Puffy---with hood or not?

[hobby]

I'm looking at down puffy jackets. A hooded one would be warmer, but when raining, seems the hood would get wet even under my rain jacket hood. Which do you have? Hooded or not.

[Lyle]

I prefer a synthetic "puffy" just for this reason. A rain jacket will NOT protect your "puffy" from getting wet while hiking, either from sweat or rain infiltration. If the "Puffy" is synthetic, when you might rarely use it while hiking, it won't have disastrous results when it does get wet. I also prefer one with a hood - MUCH warmer than separate jacket/hat/buff combinations, but either will work.

Only rarely should you need a "puffy" while hiking. Base layer and a reasonable mid layer under a rain/wind shell usually keeps me warm while hiking well below freezing temperatures.

I DO use down for my sleeping bag, no contest there.

[egilbe]

I never hike in my puffy. Thats just silly beans. Too damn warm to hike in a puffy. It stays in my pack 90% of the time. Comes out when I stop for the day. To keep me warm. Or another layer to sleep in, in which case, a hood helps.

[DuneElliot]

No hood for me...it just gets in the way. I prefer the modular system of a puffy and a warm hat

[hobby]

thanks y'all
not thinking of hiking in it, but for warmth at camp. Seems like the hood would get in the way or get wet under the rain shell, but be warmer and good for extra sleeping layer.
decisions, decisions....

[Ethesis]

I prefer a synthetic "puffy" just for this reason. A rain jacket will NOT protect your "puffy" from getting wet while hiking, either from sweat or rain infiltration. If the "Puffy" is synthetic, when you might rarely use it while hiking, it won't have disastrous results when it does get wet. I also prefer one with a hood - MUCH warmer than separate jacket/hat/buff combinations, but either will work.

Only rarely should you need a "puffy" while hiking. Base layer and a reasonable mid layer under a rain/wind shell usually keeps me warm while hiking well below freezing temperatures.

I DO use down for my sleeping bag, no contest there.

I have a synthetic Patagona for that mid Laura to go with a light hoody for that reason.

The down is only for after camp is set up and I'm in a tent and shelter out of the rain.

[gbolt]

No hood for me because I use a quilt. Need a hat not attached to a jacket to be versitile and use with my sleep system. Also allows a choice between a Beanie and a True Down Hat in Camp. I much prefer my Black Rock Down Hat with my UL Down Jacket than I would the Anorak; but i's all a personal choice.

[Miner]

A hooded puffy jacket means you need a second warm hat when its too hot for the puffy jacket, but too cold to go bare headed. And like the person above, I use a quilt so I want my warm hat to sleep in and I rarely wear my jacket to bed as its my pillow.

[fastfoxengineering]

I liked the idea of a hood. But a regular jacket has served me better

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[Dogwood]

The only time I might desire a puffy w/ hood is when I'm not active - belay jacket, car camping sitting around jacket, after climbing bivying on exposed ledges/traverses, etc.

I don't have a hooded puffy to wear when hiking. I like being modular/component oriented.

[StubbleJumper]

I only use my puffy in camp, as any time other than December to February, it would be waaay to hot to actually hike in. As mentioned by another poster up-thread, I prefer Primaloft insulation instead of down because it's less affected by dampness. In the summer, I rock a bag which is notionally rated at 32-degrees, but it's true comfort temperature limit is probably more like 40 or 42 degrees. Since I usually have a few nights where goes down to the low-30s, I tend to sleep in my puffy, wearing both a beanie and a hood. The beanie is better insulation, but I like using the hood too because you can cinch up the drawstring and essentially seal off 70 percent of your head from the cold air. I find it much warmer to use both the beanie and my hood.

Anyway, think about how you want to use your puffy. I carry a lighter bag and rely on my puffy to get me through the 10% of nights which are colder than can be handled by my bag alone. If you just need a jacket for camp, don't worry about a hood. But if you are wearing it to bed, then I'd say the hood is golden.

