Cold trips go wrong in small ways: a wet layer, a cold neck, a hood that will not stay up. Six small miseries the Ninja Hoodie took off our list in the Yukon.
Wade a creek, climb out the other side, and a cotton hoodie stays wet for the rest of the day.
Polartec 200 is Polartec’s classic midweight fleece, a fabric that has served in US military cold-weather gear. It dries fast and keeps you warm while it does.
Wind on exposed skin wears you down faster than the cold itself. Zip the hoodie all the way up and the hood closes around your face like a balaclava, with an elastic face opening and taped seams so nothing rubs.
It is always in the other bag. With the face cover built into the hood, there is nothing to forget and nothing to lose.
Pack straps and hip belts pill and thin a fleece in one season. The forearms and lower sides here are stretch nylon, so the wear lands on something built for it.
Bend over a stove and the cold finds the gap. Cinch the bungee hem and it is gone.
Trail layer, camp layer, sleep layer, face cover. The Ninja Hoodie did all four for us, which meant less weight and fewer choices before coffee.
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.”
“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.”
“Sizing is spot on. Very warm in winter, and breathable when inside. … Best mid layer I’ve ever bought.”
“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.”
“Better than any fleece hoodie I have purchased from name brand s in the past.”
“Washes very well - no sign of pilling or bobbling, even after numerous washes…comes up like new.”
Store-wide: 4.89★ from 5,469 reviews (Judge.me, 28 October 2026).
Journalist Christian Borys prints a sticker of a saint holding a Javelin, hoping to raise a few hundred dollars for Ukraine. Days later the full-scale invasion starts, and the saint goes around the world.
We move production into Ukraine. Military-inspired gear first, then a Defender collection every winter, each one pushing further outdoors.
Defender 2026: Polartec fleece made in Ukraine. Before launch we wore it 55 km off-trail through the Yukon backcountry, with nights down to −10 °C.
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.
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.
Yes. Polartec 200, 100% polyester, from Polartec. The abrasion panels are stretch nylon (91% nylon, 9% elastane).
In Ukraine, start to finish. Cut and sewn in ukraine, by teams who keep working through blackouts.
Midnight Black, Olive and Ranger Green, sizes S to XXL.
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