Five days, 55 km off-trail in the Yukon, nights down to −10 °C. Of everything we packed, this is the layer that never came off. Seven reasons why.
Camp is where you get cold. The sweat from the climb cools, the sun drops behind the ridge and you are standing still. The Ninja Hoodie holds that warmth in with Polartec 200, Polartec’s classic midweight fleece, a fabric that has served in US military cold-weather gear.
It breathes while you are moving and dries fast once you stop, so you are not stuck in a damp layer as the temperature falls.
When the wind comes off the lake, zip it all the way up and the hood closes around your face like a balaclava.
The face opening is elastic-bound and the seams inside the hood are taped, so nothing rubs on a long day. One less thing in the pack, one less thing to leave on a rock.
Pack straps and hip belts are what kill a fleece: they pill it, thin it and eventually rub through.
So the forearms and lower sides are stretch nylon, far harder-wearing than fleece, and it stretches with you so you never feel it.
Two angled zip hand pockets with the fleece side turned in against your hands, plus a big kangaroo pocket for gloves, a map or a snack.
Zip them shut and nothing falls out on a scramble.
A storm guard behind the zip keeps the wind off your chest and cold metal off your skin, and a zipper garage keeps the pull off your chin.
Pull the bungee hem tight and the gap at your waist is gone.
Under a shell on the move. On its own on cold, dry days. At camp when everything else is drying.
On the coldest nights we slept in it. One fleece that covers all of it means a lighter pack and fewer decisions at 6 a.m.
Every Ninja Hoodie is cut and sewn in Ukraine, by teams who keep working through blackouts.
When you buy one you are buying from Ukrainian makers, not a logo on something sewn somewhere else.
We wore the collection for five days and 55 km off-trail in the Yukon backcountry, with nights down to −10 °C. No trail, no reshoots.
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.
Tough gear, for tough people.
Made in Ukraine. Tested in Canada.
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