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Molehill Mt. Equipment Hooded Jacket
- Field Report -
January 2006
1)Tester and Co-Tester Background and Contact Information
Name: Curt Peterson
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Height: 6'3" (1.91 m)
Weight: 270 (122 kg)
Email address: curt<at>boopants<dot>com
Location: North Bend, Washington, USA
I live in the Cascade
foothills, just 20 miles (32 km) from the Pacific Crest Trail via trails leading
right from my backyard. My outdoor time in Washington is spent dayhiking,
backpacking, climbing, and skiing everywhere from the Olympic coast to
rainforests to Cascade volcanoes to dry steppe.
I played football in college and often evaluate products from a big guy
perspective. I tested gear for Seattle's biggest gear retailer in the mid-90s,
and guided backpacking tours for a few summers. My typical pack load ranges from
12 - 19 lbs (5.4 - 8.6 kg) and usually includes wet weather gear.
Name: Ethan Peterson
Age: 3
Gender: Male
Height: 3'3" (0.91 m)
Weight: 33 lbs. (15 kg)
Molehill Mt. Equipment Size: 4T/5T
Email address (Using Papa's): curt<at>boopants<dot>com
Location: North Bend, Washington, USA
I'm a ridiculously cute and very active 3 year old. I hike on a trail every
single day with my mommy and papa and dog. We go on the trail to the lake and
throw rocks in the water. I live in the mountains where it can get pretty cold
and fleece jackets are a great way to keep warm without overheating – especially
when you're as much of a wild child as I am. My Papa got me skis and is going to
teach me how to ski this winter. I can't wait. I even skied on the grass in July
just to try it out! I should be able to use the jacket a whole bunch because I
don't sleep. Ever.
2) Molehill Mt. Equipment Hooded Jacket
Specifications
- Jacket Size: 4/5
- Jacket Weight: 8.6 oz (246 gm)
- Jacket Material: Malden Mills Polartec Classic 200
Weight Fleece, 100% Polyester
- Jacket Color: Green Day
- Lifetime Warranty
- Recycle Program (see
Initial Report)
- Made in Mexico
- Manufacturer Website:
www.molehillmtn.com
3) Molehill Mt. Hooded Jacket Field Report and Test
Plan
Field Report
The Molehill Mt. Hooded Jacket we are testing has
received plenty of use so far. In fact, scarcely a day goes by that it isn't
used at least a little bit. Ethan wears it to daycare, on dog walks, on weekend
hikes, on 1 ski day so far, even on a few chilly naps. It has proved to be a
very popular item - Ethan is happy to put it on and once it's on it stays on
until Mom or Papa take it off. Believe me, that's definitely not the case with
his other clothing items. He's had it up to around 3500 feet (1050 meters)
once, but all other use has been on valley trails in the area around 1000 to
1500 feet (300 to 450 meters). It's been in cold sun, mild sun, lots of drizzle
and mist, and even an accidental downpour. The Molehill Mt. jacket has done
well in all conditions.
Fit is as good as it gets in a toddler. I can't
imagine the headache it must cause to try and design clothing that fits an
ever-changing size. I wouldn't have thought it would work to make a jacket that
fits a 3 year old well, but leaves enough to room to still fit down the road as
4 gets nearer. I'm quite convinced that this jacket will see regular service a
year from now. I'm not sure I can say that about any other item of clothing
Ethan owns that fits him well now. I would recommend getting the jacket on the
lower end of the size range to extend the useful life of the jacket.
The features are few on the jacket, and that's just
fine with me. The pockets are about the only thing he can use or access, and
they've served just fine. They don't close, so they're not for storing worms
and rocks, but they'll keep little hands warm. The hood fits great, but the
elastic face makes it a little difficult for Ethan to get it on by himself. It
doesn't just pull on with one hand - he needs to put some effort into it
and"open" the face of the hood to get it on - especially if the jacket is zipped
up all the way.
There are no rips or tears or unraveled seams to note.
The Molehill Mt. Hooded Jacket is handling toddler use well so far.
