For anyone who spends time in the outdoors – for work, play or travel – a top-performing fleece jacket is an absolutely essential piece of kit. I’m outdoors a lot, for all of the above reasons, and I have tested countless tops described as fleeces by myriad brands. Some perform excellently but look awful, while others are super stylish but prove less effective in the elements – occasionally you get one that ticks all the boxes. But before I get into three of my current favourites for spring conditions, it’s worth quickly considering the question, what exactly is a fleece?
Traditionally, fleeces were made from recycled synthetic materials and were regarded as groundbreaking eco-friendly outdoor-active clothing, but the word ‘fleece’ is bandied around very loosely these days, and is used to describe a wide range of tops, from casual-wear hoodies made from all sorts of fabric to garments that look more like wind cheaters and softshells. While a wider material mix might be more acceptable now, however, a true fleece is primarily a midlayer garment, designed to work well when worn above the best base layers and beneath a good waterproof jacket (when required).
