Essential Features for Your Ultimate Backpacking Hoodie (or Another Reason Why Backpackers Should Learn to Sew)
I <3 hoodies.
I'd wear them 24/7/365 if I could. So naturally, I started getting pickier and pickier, especially with the technical hoodies for backpacking. When I actually found a hoodie with all the features I wanted, it'd be well over $100 (probably worth it for some of them actually). And...I'd get them anyway. For someone who doesn't spend much on clothing, it was painful, even more so when I imagined the torture they'd be put through or when wondering how many seasons they'd last.
Luckily, I had just learned to sew to make/optimize some of my own gear for backpacking (nothing fancy, mostly various equipment holders/attachments) because a lot of the gear from mainstream brands is overbuilt and heavy (go ultralight!). So I looked for a hoodie that would be a size or two too large (another plus--usually x-large, xx-large, etc. sizes are on sale! just make sure it's not SO big that you'll have to make excessive alterations, unless you're into that) with the type of fabric I wanted, and got one to experiment with.
feature #1: micro-grid fleece
I CANNOT possibly say enough wonderful things about this type of fabric. If it were a women I'd marry it. If it were a DUDE I'd marry it. It's unnaturally warm--supposedly the channels between the grids trap warm air, and it seems to do exactly that. But it's also very good at wicking away sweat, probably due to being synthetic and lightweight (again because of the grid pattern). Basically, perfect for cold weather exertion.
Ok, so first you cut away any unwanted features (in my case, the fabric used for the kangaroo pockets) and also remove whatever fabric necessary to get the perfect fit. This is one of the best aspects of altering/making your own clothes. If you plan to add on your own features, then try to cut away the unwanted fabric very carefully so you can reuse it when you sew it back on. Sometimes you won't have to cut and you'll be able to remove fabric/features from where it's sewed onto the garment. There's a tool specific for this purpose--it looks like a mix of needle/hook, although either one of those alone could work or at least help.
feature #2: extra long length, especially in the back
In this example, I took the pieces I cut off from the sides to make the hoodie trimmer, and added it to the bottom, to make it extra long, especially in the back. This way, when you bend over or stretch or whatever, you don't expose your back or midsection to the cold (ahhh so warm...).
I still had fabric from the kangaroo pocket I removed. And this next feature is one of my "must-haves" for serious hoodies...
feature #3: thumbholes...THUMBHOLES!
I don't see how you can wear a hoodie with thumbholes, and ever go back to normal, non-thumbholed hoodies. They keep your hands warmer and prevent your sleeves from riding up when you move around. And if you layer over your hoodie, it's sooo convenient to just slip into the thumbholes and layer over your hoodie effortlessly. It sounds like I'm exaggerating, but I'm not -_-
Alright, this last one is really just something I wanted, and maybe not a necessity. Plus, I just happened to get lucky, as this hoodie had an ABNORMALLY large hood...maybe it was made to fit over a helmet? Anyway, this allowed me to alter the hoodie further to add my last feature.
feature #4: extra long zipper, from chest to above the neck
Why? Because...COLD (see the pattern?). Ok, but not JUST cold. Having the extra deep zipper means you're able to remove the hoodie extremely quickly and easily when you're wet and cold and it's snowing. And of course, it's so nice to have it zipped up all the way otherwise. This was a little trickier, as I had never sewed zippers before, but it worked out alright. There's easier alternatives, like buttons or velcro, and they all have their pros and cons.
If you don't have any fabric leftover, you can always use whatever other fabric you like, if you don't care how it looks. As you can see from the pictures, I'll take warm over pretty any day.
The next time I get a chance to alter something else, I'll try to post a tutorial showing the all the steps. Hope this helps anyone who's interested in altering or making their own clothes. If you know of an awesome feature to include on hoodies let me know.