[Just Bill]

No hood is good

[saltysack]

Boyz in da hood here.....only worn my down parka once while hiking....over my wind jacket and rain parka. I find the hood adds way more warmth than a hat and buff alone but combined is nice and toasty.....compressed insulation isn't effective...why it was worn outside needless to say I wasn't sweating! 50mph wind at 20*!!!!


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[Bansko]

No hood. A light wool beanie and my rain jacket hood suffice just fine, even below freezing. Although I prefer to save it for camp, I have hiked with my down sweater on occasion when it got real cold, like last at the end of March when I was night hiking on a ridge in the Smokies and the wind chill was down around zero. Dual use and all that.

[Greenlight]

Hear hear.


I never hike in my puffy. Thats just silly beans. Too damn warm to hike in a puffy. It stays in my pack 90% of the time. Comes out when I stop for the day. To keep me warm. Or another layer to sleep in, in which case, a hood helps.

[poolskaterx]

No hood for me; I prefer a separate hat/beanie set up. I do have a hood on my marmot essence shell that comes in handy now and then... but that's a whole different topic:)

[DownEaster]

No hood on my puffy jacket. I've got a fleece beanie for my head and a merino wool buff for my neck. There's a hood on my mummy bag, a hood on my silk bag liner, and a hood on my Frogg Toggs jacket. I think I've got enough options to keep my head warm on those cold occasions when a hood on a puffy jacket would have been welcome, and I don't have a hood that's just in the way on warmer occasions.

[Rhughesnc]

Marmot is having an end of year sale. Just got a great coat for $75 including shipping.

[Wise Old Owl]

Well the posts are in both directions. Funny when most of us use a light weight mummy bag with a hood and push it away or sleep on top, on a warm night. Due to some current medication I can't fit into my old mummy bag at the moment. So I put on a treated down puffy with a hood and yes I carry a fleece beanie for the trail. Imagine for a moment that you put the coat on and shimmy into the bag... On the coldest nights you mover deeper into the bag as you are doubling up. Most puffys are under one pound with or without the hood.


My vote is with a hood. I like more feathers....

[bigcranky]

I always advocated for puffy jackets with a hood, and both of my current down jackets are hooded. That would normally be my only really warm head covering -- I'd carry a light fleece beanie in cold weather for hiking, and count on my puffy hood in camp, and my sleeping bag hood when sleeping.

So, now I mostly use a quilt for sleeping, and I own a separate insulated hood. I can use the hood around camp when it's cold, as well as when sleeping, making the hood on the puffy jacket redundant. I'm not going to get rid of my parkas any time soon, but when they need replacement in a few years, I'll go the hoodless route.

[gbolt]

I always advocated for puffy jackets with a hood, and both of my current down jackets are hooded. That would normally be my only really warm head covering -- I'd carry a light fleece beanie in cold weather for hiking, and count on my puffy hood in camp, and my sleeping bag hood when sleeping.

So, now I mostly use a quilt for sleeping, and I own a separate insulated hood. I can use the hood around camp when it's cold, as well as when sleeping, making the hood on the puffy jacket redundant. I'm not going to get rid of my parkas any time soon, but when they need replacement in a few years, I'll go the hoodless route.

Well stated! Hood or no hood is dependent on overall gear and sleep system. Again, as a Hammocker and quilt user, I go the separate hood camp!

[Starvin Marvin]

For me, it depends on the temp. Down to around 25*F, I use a lightweight down jacket, no hood. For temps below that, I'll use a warmer down jacket with a hood. The colder it is, the more beneficial the hood becomes.

The down jackets are used for stops and in camp, never while hiking.

Usually I'll lay them unzipped on top of me, inside the sleeping bag or quilt, to: add extra warmth, fill in any gaps, seal off the neck opening, have pre-warmed and ready for when I get up, and to make micro adjustments during the night, without having to introduce outside cold air.

If you're worried about the rain, use synthetic. A fleece with a rain jacket would be a safer option.

