Weather Protection
While the Ultimate Hoody served up total protection from winds and light moisture, its non-insulated shell left us wishing for a more substantial lining on colder days.

Breathability
Windstopper fabric breathes about as well as a fully waterproof shell (which is to say not extremely well), so we were glad to have the extended pitzips on this jacket—dumping excess heat was a snap.

Mobility
Good two-way stretch throughout made for decent active mobility, though the Ultimate Hoody didn’t have the extra stretch or the cut we’ve come to expect from similar alpine-styled softshells.

Comfort
Shorter-torso testers didn’t mind the bulky two-way zips at the hem, but for long-torso users they were a deal-breaker. Some users wished for more refinement at the cuffs and elbows. On a positive note, the jacket’s face fabric is nice and soft.

Attention to Detail
Testers’ opinions were somewhat split on the features of the Ultimate Hoody: most of us felt that to-the-hem pitzips were superfluous and even problematic when it came to pack- or harness-wearing, but a few felt that the ability to wear the jacket like a poncho was totally worth the fuss; half of us loved the thumb-loops at the cuff, half hated them. We did agree that the hood adjustments were insufficient for a mountain-sport jacket, and that the layout of features in general was better suited to casual use than to active use in the backcountry.

Value
Not a good value for most technical users. At this list price, we expected more sophisticated design and execution.