I’m always cold, and live through the colder months by covering my upper half in warm products - hoodies, zip hoodies (formerly know as cardigans) and jumpers, so when Ridgeline asked what I’d like to review the Ballistic Fleece Hoodie was top of the list.

I am almost 6 foot tall and a size 18/20, so most of the time I opt for men’s clothing, but I thought I’d take a chance and opted for the women’s 3XL/20 size. They also have a men’s version which you can see below.

Made from a thick 275gsm polyester fleece, the Ballistic Hoodie seemed like it may be the perfect pull-on for keeping the chills away, and I wanted to add a bit of colour into the dismally grey days, so opted for the brighter Russet colour.

Features (in both women’s and men’s)

The first thing to mention is how soft the fleece is, which makes a much nicer feel against bare skin than others I own, and because of that it also feels light and airy.

It has a ¼ zip front and a large, double-thickness hood with boot lace-style ties so you can cinch it in for extra cosiness. The hood is lovely and deep which fully covers your head with a good inch or two overhang, so if, like me, you have a ponytail there’s still full coverage. The double thickness means that, even if the wind is blowing, your ears stay snug.

There is a cosy deep kangaroo pocket at the front - the ideal place to warm up your hands , and a second large full width zipped pocket on top to keep your essentials safe and secure.

The cuffs have thumb-loops to keep the sleeves in place when you’re reaching and to stop them riding up if you have a coat on. Unfortunately for me, being so tall with longer arms than the average woman, the loops aren’t quite in the right place for me to use comfortably, but the great thing is that when manufacturers add thumb-loops they usually make the arms longer to accommodate, so the arms were actually long enough for my long arms. (The thumb holes haven’t bothered me so far, but I’ll probably sew up the loops at some point).

I also like that the back is slightly longer than the front which keeps your bum warm.

My Thoughts

This hoodie is so cosy and soft, but not overly bulky. It is classed as windproof, and I can attest to that fact as it coped well when having to jump in and out of the 4x4 when opening gates on the Yorkshire Dales. I also never got too hot which shows it has good breathability.

The addition of that extra zipped pocket is genius, and kept my phone, money and earphones safe even when stuffing my hands in and out of the kangaroo pocket. I am so impressed that I fancy buying another to add to my outdoor gear, now which colour…..