Singletrack Unscripted – Talking about hoods on riding jackets

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Should a mountain biking waterproof jacket have a hood? We think so!

Benji wrote a review about a waterproof jacket and outrage ensued because he spoke of hoods in a positive light. So Hannah and Benji sat down to chat in defence of hoods. Hoods are great, they stop the rain dribbling down your neck, and get you home safe and dry. Probably never before in internet history has anyone got so worked up about hoods as Hannah and Benji. Hear their impassioned arguments for having a hood on you waterproof jacket. Then feel free to head to the comments and tell them again that they’re wrong.

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Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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Viewing 32 posts - 1 through 32 (of 32 total)
  • Singletrack Unscripted – Talking about hoods on riding jackets
  • neilupnorth
    Full Member

    Taking this to the level you have discussed it at there probably also needs to be a discussion about what you SHOULD also carry if you are venturing into the wilds, or in Hannah speak ‘somewhere that is further than a 15 minute walk if things go wrong’. I’d love to know how many take a full set of kit for DSM’s or ‘Deep Sh1te Moments’.
    A hood is a start, but there are lots more alongside it.

    Posted 9 months ago
    whatyadoinsucka
    Free Member

    just got a fox neoshell, the hood would fit a fullface helmet on top of a full face helmet.
    i’m hopefully going to get it cut off, if my seamstress can do it

    Posted 9 months ago
    Blackflag
    Free Member

    I have a Madison MTB jacket and it has a hood. On descents it DOES billow up and pull back on my neck.

    Posted 9 months ago
    pmurden
    Full Member

    I have the Endura letters and numbers with a hood (it goes over the helmet) and have found it most useful especially on wet commutes.

    Posted 9 months ago
    relapsed_mandalorian
    Full Member

    A simple restraining strap like I had on work smocks and some decent outdoor jackets works bloody well to keep hoods under control on the trail. Be good to see more companies incorporating them as a standard.

    Rather have a hood and not need it, than not and need it.

    Posted 9 months ago
    Yak
    Full Member

    Not watched the video, but never mind. Anyway, hoods are really good on jackets that are multipurpose. Good for walking to the pub in the rain or the shops. On the very same jacket (a nukeproof something), the hood is useless when riding. Either it’s a billowing windsock, or you shove it down the back of your neck. Neither is ideal.

    So I’m out. No for hoods, unless it’s a multipurpose jacket.

    Posted 9 months ago
    VanHalen
    Full Member

    everyone works at different temperatures and has different preferences.

    when i was commuting in all weathers i went for the ‘warm not dry’ approach as i run hot and had a load of hills to ride up. a hood at that time would render me with heatstroke and i’d be a sweaty mess. unless it was middle of winter and freezing rain i’d never wear a full waterproof.

    obviously now i`m older and slower and i ride an eeb, a waterproof with a hood would be useful for the winter i recon. the hood would be a useful cooling air scoop on descents!

    Posted 9 months ago
    IdleJon
    Full Member

    My hood is useful for catching insects in, at the right time of year. Nothing better than having an angry buzzing near your ear when you’re travelling along swiftly.

    Posted 9 months ago
    kayak23
    Full Member

    I favour a hood as it accentuates ones shoulders and neck-line.

    Posted 9 months ago
    dangeourbrain
    Full Member

    On descents it DOES billow up and pull back on my neck.

    You want some of those hair band/bobble things designed to block washing machines.

    Posted 9 months ago
    chipps
    Full Member

    I’m in the anti-hood camp. They do fill up with air, or they blow into your face if you’ve got a tailwind and when you’re wearing them, you can’t hear a thing… I’ll Zoom in next time if you need a contrary(ian) argument… 🙂

    Posted 9 months ago
    Blackflag
    Free Member

    To be fair im not actually anti hood, but i do object to the assertion by Smith & Jones here that anyone claiming their hood acts as a parachute is making it up.

