This is an updated* review of The One Men’s Hoody by KÜHL, a manufacturer known for making outdoor apparel, including some of the most iconic designs for people who love the outdoors.
The jacket is advertised as an ultralight insulated hoody that’s windproof yet highly breathable, warm, and capable of providing a mix of comfort and performance. In the following text, you will find all the information we’ve gathered from wearing and testing this garment over the past year and a half. Our goal is for this review to provide you with relevant information about The One Hoody and address any questions you may have about this jacket.
For more gear reviews and recommendations, visit the Gear Reviews section on our website. Now, let’s move on to the next part before we dive into the details of our experience and the actual results.
Table of Contents
Quick specs: KÜHL The One Men’s Hoody
Price: $179.00
Weight: 447 g (15.8 oz) for size 2XL
- Shell: 54 GSM (1.6 oz./sq. yd.)
- Lining: 110 GSM (3.2 oz./sq. yd.)
- Underarm: 207 GSM (6.1 oz./sq. yd.)
Material: 100% Synthetic
- Shell: 100% Nylon
- Lining: 100% Polyester
- Underarm: 82% Nylon 66, 18% spandex
Women’s version: Available -> KÜHL | REI
Notable features:
- Aeroknit insulation technology combined with KÜHL’s exclusive MIKRO AIR fabric that’s temperature-regulating, wind and water-resistant, and provides superior stretch.
- Air permeable gusseted underarm design for enhanced breathability and mobility.
- Hood design with custom adjustments; internal bottom hem drawcord for a custom fit.
- Articulated patterning with an athletic fit (note that it is slimmer than their regular fit).
Pros:
- Versatile with a lightweight and clean design suitable for various occasions and environments; looks good.
- Windproof and water resistant, yet sufficiently breathable for most situations on and off the trail. Excellent protection from wind (even at speeds of 15 m/s, the jacket performs great). Good protection from light to moderate rain.
- The Aeroknit insulation ensures a great weight-to-warmth ratio. Unexpectedly warm for such a lightweight design. Just a minute or two with the jacket on and you start feeling warm.
- The material feels soft and comfortable: the outer layer is super thin, whereas the fleece material inside is very soft.
- The hood is super easy to adjust. Hood adjustments can be made with one hand only, which is super convenient, especially in cold weather when wearing gloves.
Cons:
- Slightly shorter than we’d like it to be; runs a bit small due to the athletic fit so you might feel it a bit tight after proper layering. No extra room for layering. Limited room for wearing more than two layers beneath the hoodie.
- The zippered shoulder pocket is not very user-friendly as it cannot be opened easily, even without gloves.
- The hood brim is quite soft, impairing the ability to see at a distance, especially in bad weather. A laminated brim works better in rainy conditions.
- The “mix of pure comfort and technical performance” leans more towards comfort, neglecting high-intensity sports and activities a bit. The jacket isn’t ideal for those seeking garments with the latest super technical features.
Summary
We tested The One Hoody for about a year and a half in various conditions so we’ve got a good grasp of its performance.
This jacket has a cool design and is surprisingly versatile. If we had to describe it in just two words, it would be ‘lightweight comfort’.
Detailed review
Material and construction
The One Hoody is a streamlined construction with clean, simple lines. It’s composed of three parts:
- Part 1: the shell is crafted from KÜHL’s own MIKRO AIR fabric. It is thin and because of this probably not a very durable nylon fabric (though, still haven’t had any problem with it so we might very well be wrong). The cuffs are crafted from stretchy material very similar to the material in Part 3.
- Part 2: the Aeroknit insulation inside is a super soft fleece material made of 100% Polyester fabric.
- Part 3: the underarm panels are composed of a very stretchy blend of 82% nylon 66 and 18% spandex. The softshell fabric adds ventilation and breathability and delivers complete freedom of movement.
The combination of the specific design and these materials has led to a remarkable result. The top-quality craftsmanship is noticeable.
Design, fit, and appearance
The jacket looks good, has a clean design, and doesn’t add bulk. It’s lightweight, yet thick enough to keep the wearer warm. Moreover, the tall collar with a chin guard, adjustable bottom hem, and stretch cuffs won’t let warmth out during those chilly mornings.
The One Hoody is designed to fall to the hip and fit snugly to trap air efficiently. Layering is easy, however, there’s enough room to comfortably wear no more than two layers underneath. This can be problematic for colder temperatures and environments.
The color of the black jacket pictured in this post is actually called ‘Raven’. This jacket is a size 2XL and fits well on a guy who is 186 cm (6’1″) tall, weighs between 95 and 100 kg (210-221 lbs), and has a somewhat athletic build. Going a size smaller would make the jacket too tight and restricting, while a size larger would allow for more layering options underneath. Unfortunately, the reviewed size 2XL is the largest available, and there’s no bigger size. Still, the 2XL size feels just right. It lets you layer up to two thin pieces underneath and allows for a full range of motion. The only downside is that it’s a bit shorter than we’d like.
This model by KÜHL is available in five different sizes ranging from S to 2XL. In addition to the ‘Raven’, there are eleven more color options: ‘Bedrock / Deep Waters’, ‘Deep Pond / Dark Khaki’, ‘Tuscan Sun’, ‘Steel Blue’, ‘Driftwood’, ‘Lake Blue’, ‘Spanish Moss’, ‘Ink’, ‘Teak’, ‘Carbon’, and ‘Espresso’. Hence there are plenty of combos as a whole.
