The Defender Collection 2026 · 100% Made in Ukraine
The Polartec 100 Crewneck · Defender 2026
A fleece that can take a beating.
The Polartec 100 Crewneck is light, surprisingly warm microfleece with stretch nylon where fleece usually dies: the shoulders under your pack straps, the forearms on rock and brush, and the chest.
“Just as described - generous sizing, lightweight and easily packable, but super warm. Washes very well - no sign of pilling or bobbling, even after numerous washes…comes up like new.”
JJon F.✓ Verified buyer Review of our Polartec Sherpa Zip Hoodie
Nylon in the high-wear areas
Polartec 100 microfleece
Wear it alone or under a shell
Real customer review
★★★★★4.9 · 5,400+ reviews
“Just as described - generous sizing, lightweight and easily packable, but super warm. Washes very well - no sign of pilling or bobbling, even after numerous washes…comes up like new.”
JJon F.✓ Verified buyer Review of our Polartec Sherpa Zip Hoodie
Nylon panels in the high-wear areasAbrasion-resistant forearmsNylon shoulders for pack strapsZip chest pocketPolartec 100 microfleece100% Made in Ukraine4.9 ★ from 5,400+ reviewsNylon panels in the high-wear areasAbrasion-resistant forearmsNylon shoulders for pack strapsZip chest pocketPolartec 100 microfleece100% Made in Ukraine4.9 ★ from 5,400+ reviews
The problem
Most fleece can’t take a beating.
Fleece is soft. That’s why it’s warm, and it’s why it pills, thins and snags wherever something rubs it all day. Outdoors, that happens in the same three places every time.
1
Shoulders
Pack straps sit there and shift with every step. Stretch nylon here.
2
Forearms
Rock, brush, bracing on a boulder. Abrasion-resistant nylon down to the cuffs.
3
Chest
Where a phone, a map or a chest strap rubs. A nylon panel with a zip pocket.
Built to take a beating
Light. Tough where it counts.
01 · The shoulders
Nylon where the straps sit.
Stretch-nylon panels on top of both shoulders take the pack straps, so the straps rub nylon, not fleece.
Stretch nylonBoth shoulders
★★★★★
“Just as described - generous sizing, lightweight and easily packable, but super warm. Washes very well - no sign of pilling or bobbling, even after numerous washes…comes up like new.”
Jon F. · review of our Polartec Sherpa Zip Hoodie
02 · The forearms
Abrasion-resistant forearms.
The outer forearms take the hits when you scramble, push through brush or brace on rock. Nylon runs down to the cuffs there, and it stretches with you.
Stretch nylonDown to the cuffs
★★★★★
“I've had the previous model for a year now. Great design, craftsmanship. The patch is a bit worn but everything else is still like new.”
Joel E. · review of our Defender Polartec 1/4 Zip Fleece
03 · The pocket
Phone stays put.
A zip chest pocket in the nylon chest panel holds your phone or a map, and you can reach it with a pack on.
Zip chest pocket
★★★★★
“Possibly the best fleece I've had, warm, light, practical (pockets in the right places), excellent quality.”
Simon B. · review of our Defender Polartec 1/4 Zip Fleece
04 · The fleece
Wear it alone or under a shell.
Polartec 100 is light, low-bulk microfleece that’s surprisingly warm for its weight. On its own on cool days, under a shell when the weather turns.
Polartec 100Low bulk
★★★★★
“This fleece crewneck offers exceptional comfort. With its spacious pockets, it provides plenty of storage while on the move. Depending on the weather, it can be worn on its own or layered as a warm mid-layer.”
Carsten · review of our Polartec Microfleece Barracks Crewneck
Two colours
From the trail to the town.
Oatmeal
On the trail.
Cream fleece with khaki nylon panels. The one we wore in the Yukon.
Midnight Black
In town.
All black, with tonal nylon panels in the same places.
Kluane National Park, Yukon
We gave it a beating in the Yukon.
Before we sold a single one, we wore it off-trail through Kluane National Park with full packs: no trail, freezing nights, snow on the passes, grizzly country. It wasn’t a photo shoot.
Off-trail
Freezing nights
Mountain passes
Grizzly country
Full packs on the snow lineShoulder panels under the strapsHeavy packs, no trailPacking up at a frozen lake
0 1 2 3 4.0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
★★★★★5,400+ reviews
“Can tell from the feel it will last forever.”
HHarrison P. · ✓ Verified buyer Review of our Defender Polartec 1/4 Zip Fleece
“This fleece crewneck offers exceptional comfort. With its spacious pockets, it provides plenty of storage while on the move. Depending on the weather, it can be worn on its own or layered as a warm mid-layer.”
CCarsten✓ Verified buyer Review of our Polartec Microfleece Barracks Crewneck
“Incredibly warm, very well made like the rest of the gear. Thanks again!”
Frank · review of our Polartec Microfleece Barracks Crewneck
5-star reviews
People who wore the last ones.
Defender 2026 is brand new, so these are real, unedited reviews of the Saint Javelin fleeces and layers that came before it.
4.9
★★★★★ 5,400+ reviews
Before you buy
Straight answers.
Will it really take a beating?
It’s built for it. The places fleece wears out first are covered in stretch nylon: the shoulders under pack straps, the forearms on rock and brush, and the chest. The rest is Polartec 100 microfleece.
Do I need to hike or backpack?
No. It’s built for the trail and clean enough for town. Most people wear it outside, at work or under a jacket.
How warm is it?
It’s a lightweight fleece, surprisingly warm for its weight. We don’t give temperature ratings. For real cold, wear it under a shell or a bigger fleece.
Is it waterproof?
No. It’s fleece. It breathes and dries fast; wear a shell in rain or wet snow.
What colours?
Oatmeal (the one in the Yukon photos) and Midnight Black.
Where is it made?
It’s cut and sewn in Ukraine. The Polartec fleece is made in the USA.
The Defender Collection 2026
Tough gear, for tough people.
Nylon where it takes a beating. Polartec everywhere else. Made in Ukraine.
Polartec 100 Crewneck