[ScareBear]

FWIW, I prefer no hood for any number of reasons. For me, down hoods for anything but sub-0 temps is too freaking hot. And, sweating profusely in a down hood isn't recommended...

If I need a hood to sleep, I have plenty of different weight balaclavas to get the job done and my bags that are 30 degrees and colder have a hood. Not that I EVER use the bag's hood for anything but a pillow....claustrophobia...it's a thing....

Plus, hood-less is 20 percent cheaper...just sayin....

[TrappedInsideACube]

I have a hooded puffy, hooded fleece, and a hooded rain jacket. I also carry a beanie. I hate being cold.

[The_John_Muir_Way]

I have one with a hood and one without. I use the one without more often. When Im really concerned with being cold I wear the one with the hood but sometimes the hood gets tangled in tree branches and bushes.

[mml373]

I'm looking at down puffy jackets. A hooded one would be warmer, but when raining, seems the hood would get wet even under my rain jacket hood. Which do you have? Hooded or not.

I just ordered a puffer jacket without hood. I've come to dislike "hoodies" I have because the hoods are always tugged one direction or the other with a pack and become an aggravation. Other folks' mileage may vary. I have a separate pullover hood/cap I'll wear if my head is cold, and rain gear if needed.

[Desertdave]

No hood, I use a light beanie and my gortex rain shell has a hood. Ultra light fleece w/ low t-neck, silk base layer, bases covered.

[bret]

Get the hood. Better to have and not need than not have and need and weighs nothing. I also like fleece hats, but hood is better when cold and windy.

[DownEaster]

Get the hood. Better to have and not need than not have and need and weighs nothing.
Got to disagree here. Unless you've got one of the hoods that rolls up and snaps in place to become a collar, it's going to get in the way and catch on branches, get covered in sap and other vegetable gunk, and generally be the reason you'll need to wash your jacket.

[Drybones]

Get the hood, I have three without a hood and would trade all three for one with a hood, you don't have to use the hood if it's raining, but you won't have the down jacket on anyway if you are walking...no matter how cold.

[DownEaster]

... but you won't have the down jacket on anyway if you are walking...no matter how cold.
For me, this is a(nother) reason to have a synthetic puffy jacket rather than down. I want the option to wear everything to keep my core warm in case of extreme cold, without worrying that the jacket would become a dangerous liability should it get wet.

[Calvin N]

I vote hood. It's better to have when it gets cold.

[TTT]

I vote hood. If a bear grabs you by the neck the first thing it gets is a mouthful of feathers

[Dogwood]

Get the hood. Better to have and not need than not have and need and weighs nothing. I also like fleece hats, but hood is better when cold and windy.

I observe quite a few with hood/head covering redundancy. First off if it's raining, as the OP stated, it's not extremely cold IMO. WHY have a puffy with a hood under such a scenario, even if it's a thinner wt synthetic, when the rain jacket, poncho, etc you're carrying - and assuming employing - has a hood? Under such a scenario a merino or possum down beanie and the rain jacket hood is more versatile and employable.

Some will say what about stops and in camp. Under such a cold(?) rain scenario why make long repeated warmth robbing stops if you're appropriately layered and thermoregulating? Once in camp there's an above avg likely hood you're not wandering around camp excessively in the rain. You're in your shelter which has a warming affect where it's assumed one changes into dry(ish) clothes and conserving heat wearing the beanie. AND, if need be there's a good chance you have in your kit a sleeping bag with a hood;get in it!

Dry colder winter weather and possibly amended approach to hiking little different scenario. But that was not the given scenario in relation to hood or not.

[George]

for a wind shirt, synthetic puffy or down jacket I always prefer a hood - plenty of heat loss from the neck that a separate hat does not prevent - and the hood is attached so no searching / misplacing

[Dogwood]

These decisions - like hood or not - depend on conditions, how one approaches layering, how one approaches hiking, what else is in one's kit,...hence different answers possibly all equally individually valid.

