Wearing cotton or plastic against your skin
A soggy cotton tee holds sweat; a polyester one is plastic against your skin all day. Fix: a soft bamboo base that helps move sweat away.
Defender 2026 · How to layer5 layering mistakes
5 layering mistakes
that make you cold
Getting cold outside is rarely about the jacket. It is about how you layer. Five mistakes we see all the time, and the fix for each.
Shop the layersMade in Ukraine
- Base, mid, warmth
- Tested at −10 °C
- Made in Ukraine
Climbing in your warmest layer
You sweat through it, then freeze when you stop. Fix: a breathable Power Grid layer for moving, and save the warm one for stops.
Waiting until you are cold to add a layer
By then you are chasing it. Fix: put the warm layer on the moment you stop. Polartec 200, Polartec’s classic midweight fleece, a fabric that has served in US military cold-weather gear.
Forgetting your face and head
Wind on your face drains you. Fix: a hood that zips up into a balaclava, and a fleece-lined cap.
Using one big jacket for everything
One heavy coat is too hot moving and not flexible enough. Fix: thin layers you add and take off.
The system
The fix, layer by layer
Layer 1 · BaseBamboo Active Long-SleeveSoft bamboo next to skin.$76Shop it
Layer 2 · MovingPolartec PowerGrid Ultralight - Quarter-ZipPower Grid, for effort.$135Shop it
Layer 3 · WarmthPolartec 200 Midweight - Ninja HoodiePolartec 200, hood zips up.$156Shop it
Layer 4 · StoppingPolartec High Loft Midweight - Fleece JacketHigh Loft, the warmest.$195Shop it
Where this came from
We learned this the hard way, over four years
Saint Javelin started as a sticker in 2022. Every Defender collection since has taken us further outdoors, and taught us more about what keeps people warm.
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February 2022It started with a sticker
Journalist Christian Borys prints a sticker: a saint in green robes holding a Javelin. He hopes to raise a few hundred dollars for Ukraine. Days later Russia launches its full-scale invasion, and the saint goes around the world.
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2022Made in Ukraine
We stop being a meme and start being a maker. Production moves into Ukraine, and we start learning how to make things that last.
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November 2023The first Defender
Our first cold-weather collection: a fleece, and the padded work socks people still buy from us today.
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2024Polartec arrives
Defender moves to Polartec: quarter-zip fleeces, a sherpa hoodie and thermals. Customers start calling them the best fleece they own.
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2025Into the mountains
The Karpathian Sherpa fleece, shot with Ukrainian veterans hiking the Carpathian mountains. Our first real step into outdoor gear.
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2026Tested in the Yukon
Defender 2026: Polartec Power Grid, Micro 100, 200 and High Loft, cut and sewn in Ukraine. Before it went on sale we wore it for five days and 55 km off-trail in the Yukon backcountry, with nights down to −10 °C.
Polartec 200 Midweight · Ninja Hoodie
Get the Ninja Hoodie
Polartec 200 Midweight - Ninja Hoodie
$156
Polartec 200 Midweight. 100% Made in Ukraine.
- Stay warm on long, cold stops: Polartec 200 midweight fleece that breathes on the climb and dries fast when you stop.
- Leave the balaclava at home: zip it all the way up and the hood closes around your face.
- Carry a loaded pack all day: stretch nylon panels on the forearms and lower sides take the wear.
- Keep hands warm and kit secure: 2 zip hand pockets plus a big kangaroo pocket.
- Seal out the wind: storm guard behind the zip, bungee hem you can cinch tight.
5★ reviews
People who own our earlier Defender fleeces
Defender 2026 is brand new, so here is what customers say about the Defender fleeces that came before it.
★★★★★
“What few mention is how dense it is! … it’s going to hold heat better and resist wind more than any fleece I’ve encountered, ever.”
Aj Rez
★★★★★
“I wore it while hiking the alps in summer, going out with friends on a fall evening and now in the winter - it always performs and keeps you warm, when you need it to.”
Niels
★★★★★
“Sizing is spot on. Very warm in winter, and breathable when inside. … Best mid layer I’ve ever bought.”
Kieran
★★★★★
“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 Earnest
★★★★★
“Better than any fleece hoodie I have purchased from name brand s in the past.”
Adrian Krawczeniuk
★★★★★
“Washes very well - no sign of pilling or bobbling, even after numerous washes…comes up like new.”
Jon Farmer
Store-wide: 4.89★ from 5,469 reviews (Judge.me, 28 October 2026).
Questions we get
How does it fit?
A relaxed fit with room for a base layer underneath. If you are between sizes and want to wear it over a thicker layer, size up. Full measurements are on the product page.
Can it replace my shell?
No, and we will not pretend otherwise. It is a midweight fleece: warm on its own on cold, dry days, and the warm layer under a shell when it rains or snows hard.
Is it really Polartec?
Yes. Polartec 200, 100% polyester, from Polartec. The abrasion panels are stretch nylon (91% nylon, 9% elastane).
Where is it made?
In Ukraine, start to finish. Cut and sewn in ukraine, by teams who keep working through blackouts.
What colours does it come in?
Midnight Black, Olive and Ranger Green, sizes S to XXL.
