Prometheus Design Werx DA Hoodie (yes, a hoodie)

If you’d told me a couple years ago I’d someday be photographed wearing a hoodie I’d have laughed at you. Even the so-called “technical” versions struck me as barely a step up from neighborhood perp wear. Give me my Barbour Beaufort with a pile lining, or a sweater under my Country Innovations double Ventile jacket, thanks very much.

Then Patrick at Prometheus sent me one of their DA hoodies, fortuitously just before we were to head for the northernmost point in the U.S., Utqiagvik, Alaska.

I had to admit it was significantly thicker, denser, and definitely better looking than virtually every other example I’d seen, in a very handsome olive-ish color. So I packed it—and I was glad I did. The DA’s Polartec WindPro poly fleece shrugged off the stiff 40-degree breeze blowing in off the Beaufort Sea, above, with nothing but a shirt underneath. As a single-layer piece of outerwear it was extraordinarily versatile. As with all fleece, it’s a bit of a struggle to don over a flannel or wool shirt, as the two fabrics try to Velcro themselves together, but that’s a first-world problem. There’s a draw cord at the bottom to seal out updrafts, two handwarmer pockets and two interior bucket pockets, in addition to the upper sleeve pockets. And, of course the de rigueur Velcro swatches for your favorite tactical patches. (The current version of the DA also includes a zipped “hunter’s pocket” across the back.)

$189 for a sewn-in-the-U.S. garment like this strikes me as a very good deal. My DA (Do I have to say it again? Yes) hoodie is going back up to Alaska next week, this time to keep handy in our cabin. Very well recommended.

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