Core Hoodie

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The Core Hoodie is a minimalist piece designed for active insulation. It adds warmth but is highly breathable and focused on wicking moisture and regulating body temperature when exercising.

OMM says

A new concept in active insulation, the OMM Core Range is made entirely from PRIMALOFT NEXT ultra-light insulating fabric. Built from a synthetic plume woven through a knitted mesh, Core offers the warmth of a fleece but less-than half the weight. Paired with a shell, the Core is an incredibly effective insulator; but, thanks to near-total air permeability, the lightest breeze can take away that heat. This allows you to keep your Core layer on even when you have warmed up and you can thermoregulate by removing/unzipping your low bulk shell (eg. Sonic windproof at 49g). A true valley to summit piece. Core works wet or dry with incredible wicking properties to ensure you won’t stay wet for long. 

Adaptable Insulation

PRIMALOFT® NEXT Insulating Fabric weaves PrimaLoft fibres onto a mesh giving a super high volume and open structure. Fabrics insulate by trapping pockets of air that the wearer’s heat cannot pass through. Core structure is exceptional at creating these pockets. However, the openness also allows for a light breeze to disturb these air pockets and remove the insulation effect. Core uses this to its advantage; put a light shell on over the top for the best possible warmth to weight layer and then when you get too hot, adjust/remove only the shell and you can keep pushing hard to the summit without a bulky layer to stash.

Our Verdict

OMM’s Core Hoodie uses Primaloft’s Next insulating fabric which is designed to add a layer of warmth for cold weather exercise. The focus of the material is breathability, moisture management and regulating your body temperature as much as possible when running or hiking. It does a great job in this way and is a great piece of kit for colder conditions. The fabric provides zero protection from the wind so you will still need a soft- or windshell over it if there’s a cold wind.

This hooded version is stripped back so there are no pockets or zips to keep the weight to an absolute minimum. With the fabric looking the way it does, there is a question mark over durability but thankfully this has not been an issue in use. Worn as a mid layer and outer layer with a running pack the top still looks in great condition.

– Reviewed by Ultralight Outdoor Gear

Features

• Continues to insulate even if wet
• Flatlock seams positioned away from shoulders
• Soft rolled hood / collar
• Reflective logo
• A single mesh fabric holds the insulation plume in place reducing the need for extra fabric layers and halving the weight and pack size

Specifications

• Small weighs: 104g
• Medium weighs: 116g
• Large weighs: 122g
• Fit: Performance fit

Material

• PRIMALOFT® NEXT Insulating Fabric Technology – 75g
• Stretch fabric
• The NEW PRIMALOFT® NEXT Insulating Fabric Technology uses 58% post-consumer recycled material, it is bluesign® and Oeke-Tex® approved

Help & advice:

• The Ultimate Guide to Lightweight Baselayers
• OMM Core Technology Explained
• What is Bluesign?
• Recycled Content in Outdoor Gear