    Posted 9 months ago
    rOcKeTdOg
    Full Member

    Hoods are great on jackets when you are wearing it while not on the bike. More trouble than they are worth when on the bike. Jackets with removable hoods are the best for this reason

    Posted 9 months ago
    oldfart
    Full Member

    I’ve got two jackets with hoods ( both were prizes so can’t complain) total waste of time !!Either act like a wind sock when not in use as has been pointed out , or won’t stay in place when it’s actually raining despite having draw cords 🙄one older one a Madison DTE has a piece of material you can roll the hood up into with a popper to keep it in place . Good idea you’d think? 🤔 No because when it’s rolled up it’s so bulky you can’t turn your helmeted head because the bottom of the helmet snags on it 🙄🙄🙄🙄
    If you’re going to have a good make it a smaller one so you can wear your helmet over the top to keep it in place and still keep your head dry . That’s not too difficult surely?

    Posted 9 months ago
    footflaps
    Full Member

    Taking this to the level you have discussed it at there probably also needs to be a discussion about what you SHOULD also carry if you are venturing into the wilds, or in Hannah speak ‘somewhere that is further than a 15 minute walk if things go wrong’. I’d love to know how many take a full set of kit for DSM’s or ‘Deep Sh1te Moments’.

    I would define the Wilds as several hours walk personally. I wouldn’t carry any kit on a ride where I was only a 15 min walk away from civilisation…..

    And none of my many riding jackets have hoods!

    Posted 9 months ago
    stevextc
    Free Member

    Yak

    Not watched the video, but never mind. Anyway, hoods are really good on jackets that are multipurpose. Good for walking to the pub in the rain or the shops. On the very same jacket (a nukeproof something), the hood is useless when riding. Either it’s a billowing windsock, or you shove it down the back of your neck. Neither is ideal.

    So I’m out. No for hoods, unless it’s a multipurpose jacket.

    I keep a hooded waterproof in the van .. very useful for when it’s pissing it down pre-ride. I don’t mind getting wet so much as getting wet before I even start riding.

    I’ll make an exception though… Glencoe chairlift in sleet and high wind…

    Footflats

    I would define the Wilds as several hours walk personally. I wouldn’t carry any kit on a ride where I was only a 15 min walk away from civilisation…..

    ^^^ THIS ^^^^

    Posted 9 months ago
    Northwind
    Full Member

    Nothing wrong with hoods, I prefer without, but I can tolerate a hooded jacket as long as it’s well managed- straps or a pouch to stow it away and stop it flapping about, while also not being bulky or otherwise intrusive. Some do manage that really well, but if it doesn’t have that, then it is shit and most are shit. Even if you love hoods, you don’t want to wear it all the time and if the jacket doesn’t work exactly as well with the hood down as it does up then it’s a bad jacket full stop. A bunch don’t even try, IMO they’re barely riding jackets at all

    Posted 9 months ago
    thegeneralist
    Full Member

    I’d love to know how many take a full set of kit for DSM’s or ‘Deep Sh1te Moments’.

    I’ll generally (always) take:
    Waterproof trousers
    Bivvy bag
    Bothy bag
    Spare thermals
    Fürst aid kit
    Extensive repair kit
    Loads of food and liquids
    Windproof jacker
    Waterproof jacket

    Have I missed anything?

    And I am firmly of the opinion that hoods suck, completely.

    Posted 9 months ago
    chaos
    Full Member

    This is what a hood needs to do:

    null

    Posted 9 months ago
    prettygreenparrot
    Full Member

    Wouldn’t buy a waterproof coat for MTB without a hood.
    I need expensive outdoor clothes to be fairly multipurpose.
    Plus if it’s beyond showerproof-tolerable weather that hood is going to come in handy.

    Flapping hood? Tuck it under my, now highly unfashionable, camelbak or just roll it up.

    Posted 9 months ago
    Sanny
    Free Member

    A hood is non negotiable for me but for it to work properly, it needs to cinch down over a helmet with a decent volume adjuster that pulls it in at the sides and not just back the way (Rab, Patagonia, Arcteryx etc all do this brilliantly) and also have adjusters at the front to secure it down if I want to ride in the rain sans hood up without it billowing. A Velcro tab to keep it in place is a very simple solution to the blowing up like a wind sock issue. Under hood helmets are just a bloody waste of time in my humble opinion. Oh and a stiffened peak too makes a massive difference. If I can turn my head and the hood doesn’t move with it, that’s not great.

