Backside Line
The REI Flash Hyperstretch presents top-notch consolation and glorious worth. It’s made with tremendous smooth, stretchy materials with an impressive warmth-to-weight ratio. Throughout our testing in North Park, Colorado, the Hyperstretch excelled within the backcountry, proving breathable and protecting on demanding cool and windy hikes. Whereas the match isn’t fairly as streamlined and trendy as different related fashions, the Hyperstretch jacket is among the finest values available on the market for a technical fleece.
To completely fit your mid-layer wants, see our information to the most effective fleeces for extra examined and reviewed jackets.
Fast Specs
REI Flash Hyperstretch
Tremendous Gentle & Heat Hoodie Fleece
Worth:
$159
Measured Weight:
13 oz.(Males’s M)
Fleece Weight:
Light-weight
Execs
- Light-weight
- Extremely breathable
- Fast-drying
- Straightforward to layer
- Inclusive sizing
Cons
- Not as heat as some
- Not as sturdy as some
Heat
The REI Flash Hyperstretch is an efficient mid-layer, offering good heat for cool mornings and chilly days on the path. Whereas it’s not best as the only real layer in below-freezing temperatures, it was adequate in average situations. We examined it in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Nationwide Park on brisk mornings and a few cloud-covered, windy fall hikes, and it carried out nicely. The fleece retains you heat as your main jacket in spring and fall, and as a mid-laying within the winter. The comfortable hood helps retain physique warmth, including to its total heat.
Consolation
The REI Hyperstretch may be very comfy on and off the path. We examined this on hikes and across the neighborhood on walks. Its spandex and fleece mixture make it smooth and stretchy, so your mobility is unencumbered. The polyester-backed fleece creates a smooth, heat inside with a sturdy exterior. It additionally has a wind barrier behind the entrance zipper that blocks cool air and is comfy towards your chin. The scuba-style hood is a pleasant addition with an elastic binding across the edge, making it simple and comfy to put on on a chilly or windy day.
Sturdiness
In our testing, the REI Hyperstretch held up nicely. We hiked and camped in it and located it did simply tremendous for on a regular basis put on and tear. It additionally got here out of the wash wanting trail-ready, with no fuzz or free threads in sight. Over time, the fabric and stitching might come aside because the recycled polyester is smooth and doesn’t seem as sturdy as another designs. This jacket is described as extra of a sweatshirt or hoodie-type layer, which resonated with our testing. The standard design, materials, and stitching give us confidence that the REI Hyperstretch may develop into your most beloved layer.
Weight
This mannequin is 13 ounces, making it one of many lighter choices on our listing. The value level mixed, weight, and luxury make it laborious to search out fault within the REI Hyperstretch. It was simple to stash in a pack, because it balls up into a light-weight ball concerning the dimension of a grapefruit. It’s actually compact and light-weight sufficient to maintain in a backpack as a heat backup for cool mornings and evenings across the hearth.
Options
The REI Hyperstretch has the usual options anticipated of a mid-layer. It has two zippered hand pockets. The sleeves have an elastic binding on the cuff, a pleasant function that retains the sleeves heat and in place. The scuba hood works with hoodies, hats, and helmets for chilly and windy days. The drawcord on the hem cinches tight and retains heat air. The smooth backing behind the entrance zipper is a pleasant function that blocks wind and chilly air from coming into by way of the zipper.
Ought to You Purchase The REI Flash Hyperstretch?
The REI Flash Hyperstretch is a superb bang in your buck. It presents stable heat and luxury with out the majority and weight. It received’t work as nicely in extraordinarily chilly climate, and the light-weight, smooth supplies might put on down over time. However this is a superb fleece for every little thing from sitting within the yard on a cold fall day to a strike mission with an alpine begin.
What Different Fleeces Ought to You Contemplate?
Kuhl Interceptr: This model is hotter and a bit burlier than the REI Flash Hyperstretch Fleece, however presents an analogous model and performance.
Out of doors Analysis Vigor: Just like the REI Flash Hyperstretch, the OR Vigor is a light-weight choice that works nice for backcountry hikes. It isn’t the warmest fleece, however it’s light-weight, comfy, and can breathe simple on high-output hikes.
