Buff Thermal Hoodie Review

Buff Thermal Hoodie by KitShack – Review

**The product discussed in this post was provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review. The Buff has been reviewed honestly and accurately to the best of my ability. For more details please read my disclaimer**

Buff Hoodie in BoxWhen the good folks at KitShack kindly offered me the chance to review one of their products, I have to admit choosing just one was really difficult! The website has an amazing range of colours and designs. I eventually settled on the Buff Thermal Hoodie in Vanadis Grey. I’ve had a couple of the standard neck tubes before and a fleece lined one too. I fell it love with them in my teens as a rock climber, I’ve always loved scarfs but these were so much more practical for outdoor activities. When I spotted the new design with a hood I was intrigued!

After choosing my product arrived in just 2 days which is a really fast turn-around. I was a little disappointed with the not-so-eco-friendly giant box it arrived it. I’ve recycled it, anyway that’s not really the point of the review.

Me wearing the Hoodie Buff thermalThe ‘Hoodie’ design is a hooded garment complete with neck and face coverage. To put it on you simply pull it over your head. It’s made for cold weather protection but is stylish enough for daily wear. The optional face covering layer can be pulled up over your nose and mouth for extra warmth or tucked down under your chin. You can wear it with the hood up or down too.

The Hoodie Buff is made with 60% Polyester knitted Polartec Thermal Pro (hood) and 40% Merino wool with a leather trimmed adjustable drawstring through the hood. It’s lighter weight than I was expecting at just 120g, it measures 24.5cm x 53cm. Apparently the Merino wool section is naturally anti-microbial so no bad smells after extended wear with the added bonus of good moisture management. I haven’t owned mine long enough to really test this but so far it does smell fine!

According to the website you can wear your Hoodie Buff skiing, snowboarding, climbing, running, skating, sledging, on the snow bike or motorbike. Since I didn’t have access to any of those activities I’ve been wearing mine when I go out. So far I’ve been shopping, gardening and birdwatching.

So what do I think? Well, the hood is lovely and soft, lightweight too. I’m very pleased with the colour and it looks great with my collection of black, and grey jackets and waterproofs. The grey colour blends in well with other neutral clothing items so it looks like part of the outfit.

There is one seam on the inside of the neck that irritated my skin a little but the more I wear it the softer it gets so I think the harsh seam just needed ‘breaking in’. I do have delicate and easily irritated skin because of my Ehlers Danlos so I wouldn’t let that aspect of the review put you off buying one. From a comfort point of view I am impressed with how warm it is despite being fairly thin and lightweight. It’s not bulky or restrictive and the hood stays up well even with my hair tucked in the back.

The whole thing squashes up to be about the size of a grapefruit. It easily fits in a large pocket, like those on waterproofs. This is a massive plus for me because I suck at regulating my body temperature.  I often swing between hot and cold especially when outdoors and undertaking physical activity. I usually find myself stuffing a hat and scarf into my handbag or rucksack. Something pocket-sized gives me more options with less space and less hassle.

allergy mask and hoodie buffStyle wise I’ve said it blends in well with my waterproofs and jackets but there is one more big bonus. It covers my allergy mask nicely. As some of my friend/readers will know I have a respiratory allergy to a specific leaf mould. Leaf kicking in autumn becomes a little less fun if you can’t breathe. This autumn and winter I starter wearing an allergy mask from Respro. It does the job really well and I’ve been outdoors a lot more as a result. The only downsides are the questions and staring. I don’t usually mind answering questions about my health (I’m all for raising awareness) but sometimes I just want to walk the dog and catch Pokémon. The Buff hoodie gives me the option to be protected from allergens in stealth. It works a lot better than the hat / scarf/ mask combination too. Less fuzzy surfaces for me to get the masks’ velcro stuck to! It also means I can chop down trees in the garden without looking like and extra from Dexter or CSI.

Final thoughts, I like it a LOT. The Buff Hoodie will certainly be a staple in my outdoors wardrobe.

Oh and if you do decide to get one, keep an eye out for the yellow Buff label, it’s actually a sticker! Mine is now proudly covering some of the scratches on my wheelchair.

 

Any questions or comments please do let me know.

JBOT

5 thoughts on “Buff Thermal Hoodie by KitShack – Review

  1. I remember when I was a teenager hoodies were only for chavs. Thankfully nowadays we can all wear them and buffs too without being categorised

  2. Looks interesting. I love the Buff neck tubes for riding my motorbike, although I’m struggling to see how this would meet their claim of being good on the motorbike as I don’t think it would easily go under a helmet – or any other sport involving a helmet, for that matter. I guess it could be good for when you get wherever you’re going and take your helmet off. Like you, I struggle with temperature regulation so it could be something to stick in a pannier on the bike in case I need it on a cold day. I know you said it was a free sample but do you know how much they retail for? Great that it covers your mask though.

    1. There is a link to the Product info, they retail for £44.50 so they aren’t ‘cheap’. you caan wear it with the hood down so perhapse you can just pop the hood up once you’ve takenoff your helmet?

  3. not this brand but I also have one of these, actually bought it for my hubby but our dog hates it on him and tries to pull it off his face, not so me ….. I find it much easier as the hoods on coats tend to just get blown off in the wing and a hat and scarf still leave a gap for the cold and wet to get in around my neck, with using an electric I need something I can pull on and off and re-position with one hand depending on location and this is fantastic – when finances permit I will be investing in more maybe even in different colours to blends in with the various coats I have.

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