    While I am on the subject, hand pockets are a nice feature to have as well as proper adjusters on the sleeves. Currently testing a 7 Mesh Skypilot jacket and the open sleeve design is perfect for letting water run down the inside of your sleeve when hike a biking or even just speaking on the phone in the rain.

    Cheers

    Sanny

    Posted 9 months ago
    Sandwich
    Full Member

    @Chaos or into a zipped pocket on the collar like the heavier Paramo Alta does.

    Posted 9 months ago
    didnthurt
    Full Member

    I have a Gore C5 waterproof jacket that has a non removable hood, it cinches in really well when not required. It doesn’t fit over a helmet though, which I quite like as it means I can use it for hillwalking.

    It’s the removable hoods that I don’t like so much, they never sit nice when not in use. And when removed, they get left at home or get completely lost about the waredrobe 😣

    Posted 9 months ago
    didnthurt
    Full Member

    As for carrying spare kit etc, I’ve come around to the roadie way of taking minimal kit (although I draw the line at leg and arm warmers but might use these for my upcoming Badger Divide attempt to keep the weight down).

    I was riding with a pal last week who I’ve not ridden with in a couple of years and he was shocked that I didn’t have a CamelBak bag anymore. God know what I used to carry in it 🤷‍♂️

    Normal all day kit list:

    Wearing
    – Baggy shorts (prefer them to be a bit fitted)
    – SPD or flat shoes
    Long sleeve MTB jersey (I like one where I can pull up the sleeves when a bit hot)
    – Thin long finger gloves
    – Glasses
    – Helmet

    Carrying
    – Pump c/w duct tape wrapped around the handle
    – Multi-tool c/w chain delinker and tyre levers
    – Long sleeve wind proof jacket
    – Camel bak water bottle
    – Cereal bar
    – Mobile phone with the route loaded into it as a spare
    – Bike computer with the route loaded into it
    – Spare chain quick link
    – Buff

    All the above can fit into the rear pockets of a cycle jersey or a small bar bag 👍

    Posted 9 months ago
    Wally
    Full Member

    Napoleon pocket – that’s my essential feature on a jacket.

    Posted 9 months ago
    ryanmart96
    Free Member

    My hood was invaluable the other day going up Snowdon with strong winds and rain behind me, took the chill off going up. Coming down I didn’t use the hood but I’m glad I had it on the way up, first time having a reason to use it!

    Posted 9 months ago
    weeksy
    Full Member

    Just tuck the hood into the top of the jacket and it magically disappears.

    Posted 9 months ago
    frankiesdaddy
    Full Member

    Absolutely in favour. Wore my MT500
    In the alps yesterday and it was the difference between an awful day and a great day.

    The draw strings pull it away enough for it not to be a pain too.

    Posted 8 months ago
    JohnnyPanic
    Full Member

    @didnthurt
    One cereal bar for all day?
    Inner tube?
    First aid kit?

    Posted 8 months ago
    BadlyWiredDog
    Full Member

    I broadly prefer to have a hood, but what you’re looking at – in mountain bike jackets anyway – is a failure of design. Ideally I’d want a hood that sits unobtrusively under a helmet, doesn’t restrict vision or movement, but possibly has some sort of peak to stop rain dripping down. It also needs a clean profile – no cord adjusters to foul the inside of the helmet etc and a method of packing it away securely when not in use.

    It shouldn’t be beyond the wit of a specialist cycling clothing brand to design something like that, but I’ve never come across it, if it exists. It would also be nice if the rest of the jacket was half decent too.

    Why a hood? Because helmets have bloody great holes in them by design.

    Posted 8 months ago
    footflaps
    Full Member

    Why a hood? Because helmets have bloody great holes in them by design.

    The roadie world solves this by just wearing a cap / hat underneath the helmet. I use wind stopper in winter if it’s wet (or GTX). The jacket should be close enough fit around the neck that water stays out.

    Posted 8 months ago
    syncro
    Full Member

    I’ve just bought a hooded coat from decathlon on the strength of the recent Singletrack review.
    Have to say it’s quite possibly the best hood design at any price, in my opinion.

    Posted 8 months ago
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