[DownEaster]

for a wind shirt, synthetic puffy or down jacket I always prefer a hood - plenty of heat loss from the neck that a separate hat does not prevent - and the hood is attached so no searching / misplacing
If the combination of beanie and puffy jacket collar doesn't keep your neck warm enough, a merino wool buff will certainly do the job. But when you don't want the hood, you're still stuck with it. (There are some puffy jackets where the hood rolls and snaps to become the collar. If you've got a puffy jacket with such an excellent design I have no complaints. However, this feature is uncommon.)

[Dogwood]

for a wind shirt, synthetic puffy or down jacket I always prefer a hood - plenty of heat loss from the neck that a separate hat does not prevent - and the hood is attached so no searching / misplacing
I get that scenario and point but the OP said it's raining. I assume you're not wearing just a wind shirt over a hooded puffy in extended or heavy rain? Never misplaced a beanie or had to search for it as, especially under the scenario given in rain and cool/cold weather, it's nearby in a side pocket or in a rain jacket pocket or already being worn. That would/could be a prime piece under rainy cold weather. And IF the conditions change to dry/dryer and warmer I'm not stuck with a just a hood on a puffy. Again, if conditions change the scenario different story. A beanie and hooded rain piece is more versatile as a backpacker on the move than a hooded puffy when it's raining.

There are several hooded wind shirts as well for when it's not raining if a wind shirt is a favored layering piece if you do want to block wind and gain some warmth to the neck area. Additionally a neck area is a location where various other pieces of gear can be used to gain coverage.

[Dogwood]

I have a hooded puffy, hooded fleece, and a hooded rain jacket. I also carry a beanie. I hate being cold.

QUESTION??? Have you ever - or how often - worn all three hooded pieces and the beanie together in the rainon the move as a backpacker? If so please name those three hooded pieces and the beanie? Yes, that is a challenge I'm calling you out on but I also want to hear your reply as I may be missing something you're doing because I'm not seeing it happening with any regularity unless all those pieces are very light wt temp wise, you have a very breathable system, hike real slow not generating heat, do a much better job at thermoregulating than myself when I thought I did an above job, or you're venting somehow(kilt, rain skirt maybe...)...

[David Miller]

I have a Zpacks sleeping bag with no hood so on a cold night I enjoy the extra worth a hood provides over a hat that always seems to get rubbed off during the night. I have never hiking with a Puffy except during hunting season in mid winter. When things get ugly cold the hood provides more warmth to weight than a hat as it stops the draft around your neck.

[Dogwood]

Another thing I question for backpacking and being mainly a hiker that camps than a camper that does some hiking is having a puffy in the first place given it's raining. That means it's not that cold. For me more often than not it has to be colder than 32* to warrant a puffy being carried unless its very light wt and as others said it would probably be a synthetic. Of course conditions change. I'd much rather have a greater number of thinner layers in my apparel system - up to about 4 layers- than 2 or 3 where one of the pieces is a major(main) heavy insulation piece as in a puffy potentially made even less versatile possibly even more redundant if its hooded. Again its raining. I'd find very good versatility in something like a med 150 wt merino or lite silk base layer V neck tee, 1/2 zip med to med heavy wt merino or one of the new Capilene mixed materials LS 1/2 zip shirts that mix merino and synthetic, lite synthetic VEST like a Nano PuFF with my rain shell over the top. That's 4 layers. But accessories like beanie and UL to med wt gloves round out many versatile combinations addressing wet conditions from 25* to 70*. Again depends on your approach to hiking, what else is in your kit, how significan't the conditions can or are expected to change(like if you're near treeline and possiy will ascend above, exposed on the open plaines where quick moving heavy rain fronts accompaned by high winds sweep through dropping temps and chill factors significantly as can happen in windy strewn open deserts, climbing, mountaineering, or having mixed trips), and how well you know how to bring all your gear and skills to bear on the current conditions.