Reviews > Clothing > Childrens Clothing > Molehill Mountain Hooded Fleece Jacket > Jamie DeBenedetto > Initial Report

Molehill Mountain Equipment Hooded Jacket

Initial Report - October 13th, 2005

Reviewer's Information

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Product Information and Description

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Arrival Condition and Informational Material

As far as I can tell the Hooded Jacket is in excellent condition. The zipper works fine, all the seams are together as they should be and the fabric is in good shape. The jacket came with two hang tags, one with details about the Polartec® 200 Classic Fleece and the other from Molehill Mt. about the garment. The tag isn't specific to the Hooded Jacket, rather it's more of an all encompassing tag for their line of children's products. It gives a rundown of all their children's clothing and outdoor gear, their lifetime warranty, contact address, phone number and email, and details about their "Recycle Your Clothes" program. The back of the four page tag lists their sizing chart, website address and 800 number.

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Expectations and First Impressions

The Hooded Jacket fell a little short of the initial expectations I had from the website material. Apparently Molehill Mt. also has a product they call the Full-Zip Jacket. This jacket is fleece like the Hooded Jacket but is made of a special Wind Pro™ fleece that is more wind-resistant than the Polartec® 200. It is also coated with DWR to increase water repellency. The odd part is this information is listed on the same page as the Polartec® 200 Fleecewear, which is were the Hooded Jacket is listed. Unfortunately, the Full-Zip Jackets are displayed on a completely different page titled, of all things, Full-Zip Jackets. My initial assumption was that since the Hooded Jacket has a full zipper, maybe it was part of the Full-Zip line and would also include the Wind Pro™ and the DWR coating. Needless to say, when the Hooded Jacket arrived and I started writing my report I realized it did not have the DWR or the Wind Pro™ so I took a second tour of the Molehill Mt. website and discovered the reason for my error. Even though both garments are fleece wear, I personally think it would be helpful if the particulars of the Full-Zip Jackets were only listed on the page with the Full-Zip Jackets.

As far as my first impressions, they are hopeful. Due to a mild climate where we live a quality fleece is pretty much all A.J wears during the cooler months. The Hooded Jacket certainly looks to be well made. It is very soft, which A.J. thought was great and it fits him well. I intentionally asked for a slightly larger size so we'd have room to grow and layer. I was a little concerned about this decision because that could mean the arm length would be way too long or the hood would be too large, however, with the elastic around both, it works fine for now. We'll see how this plays out in the real world when he's trying to make a snow ball or dodge one.

My only concern is the little jacket's packability. It's quite bulky. Even folded up and squished as much as I could get it to compress, it's still larger than my adult fleece and it takes up virtually all the inside of A.J.'s toddler sized backpack. He doesn't generally carry much so this may not be an issue and it certainly wont be an issue if he's wearing the jacket but I will make notes of this throughout our testing to see if it becomes a hassle.

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Expected Field Test Locations and Conditions

Between October and February we will be day hiking at least three days a week around the 1,500 ft (500 m) level in the desert mountain parks near our home. We generally hit the trails in the early morning so temperatures would be somewhere between freezing and 60 F (16 C). During the coolest months of the test period (Dec. - Feb.) we will be making regular trips up to the snow for sledding and play. Temperatures on these outings will be around freezing up to the low 50's F (10 C). Elevation will range somewhere between 7,000 and 9,000 ft (2,100 to 2,700 m). Various types of precipitation and weather conditions are possible.

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Proposed Test Plan

My plan is to make the Molehill Mt. Hooded Jacket A.J.'s primary layer for all our fall and winter outings. I believe he will be able to really test the durability of this jacket through daily wear as well as on trail time. He's not overly enthusiastic about beanies so the hood will certainly be used. Unless it's really raining cats and dogs we rarely miss our morning hikes, which means I definitely expect several opportunities to test the quick drying aspects of the fleece in addition to its water repellency, or lack thereof. He will also get a few excellent chances to test the jacket as a middle layer under his snow jacket when we head up to the high country for some fun in the snow.

A.J. is a very good speaker and although he's young he will no doubt be capable of telling me how the fleece fits and if it's effective for him. I will be looking for the following aspects of the garment…

How well does the fit work for his body type and is it useful as a second layer, as an outer layer?
Does the fleece material have good moisture management properties? How quickly does it dry and does it have any natural repellency?
Will the elastic retain its shape, especially around the hood, through regular use? Will it ride up around A.J.'s waist?
Will the material hold up to repeated washings and how easy it is to clean? Does it hold in odors after a sweaty boy has been wearing it for a few days?
Will the Teflon® coated nylon elbows add durability and warmth to this area of the jacket, as stated on the manufacture's website? Are they really waterproof and breathable?
As stated above, the packability issue will be watched closely.

Jamie J. DeBenedetto
October 13, 2005

Reviews > Clothing > Childrens Clothing > Molehill Mountain Hooded Fleece Jacket > Jamie DeBenedetto > Initial Report