Mountain Hardwear Womens Monkey Fleece Review

This fab fleece arrived in the nick of time at the Adventure Activities Cornwall office.  Icy cold weather was looming on the horizon with the threat of snow and our lovely postie delivered this great fleece for trial.

The Mountain Hardwear Womens Monkey Fleece had its work cut out for it.  Wearing it in our slightly chilly office was fantastic.  I felt like I was wrapped up in a snug blanket all morning.  On stepping out onto the beach with a very bracing north wind blowing across Watergate Bay, it was going to have to prove its mettle.

As a person who is almost permanently cold, the jacket wasn't warm enough for me on its own.  After I put a windproof shell over the jacket, everything was toasty.  Even the Mountain Hardwear people suggest it's ideal for layering, and I think they are spot on.  With its high weight to warmth ratio, the jacket is ideal for hiking, climbing and a whole range of outdoor activities. It is even showerproof, with the water running off the fur and keeping me dry from a brief sleet storm passing overhead.

Polartec® Fleecy Collar

The fold-up collar is a great feature as I usually need a scarf at this time of year, but the Polartec® fleece was so warm and soft, the scarf stayed in the car.  No neck rub either fro the zip with a nice little fold-out piece of fabric that keeps the cold zip away from skin. 

It was extremely comfortable to wear with nice touches like the stretch hem and cuffs on the arms that kept my wrists and top of my hands warm.  I also liked the side pockets, handy for keys and the usual useless scraps of paper I seem to carry around with me.

Value for Money 

With a price tag of £100, this isn't the cheapest jacket on the market, it is however, good value for money as it does exactly what it says on the tin and as far as style goes, it's a nice cut for a woman. The danger with a lot of fleeces is they turn smallish women into space-hoppers,  it's quite the contrary with this monkey fleece.  Quite a few of my mates at the beach were pretty envious and were talking about putting away a few pennies to buy jacket.  I would say it's a necessity, with a bit of luxury thrown in.

As a whole, the fleece looks and feels really good, my only personal dislike is the zip chest pocket on the front, the material looks a bit cheap in comparison with the luxury of the fur (or Phur as the Mountain Hardwear guys like to call it).  It seems to break up the flow of the front.  But this is quibbling.  Its a fab jacket and is a must-have item for anyone wanting to stay warm this Winter.  And don't worry guys, they do the same fleece for you too!

Whats the Score?

Mountain Hardwear have done a good job with this fleece jacket, I give it 9.5/10.  It loses half a point for the front pocket!

The Stats

Monkey Woman Fleece Backcountry /Climbing
Sizes: XS,M,L & XL
Comes in Black or Cool Grey
430g 66cm Polartec® Thermalpro® Monkey Phur (100% polyester)
Polartec® Power Stretch® (88% polyester 12% elastane)
Zip chest pocket for maps, snacks and other goodies
Zip handwarmer pockets
Stretch hem and cuffs seal in warmth
DWR finish sheds water

* Monkey Man Jacket available in S to XXL

For stockists visit www.mountainhardwear.com