Molehill Mt. Equipment "Hooded Fleece" Kid's Jacket
Long Term Report by André Corterier
Date: March 2006
Personal Biographical Information:
Name: André Corterier
Gender: M
Age: 34
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: 1.10 m (43 in)
Weight: 19 kg (42 lb)
Email: -
Home: Bonn, Germany
Backpacking Background:
I started out with backpacking 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 (overnight)
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. Getting there.
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 30 km (19 mi) overnighter on
which she carried her own rain gear and insulation layer. She has spent nights in a tent and a hammock as well as
underneath a tarp and the open sky.
Year of Manufacture: 2005
Manufacturer: Molehill Mountain Equipment
URL: http://www.molehillmtn.com
MSRP: 54.99 USD for size 4/5
Colour: "Red Clover" (pink, with violet accents)
Comparisons: - scale accurate to 1 g (0.04 oz)
listed weight: none given
measured weight: 235 g (8.3 oz) for size 4/5
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. You may wish to take a look at my
Initial Report,
which features a more detailed description.
Field Experience:
My daughter has continued to wear the jacket almost daily - effectively whenever we left the house. This has included
a number of short day hikes, but even more trips to the playground, the daycare center and the store and bakery.
I haven't seen much of the jacket during this time, however, as she was mostly wearing a shell jacket over it.
Not much has changed in my view of the jacket since my
Field Report.
I assume that the only reason I'm not ecstatic about the jacket is that though it keeps serving extremely well, I
have come to take this for granted. There is very little to say over and above what I've said in my Field Report.
Comfort:
The fleece material of the jacket itself is not, as far as I can tell, elastic. Yet the cut, combined with the
elastic hems, seems to allow it to fit a wide variety of ways to wear it. My daughter has worn it as a (too short)
bathrobe without it seeming wastefully large on her. She has often worn it over just a wicking base layer, but has
also (been) layered in a top, a long-sleeve top and a pullover *before* putting on the jacket. While she was
visibly heavily dressed (and prone to overheating if not out of the apartment quickly), she did not quite look like
the Michelin woman. The jacket, even over this amount of clothing, did not seem to infringe on her movements unduly.
I am quite impressed.
My daughter has also worn the Molehill Mountain Hooded Fleece Jacket to bed - to bag, that is. When sleeping outside
in temperatures near or below zero, this jacket was comfortably worn to sleep in. My daughter has had no complaints,
except that she occasionally takes off the hood when conditions no longer require it and seems to forget that she
has it when the wind picks up again.
Durability:
To this day, the jacket shows literally no signs of wear. No frayed hems or edges, no loose threads, no stains
(when recently washed). For a jacket that's been worn nearly daily for four months now, I am very impressed. The
jacket has been walked, crawled, eaten, slept and climbed in, in all conditions from muddy to snow (though I'll
admit it's been protected by a shell jacket for much of the time). Still, it is the single piece of apparel my
daughter has worn the most by far and still looks like new. I am afraid my daughter will have outgrown it by next
winter (though I expect she'll be denying this vehemently). The year thereafter, I'll be rolling up its sleeves
and see if my younger daughter (now just born) can make use of it. I'm looking forward to it.
Pros/Cons:
Pros: Warm, fits well, moves well, really durable. Excellent hood.
Cons: None. It's all good.
My daughter and I would like to thank backpackgeartest.org and Molehill Mountain Equipment for the chance to test this
excellent product.
Read more reviews of Molehill Mountain gear
Read more gear reviews by Andre Corterier
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