Overall, we are all very pleased with the Molehill Mt.
jacket. Ethan loves to wear it, it's simple to put on and take off, and it has
all the benefits of fleece outerwear in regards to insulation and water
resistance. It's hard to find anything to even nitpick on at this point. The
jacket serves a simple function and serves it well. It doesn't try to be more
than it is and the attention seems to have been on getting the fit just right
instead of loading it up with features or cartoon graphics. This kind of focus
by Molehill Mt. is appreciated, especially by our family that values being
outside and comfortable over being trendy.
Test Plan
We will test the Molehill Mt. Equipment Hooded Jacket
in the remaining winter months here in Washington State – the test timing is
perfect for a fleece jacket. We will continue to use it in snowy conditions
while skiing, but most use will be on local trails accessible and exciting
enough for a 3 year old. Typical use will range from 1,500 feet (460 meters) on
valley trails to over 4,000 feet (1,220 meters) on ski slopes. Temperatures will
likely range from the mid teens F (-11 to -8 C) to the mid 50s F (11 to 14 C).
It will go on every trip Ethan goes on - dayhikes, backpacking trips, and ski
days.
We will test the jacket in various conditions and report on
(test question answers so far in italics):
Material: Molehill Mt. Equipment lists the jacket in the 200 wt. fleece
section, but there are a variety of fleece fabrics in this range produced by
Malden Mills. Any special features to this variety?
**This is good old 200 weight Polartec fleece.
As is typical of 200 fleece, it gets more nubby with laundering, adding to the
cozy fuzzy look and feel.
Fit: Obviously this is crucial. Do the chart specifications translate to
a good fit for little ones?
**Fit is excellent on Ethan. He's right in the
range for a good fit, so it's pretty true to size in my opinion. No extra long
or extra short sleeves, no super bagginess to get in the way. It definitely
appears that sizing patterns were made from real little people instead of scaled
down adult versions.
Safety: Is the jacket safe for little people?
**No drawcords to strangle on, no cordlocks to
swallow. All closeable aspects are zipper or elastic. It's nice to not have to
worry about little things like that - particularly with a curious 3 year old who
finds plenty of other things for us to worry about.
Comfort: Is the jacket comfortable? Does Ethan like to wear it or is it
scratchy or binding, etc.?
**Ethan loves the jacket. He can be picky at
times about what he wears, but never with the Molehill. He's happy to put it
on, and in fact, sometimes it's hard to get it off of him!
Ease of Use: This is primarily for the parents – is it easy to zip up on
a squirmy kid?
**No problems here. The zipper latches quickly
and easily with no snags so far.
Hood: Does the hood work? Will it keep a head warm and still allow them
to see? Does it completely swallow the head? Too tight?
**The hood is interesting. It fits his face
and head circumference just right, but there's a sort of double-pinnacle of
extra space on the top. Kind of a double conehead look. I'm not sure if it's a
construction characteristic or an intentional style thing, but it seems to pose
no problems and is kind of cute. It certainly gives the look of a toddler.
Durability: Does it last? Kids are hard on clothing – is the
Molehill Mt. Equipment Hooded Jacket built for the abuse kids dish out? Do
threads unravel?
**So far there are no complaints regarding
durability. The jacket has been laundered 4 or 5 times already, and has been
played hard in without regard for wear. It's standing up to toddler use very
well - especially considering the heavy use to date.
Insulation: Does it perform as typical 200 wt. fleece? While the warmth
provided by this common fabric is pretty well known, construction techniques and
technologies can affect efficiency of insulation. Essentially, how warm is the
jacket?
**As mentioned above, it's typical of 200
weight fleece. It does appear to be a bit loftier on a little kid, but I'm
guessing that is because the jacket is proportionally thicker on a tiny wearer.
I haven't seen anything atypical of 200 fleece and it appears to insulate as
expected.
Thanks to BackpackGearTest.org and
Molehill Mt. Equipment for the opportunity to test the Hooded Jacket!
Read more reviews of Molehill Mountain gear
Read more gear reviews by Curt Peterson
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