Defender 2026 · Crewneck
7 reasons this crewneck is built for the bush
Review of last year’s Barracks Crewneck
“Incredibly warm, very well made like the rest of the gear. Thanks again!”
Where fleece dies first
Carry a loaded pack all day and the straps grind the fleece underneath until it pills, thins and wears through. Here the shoulders and upper back are stretch nylon, which takes the grinding instead. It stretches with you, so you never feel it.
“I wore the crew neck literally every day… really, really heavy bush… having the abrasion pad… you can just be confident it's not going to tear up the fleece.”Luke, on our team, after the Yukon trek
Kneel to fill a bottle, brace on a boulder to catch your breath, shove a branch out of the way. Your elbows hit everything first, so they’re stretch nylon too.
Bushwhacking means branches dragging down your sides all day, and a hip belt rubbing the same spot. Nylon runs down both sides, so that’s what gets scuffed, not the fleece.
Every time you reach into the pocket you rub the same patch of fabric, and the sternum strap sits right on top of it. The chest pocket is framed in nylon, so the fleece around it doesn’t wear first.
And everything else
Underneath the nylon is Polartec Micro 100. It’s warm for its weight with almost no bulk. It breathes on the climb and dries fast, so you don’t get chilled by your own sweat when you stop.
The zip chest pocket has a locking slider, so it can’t creep open while you scramble, and a zipper garage, so the pull doesn’t rattle around. What you put in stays in.
An open crew neck and ribbed cuffs and hem make it a layer for moving in. When it turns cold, throw something warmer over it. When the shell comes off, this is what’s still on.
Why it’s Polartec
Polartec says its team at Malden Mills created the original synthetic fleece in 1981, and that Time magazine later named it one of the most important inventions of the 20th century.
Polartec says the US Army’s Gen III cold-weather system, standard issue since 2007, uses its Power Grid and High Loft fleeces.
Your crewneck is cut from Polartec Micro 100, the lightest fleece in Polartec’s classic range, so it layers under anything.
It breathes on the climb and dries fast, so you don’t get chilled by your own sweat. We ship it into Ukraine, and your crewneck is cut and sewn there.
Why not just a regular crewneck?
A cotton crewneck soaks up sweat on the climb and stays wet when you stop. A plain fleece crew dries fast, but pack straps and brush chew through it.
The Crewneck fixes both
Midnight Black or Oatmeal · S to XXL
Shop the Crewneck$157 · 100% Made in Ukraine
Proven in the Yukon backcountry
Worn by our own team, Christian, Luke and Max, with a guide. No models.
Reviews
Heads up: these reviews are for a different product, our 2025 Barracks Crewneck. The 2026 Crewneck is brand new, so it has no reviews yet.
Almost sold outPolartec Microfleece Barracks Crewneck (2025)
5.0 from 7 reviews
Review of the 2025 Barracks Crewneck
“This fleece crewneck offers exceptional comfort. … Depending on the weather, it can be worn on its own or layered as a warm mid-layer.”
CarstenVerified buyerGermany
See it on Judge.me ↗Review of the 2025 Barracks Crewneck
“Super soft and the fit is spot on.”
CollyVerified buyerIreland
See it on Judge.me ↗Review of the 2025 Barracks Crewneck
“Really Good, well made, I'm using it right now on the inside of a large hoodie, but was good as late sunny autumn sweater too.”
BriosafreakVerified buyerPortugal
See it on Judge.me ↗Review of the 2025 Barracks Crewneck
“Great, warm fleece. Washes well and you don’t need to iron it!”
MaxVerified buyerUnited Kingdom
See it on Judge.me ↗The new Crewneck is even better
Too nice to be real? Fair. Our mums didn’t write these, promise. They all live on Judge.me, and “Verified” means Judge.me matched the review to a real order.
Check our homework on Judge.me →Who's behind it
On February 16, 2022, former journalist Christian Borys printed 100 stickers of a saint holding a Javelin missile to raise money for Ukrainian charities. He sold over 10,000 and raised over $1M.
We started making our gear in Ukraine. In late 2022, we built and donated military winter gear to Ukrainian soldiers, which went on to inspire the Defender collection.
Our gear has been proven around the world: in the hardest conditions in Ukraine, high in the Alps and even in the Yukon backcountry.
We built our production from the ground up. We bring the best materials we can find, like Polartec fleece, into Ukraine and work with manufacturers across the country to make our gear.
As seen in
Rated 4.9 out of 5 across 5,400+ customer reviews
Keep the fleece · Dry when you stop
$157
Warm for its weight, dry when you stop: Polartec 100 Lightweight. 100% Made in Ukraine.
No. They're stretch nylon, so they move with you like the fleece does.
It's a lightweight layer: warm for its weight and made for moving. On cold days, wear something warmer over it.
On Oatmeal the darker panels stand out. On Midnight Black they’re tonal and quieter.
S to XXL. The size chart is on the product page.
100% Made in Ukraine. We ship the Polartec fabric in, and the crewneck is cut and sewn in Ukraine.
Bushwhack all day. Keep the fleece.
Shop the CrewneckThe Defender Collection 2026 · 100% Made in Ukraine
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