Introduction:
This is a zippered kid's jacket with a hood. As such, it has no surprising features: A zipper down the front, two handwarmer pockets (not zippered), and the hood. It's in a two-tone colour pattern. In our case (according to the choice of my daughter) it is made mostly of pink fleece, offset by elastic hemlines at the bottom and around the hood and wrists in purple. The zipper is in purple as well, as is an insert along the sides of the jacket which extends along the lower side of the upper arms. From just above the elbow to the wrists, this is covered by a tougher fabric in the same colour.

Fit:
Molehill Mountain Equipment offers an overlapping size chart on their web site. My daughter was past the middle range regarding their size "4/5" for weight and height, though still below size "6/7". I thus felt faced with the choice of either ordering the larger size, allowing her to grow into it (as I usually would) or ordering a jacket which would fit *now*.

After careful deliberation, I chose to do the latter - what point in evaluating a jacket which does not (yet) fit, especially as the lack of a draw cord around the bottom hem might result in a lot of warmth escaping during the coming, colder months.

The jacket we received fit just as I had expected: It was spot on. It should keep my daughter warm through the winter months, but will definitely not be worn by her come the next Fall. It'll wait for her little sister (should be born early next year). After that, Molehill Mt. Equipment offers a "Recycling Program" which allows returning used, but still serviceable items of their product line for distribution to shelters in their local area. Molehill Mt. Equipment offers a 10% coupon in exchange for doing this. While this may or may not cover the postage to Germany, it adds to the good feeling I have about the jacket.

As it is, the sleeves extend far enough to (just) cover her wrists, the hem of the jacket (just) covers her butt. The hood frames her face well and has room enough for her long hair, even if in a ponytail. The hood is well cut - it moves with her head. I like the fact that it is held to the face with an elastic hem rather than a draw cord - cords around the neck of my daughter make me nervous.

Make:
The jacket we received had no apparent flaws in it and was indeed named "well-made" by my wife, who is knowledgeable in such things. There were no missed seams, loose stitching or such. My daughter loved the jacket. She says it's comfy and warm. I myself find its particular shade of pink (called "Red Clover" by the manufacturer) to be less offensive than most, so we're happy all around.

Test Plan:
Breathability: When checking on whether she’s getting too hot or too cold, I generally place a hand on my daughter's neck and/or her back. This allows me to gauge how much sweat is accumulating there. I will be sure to dress her in her (one) synthetic, “wicking” base layer to allow moisture transfer to work. We’d be interested to see whether sweat buildup is an issue at all.

Warmth: Again, I check warmth the same way as described above. Between her telling me how she feels and this direct experience, I believe I can quite accurately tell (and report on) how she’s doing. Will it keep her warm? Will she remain warm when, after having run around for a half hour, she is carried for 15 minutes?

Fit: Will the jacket be wearable with the zipper open, or will it slide down her shoulders? Will the hood get in the way of climbing (they cut the lowest branches off our climbing tree, so now we’re trying out new opportunities to climb)?
Weather Repellency: Molehill Mountain makes no special claim in this regard, yet it is still good to know (and I therefore intend to report on) how such a jacket fares in various weather conditions. Will it protect from wind at all? Will fog or a light drizzle soak it, or be repelled?

Comfort: No matter how good the product is, if my daughter refuses to wear it, it will do her no good. Will there be any issues regarding scratchiness of fleece or zipper?

Durability: My daughter manages to get even dirtier than I. Will the dirt and grime wash out? Will the colour fade (I wouldn’t mind, given my daughter’s colour choices, but she will)? Will it tear and/or abrade easily? Will the reinforced elbows do their work?

Testing Location and Probable Conditions:
In this region, the test period (October to February) will typically see temps between -5, maybe -10 C (25, maybe 14 F) and 25 C (77 F). For precipitation we'll have fog and drizzle as well as rain in fall, some snow in winter. Fall tends to be windy.

I plan lots of day trips with my daughter. I will also go for overnighters with her, as we are also testing a kid's sleeping bag. We hike in hilly, forested terrain which starts a 15 minute walk from where we live and extends for about 30 km (20 mi) in most directions. This includes hikes in the Kottenforst State Park, the Siebengebirge Nature Preserve (Seven Mountains – bit of a misnomer there, they top out at 461 m / 1512 ft), the River Rhine and the Ahr Valley. Elevations range from 60 m / 200 ft to the above-mentioned 461 m / 1512 ft, paths tend to be well-maintained though we do not always stick to them.

There are many paths we haven’t seen yet, but we are catching up. We dayhike often (though often not even the full day), which could also be described as an extended walk (as long as we’re gone for at least half the day and I carry hammock and cook gear – and occasionally her – we consider it a hike). As we go "exploring" a lot, we tend to find many testing opportunities though we cover comparatively little ground.
My daughter also plays outside a lot in her daycare center and would often be wearing this jacket (I’d have to rely on her statements about its performance in this situation). She’d be wearing it when outside with me after dark, as well.

Pros/Cons:
Pros: No drawcords. Well-cut hood.
Cons: None so far.

Personal Biographical Information:
Name: André Corterier
Gender: M
Age: 33
Height: 1,85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight: 80 kg (175 lb)
Email: andreDOTcorterierATfreenetDOTde
Home: Bonn, Germany

Name: Renée Corterier
Gender: F
Age: 4
Height: 1,09 m (43 in)
Weight: 19 kg (42 lb)
Email: -
Home: Bonn, Germany

Backpacking Background:
I began backpacking in my late teens using Europe’s "InterRail"-System – weight hardly mattered, as we were on trains a lot. I recently rediscovered backpacking and have started out slowly – single-day 24 km (15 mi) jaunts by myself or even shorter hikes in the company of my little daughter. I am getting started on longer hikes, as a lightweight packer and hammock-camper. I’ve begun upgrading my old gear and am now shooting for a dry FSO weight (everything carried From the Skin Out except food, fuel and water) of about 10 kg (22 lb) for three-season camping. Not quite there yet.

Renée began "hiking" at the age of 1 1/2 years. This consisted of walking short distances between “stroller stops” to play in the snow or explore the banks of a creek with her dad pushing her in the stroller for most of the hike. Lately, she’s begun walking the entire stretch of shorter hikes (a few km/mi at most), though she insists on a break with a strung hammock and a hot meal on a camping stove (those, and the ability to drink from the water bladder’s drinking tube whenever her dad picks her up for a moment are what make hiking so cool). Her longest expedition so far was a 16 km (10 mi) daytrip of which she walked about half (she spent the rest in a rented kid carrier, pushing her dad’s FSO weight – including her own FSI weight – to about 38 kg/85 lb). She’s spent a night in a tent and one in a hammock, both with her dad (sleeping better than he did both times).

Read more reviews of Molehill Mountain gear
Read more gear reviews by Andre Corterier

Initial Report

All material on this site is the exclusive property of BackpackGearTest.org.
BackpackGearTest software copyright David Anderson