Defender 2026 · Crewneck

Long ruck, and the straps chew through your fleece?

5 reasons this crewneck is built for the ruck

An Oatmeal Abrasion-Resistant Crewneck and a loaded ruck, no wearer, above a snowy peak in a snowstorm (3D render)

Crewneck vs a regular crewneck

Why it beats the crewneck you already own.

	Our Crewneck	Regular crewneck
Reinforced where straps and rock hit
Polartec fleece, not cotton
Dry by the time you stop
100% Made in Ukraine

Ruck all day without wearing it through.

Straps grind the shoulders, rock hits the elbows, brush drags down the sides: that’s where fleece wears through first. All of it is reinforced with stretch nylon, and it still moves like a fleece.

“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

Oatmeal crewneck under a loaded pack on a sunlit snowy slope

Proven on a rock ridge in the Swiss Alps.

That’s our crewneck high in the Swiss Alps, pack on, on bare rock.

If it holds up there, it’ll hold up on your next ruck.

A hiker in an Oatmeal crewneck and pack moving up a rock ridge in the Swiss Alps

Micro 100

Sweat under the ruck. Dry by the halt.

Polartec Micro 100 is warm for its weight with almost no bulk. It breathes while you move and dries fast, so you don’t get chilled by your own sweat when you stop.

Oatmeal crewneck and a balaklava on a grey riverbed below snowy peaks

Light enough to ruck in. Warm enough to stop in.

Micro 100 is the lightest fleece in Polartec’s classic range, so you don’t overheat with a load on. At the halt, throw a jacket over it and you’re warm.

Oatmeal crewneck, arms crossed, nylon shoulder and forearm panels showing, snowy peaks behind

Cut and sewn in Ukraine.

We ship the Polartec fleece into Ukraine and work with manufacturers across the country to make it. Every crewneck is cut and sewn there.

Close-up of the stretch-nylon forearm panel stitched to the fleece, against a hip-belt pocket

The Defender 2026 collection

Made for where the weather turns.

Built for the ruck. Ready when you are.

Midnight Black or Oatmeal · S to XXL

Shop the Crewneck

$157 · 100% Made in Ukraine

Reviews

People loved the last one. Most sizes are gone.

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 out

Polartec 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

Reinforced where fleece rips first: stretch nylon on the shoulders, upper back, elbows and sides
Reinforced, yet it moves like a fleece: the panels stretch with you
Still warm for its weight and quick to dry: Polartec Micro 100

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

The Saint Javelin story

February 2022
The million-dollar sticker
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.
Late 2022
From meme to maker
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.
Since then
Proving our gear
Our gear has been proven around the world: in the hardest conditions in Ukraine, high in the Alps and even in the Yukon backcountry.
Today
100% Made in Ukraine
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

Everything you get

Reinforced where fleece rips firstStretch nylon on the shoulders, upper back, elbows and sides.
Dry by the time you stopPolartec Micro 100 breathes and dries fast.
Warm with almost no bulkLayers under any jacket.
100% Made in UkraineCut and sewn in Ukraine.

Reinforced where fleece rips first · 100% Made in Ukraine

Get the Crewneck

Oatmeal — Polartec 100 Lightweight Abrasion-Resistant Crewneck, front, worn by a man

Oatmeal — Polartec 100 Lightweight Abrasion-Resistant Crewneck, three-quarter view showing the abrasion panels, worn by a man

Oatmeal — Polartec 100 Lightweight Abrasion-Resistant Crewneck, zip chest pocket holding a phone

Oatmeal — Polartec 100 Lightweight Abrasion-Resistant Crewneck, back, worn by a man

Oatmeal — Polartec 100 Lightweight Abrasion-Resistant Crewneck, ribbed cuff and sleeve panel

Oatmeal — Polartec 100 Lightweight Abrasion-Resistant Crewneck, full length, worn by a man

Oatmeal — Polartec 100 Lightweight Abrasion-Resistant Crewneck, side, worn by a man

Oatmeal — Polartec 100 Lightweight Abrasion-Resistant Crewneck, front, worn by a woman

Oatmeal — Polartec 100 Lightweight Abrasion-Resistant Crewneck, full length, worn by a woman

Oatmeal — Polartec 100 Lightweight Abrasion-Resistant Crewneck, back three-quarter view, worn by a man

Oatmeal — Polartec 100 Lightweight Abrasion-Resistant Crewneck, side, worn by a woman

Oatmeal — Polartec 100 Lightweight Abrasion-Resistant Crewneck, back, worn by a woman

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Polartec 100 Lightweight Abrasion-Resistant Crewneck

$157

Warm for its weight, dry when you stop: Polartec 100 Lightweight. 100% Made in Ukraine.

Color: Oatmeal

Size: S

Reinforced where fleece rips first: stretch nylon at the shoulders, upper back, elbows and sides
Dry by the time you stop: breathable, fast-drying Polartec Micro 100
Warm with almost no bulk: layers under anything
Reinforced, yet it moves like a fleece: the panels stretch with you
Midnight Black or Oatmeal · S–XXL

Full details and size chart

Questions we get

Will the panels feel stiff?

No. They're stretch nylon, so they move with you like the fleece does.

How warm is it?

It's a lightweight layer: warm for its weight and made for moving. On cold days, wear something warmer over it.

Which colour shows the panels?

On Oatmeal the darker panels stand out. On Midnight Black they’re tonal and quieter.

What sizes are there?

S to XXL. The size chart is on the product page.

Where is it made?

100% Made in Ukraine. We ship the Polartec fabric in, and the crewneck is cut and sewn in Ukraine.

Tough gear,
for tough people.

A crewneck built for the ruck.

Shop the Crewneck

The Defender Collection 2026 · 100% Made in Ukraine

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Long ruck, and the straps chew through your fleece?