Defender 2026 · Crewneck

Rock scrapes, and your fleece takes the damage?

5 reasons the rock hits nylon, not fleece

A hiker in an Oatmeal crewneck kneeling on rock in the Swiss Alps, the nylon panels on his shoulders and elbows

At a glance

Meet the Crewneck

Oatmeal Abrasion-Resistant Crewneck from the front, nylon panels on the shoulders and chest — Front

Oatmeal Abrasion-Resistant Crewneck from the back, nylon across the upper back and elbows — Back

Oatmeal Abrasion-Resistant Crewneck, arms crossed, the nylon panels on the arms — Three-quarter

Crewneck vs a regular crewneck

Why it beats the crewneck you already own.

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

Rock scrapes the panel. Not the fleece.

Kneel, brace, scramble: your elbows and shoulders hit rock first, and brush drags down your sides. All of it is stretch nylon here, so the rock scrapes nylon and the fleece stays intact.

“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

An Oatmeal Abrasion-Resistant Crewneck on a snowy granite boulder, the rock scraping its nylon forearm panel while the fleece stays clean, pine forest behind (3D render)

Proven by Tim on bare rock in the Swiss Alps.

That’s Tim, an alpinist and BASE jumper, high in the Swiss Alps with a pack on.

He and heroes like him inspired the Defender collection. If it holds up for him, it’ll hold up on your next trip.

Tim, an alpinist and BASE jumper, in the Oatmeal crewneck and a pack on a rock ridge in the Swiss Alps

Micro 100

Sweat on the way up. Dry by the top.

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.

Hiking with a heavy pack and poles across autumn tundra, forearm panels visible

Reinforced like workwear. Moves like a fleece.

The nylon panels stretch with you, so the reinforcement never feels stiff or boxy. Reach, kneel, hop a log: it moves like any fleece.

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

Warm on its own. Slim under a shell.

It’s a lightweight Polartec fleece. On the move, it’s warm enough on its own. When the wind turns, it slides under a shell with almost no bulk.

Tim in the Oatmeal crewneck with a pack, snowy peaks behind

The Defender 2026 collection

Made for where the weather turns.

Rock scrapes the panel. Not the fleece.

Midnight Black or Oatmeal · S to XXL

Shop the Crewneck

$157 · 100% Made in Ukraine

Reviews

People loved the last one. It sold out.

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.

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.

Rock scrapes the panel. Not the fleece.

Shop the Crewneck

The Defender Collection 2026 · 100% Made in Ukraine

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Rock scrapes, and your fleece takes the damage?

Meet the Crewneck