In addition to The One Hoody, you can find three more similar yet different designs – The One Jacket (no hood), The One Vest, and The One Shirt-Jac. It’s an interesting idea to release a whole collection so that everyone can find the right style (or styles, why not?) for their needs. No doubt, each of these designs has its advantages and disadvantages but the hoodie is probably the most versatile one.
Weight and packability
This model is lightweight weighing just under a pound for size 2XL. The weight of 447 g (15.8 oz) positions it among the lighter designs compared to jackets of similar size and appearance. The jacket is not super packable because of the fleece lining but still packs small and can be easily stowed in a backpack. When the conditions get rough, you can pull it on effortlessly.
Warmth, weather protection, and ventilation
The One Hoody provides enough warmth, comfort, flexibility, and weather resistance for most conditions and environments on and off the trail. However, you will need to adjust what you wear underneath based on the conditions as well as the intensity of movement. If you intend to hike/walk hard and fast, you will be better off with fewer layers underneath.
While it does a good job of regulating temperature in most conditions, we like The One Hoody best for dry and cooler weather and low to mid-intensity activities. It’s very warm thanks to the Aeroknit insulation inside. Frankly, it is as warm as toast inside. Moreover, the jacket offers good protection against strong winds and will keep you dry in light to moderate rain (not tested in a downpour but it isn’t built for that so likely won’t do well and you’ll get soaked). With winter on the horizon, it’s a great option for daily wear and casual hiking.
It breathes well when the weather is cooler or the movement isn’t very dynamic. But it doesn’t ventilate well enough in warmer conditions meaning that it won’t be able to keep you dry from the inside. For example, when the temps are higher (8-9°C or above), you will need to have plenty of shade available otherwise it can become too hot even if you wear no more than a base layer underneath. So, even if the hoodie can not release the accumulated body heat in the environment, and thus you feel damp, there’s still good news. The good news is that you don’t feel it that much. Moreover, once you stop sweating, the jacket dries fast because of the synthetic fabrics it is made of.
We don’t think that the jacket will work reasonably well for predominantly humid climate/all-day weather protection where you’d need your outer layer to be not only waterproof but highly breathable too. Generally, if you need complete weather protection in harsh environments, look for hardshell models and designs that provide superior weather protection. For total protection from rain and wind, consider KUHL’s The One Shell. Its 3L AERO Membrane offers excellent protection for outdoor activities, with a waterproof rating of 20 000mm and moisture vapor permeability of 20 000g/m² per day.
Features
The One Hoody has some interesting technical features. Most of them are well-designed and very useful:
Hood
The hood comes with a brim, single drawstring, and three adjustment points – a metal cord lock on the back and a low-profile eye-lock on either side of the hood. One-handed operation of the hood is easy. Making adjustments when conditions change especially micro-adjustments is straightforward.
The insulated hood is fleece lined and can be pulled up easily to provide warmth when necessary. While it looks small, there’s enough space in the hood for wearing a hat underneath.
The brim is reinforced but it’s still rather soft. While the soft brim makes the jacket more packable, it definitely doesn’t allow for a full-angle view, especially in wet weather.
Pockets
The One Hoody comes with three pockets in total. There are two zippered hand pockets whose size and depth allow the user to accommodate lots of stuff. They’re also deep enough to keep your hands inside if necessary. The zippers are easy to zip and unzip. The third pocket is placed on the left shoulder and comes with zippered closure too. It can be used for fitting small items. The jacket comes with no inside pocket which is a bit disappointing.
Hem and cuff closures
The sleeves are just the right length without being too long or too short. The elasticated cuff is another low-profile feature that adds less bulk. It is a good solution for keeping warmth in and makes it easy to fit glove liners underneath. The textile is soft to the touch and has good stretch. It is impossible to make adjustments but they are not necessary.
The bottom hem is adjustable due to the internal bottom hem drawstring with cord locks. Tightening and loosing the fit is easy. We’d say it’s almost intuitive to adjust the fit when necessary.
Zippers
All four zippers are YKK and seem to be of high quality. Each one of them has a zipper garage at the top. The center front zipper (comes with KÜHL crest zipper pull) as well as the hand pocket zippers can be operated with gloves on. As mentioned above, zipping and especially unzipping the shoulder pocket is difficult even with bare hands. All zippers are reverse coil zippers so the teeth of the zipper aren’t visible – a typical feature of water-resistant designs. An interesting detail is that the center front zipper is placed on the right side of the garment, which is a bit unusual. In spite of this, zipping and unzipping the jacket is easy.
Articulation
The anatomic cut and articulated patterning make mobility easier as is the case with The One hoody. No constriction or mobility issues whatsoever as this garment promotes lightweight mobility.
The underarm panels are made of soft and comfortable softshell material. Their intended role is to add comfort by enhancing mobility and ventilation. They don’t restrict mobility and provide some ventilation. It is enough most of the time but is not sufficient when you’re likely to work up a good sweat. Initially, we thought it is because their size isn’t particularly impressive compared to the size of the underarm panels of models such as the Pentagon Panthiras. However, we discarded this thought as even designs with much bigger underarm panels can rarely provide enough airflow to let perspiration during high-intensity activities.
Conclusion
Whether you are an avid outdoorsman looking for adventures or just a working man trying to stay warm and cozy in cool-to-cold weather conditions, there are many ways to use The One Hoody efficiently.
No, the One Hoody is not among the jackets where technical features dominate. However, we are confident that it will be considered a great option by all but the most technical-orientated backpackers. Why? Because it’s warm and comfy. And it’s stylish and weather-resistant… It’s just a lightweight all-around jacket that looks good and feels good.
* The original post was published in November 2022
Disclaimer: KÜHL provided Valentin Shekerov (Camotrek.com) with a sample jacket for this review.
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