable conditions is actually a lot to ask for of a garment. There is a reason we dress in layers. We are supposed to be constantly changing clothing items to adjust to how hard we are working, what the temperature is doing, how windy it is, and the like. Of course, that means lots of stops to fish clothing out of the pack. So, if you can find something that you can put on and keep on, it will go a long way to keeping you moving and efficient.
So, while the Ventus Active Hoodie isn’t perfect for everything, I did find it remarkable in its ability to cover such a wide set of conditions. I honestly haven’t found a garment that has been so adaptable. Does it adapt to everything? No. Is it the perfect garment for any type of hike, any type of backpacking trip, and any type of technical climb? No. But, for cold climbing where I will never be down below two layers, it has the temperature flexibility and toughness to I need.