Why is Spring and Fall weather as reliable as an old BMW? One day it’s 68°F, and the next is back down to 37°F. Or, the 10-day forecast shows partly cloudy weather for the entire week, and then you wake up two days later and it’s pouring rain.
Seriously?!
This back and forth isn’t exactly supportive when you’re trying to workout consistently. Thankfully though, La Sportiva makes quite the hoody that makes all of this a bit more tolerable.
Sweatshirt vs Shirt
Every night I like to pull out what I’m going to train in the following morning. Allowing me to stay as quiet as possible so I don’t wake up my wife who’s an incredibly light sleeper. And with how difficult Spring/Autumn weather can be, I’m constantly changing what I pulled out the night before.
Aka, I’m constantly change between a sweatshirt or a long sleeve shirt, and shorts or pants.
Thankfully, La Sportiva has created a happy medium option during this wickedly wild weather period. The Cloud Shadow Sun Hoody.
For the last month I’ve worn this top in all sorts of conditions and temperatures, and it’s the only piece of clothing that actually works in this climate mess. Whether you’re hiking, lifting, running, climbing, or just working your day job, it’s fantastic!
The material is unlike anything I’ve worn before. It’s this strange mix between a compression shirt, a thin snuggly sweatshirt, and a durable jacket.
It’s not plush and soft like a blanket, nor is it tight and stretchy like a base layer. It’s this weirdly nice in-between. Strong, but not bulky.
Limits
As cool and capable as the Cloud Shadow Sun Hoody is, it can’t handle everything. Particularly the cold.
If it’s freezing outside (32°F or lower), then you’ll need to wear another layer below or over it. The hoody does handle the heat better than cold though, because of its amazing breathability. Something I appreciate constantly when on a trail or road.
Although, this is the first hoody that I’ve ever owned that doesn’t have a pocket on the front. I hope La Sportiva adds one on a future model.
As for the price, $95 is quite a lot for any single piece of clothing. The only reason I’m slightly okay with that is because of how sturdy and resilient La Sportiva’s products are. For context, I still climb in a pair of La Sportiva Finales that I got in 2021.
Other than that, though, there’s not much I would change. Especially since they incorporated thumb holes so you can wear gloves and keep the cold out on chillier days.
The Recap
I don’t like to own a bunch of clothes that don’t get worn. (Something my wife will back up in a heartbeat.)
Because of this, I don’t own clothes that I don’t enjoy wearing. Nonetheless, La Sportiva’s Cloud Shadow Sun Hoody is one of the few that I actually get excited about wearing as soon as it’s washed.
And with how well this thing is made, I don’t anticipate it’ll need replacing for another 5+ years. Can’t get much better than that!