ENVE Insulated Hooded Jacket Review
By Pat Connolly
In full disclosure, I buy a lot of gear. I keep very little of it because I'm, well, how do you say, high maintenance when it comes to what I keep and use. I need things that work, look good, and are built to last. Thusly, when my beloved Patagonia Nano Puff Hoody finally died after 10+ years of service, I was ready to see what I could find to fill the void left by my favorite synthetic puffy ever. Enter the ENVE Insulated Hoodie.
For a high end carbon bike company, it seems odd to choose ENVE as my new jacket provider, right? The Insulated Hooded Jacket is just one of a few stellar offerings from the company's new "Lifestyle Collection" - a first for ENVE venturing into casual/technical apparel. While looking at the details online, it seemed to check off all the boxes in what I wanted for a synthetic insulated layer - but would it deliver in person? If this singular piece is indicative of the rest of the line, ENVE has crushed it out of the box.
Pat Connolly on Planet Hoth with the ENVE puffy jacket in black.
Techie things first. It's an 80g/m synthetic fill jacket with a one-of-a-kind baffling structure that gives it a really unique look. It's not bulky, but don't let the lightweight deceive you. This jacket packs a punch of warmth. I've worn this piece in the late fall temperatures of Maine down to 25 degrees F and have been quite comfortable. Also, in typical ENVE style, the logos are quiet and nuanced, letting the product quality speak for itself.
The ENVE Men’s Insulated Hooded Jacket is available in Black and Chili, shown here.
The Basics. The things I'm picky about shouldn't really be that big of a deal, but I'm always aghast at how many companies can't dial in the basics. I want cuffs that stay still when I stretch out (either on the handlebars or in my camp chair); a hood that fits over a helmet in the mountains (or on the bike in crap-tastic New England weather); and a garment body that allows for a layer or two beneath it without giving off the aesthetic of a sausage casing. ENVE nailed all of these requirements in their first offering and I don't think I'm going to look back.
Sleeves. I really hate fiddling with anything I don't have to, so the lack of velcro closures on the sleeves was a breath of clean air to me. The elastic cuffs are snug and clean with or without gloves. I prefer to tuck my gloves under my sleeves and really hate when I have to mess with closures. The elastic cuffs on the ENVE Insulated Hoody seal super swell over my gloves, but don't feel stretched out afterwards. Nothing worse than a new jacket with a worn-out-sleeve-like-wizard after a few uses.
Testing the ENVE Men’s Insulated Hooded Jacket in San Diego.
The Hood. I love them and hate them. So. Much. Too large of a hood and you can't see a bloody thing; too small, and you're wondering why it's there in the first place. The folks at ENVE clearly appreciate my struggle in this domain. The hood is ample enough to fit over a bike helmet (author's note: I even managed to fit it over my ski helmet in the garage. It was a weird interaction when my wife asked me what the hell I was doing, but that's another story...). Maybe most importantly, as this is one of the few insulated pieces from the Ride-Lifestyle Collection, it doesn't feel like some weird Jedi hood when wearing it over a trucker hat or beanie. Chapeau!
Although not designed specifically as a ride jacket, it does provide an incredible amount of warmth if you use it as one.
PACKABILITY. Everything has to have a weak point, no matter how splendid the overall product is, right? The packability of the Insulated Hooded Jacket is, for me, the only weakness in this piece. Obviously, a synthetic piece will never compress as easily as a down article, so if you were to compare this to a competitor's down jacket, it is going to seem bulky when packed. That being said, it has a stow pocket on the inside, but no two way zipper to close it completely. Also, even when squished down, you would need to have a fair sized bar bag or frame pack to stash it as it will not fit in one of your jersey pockets. For riders in dry cold climates, where space is at a premium, this could be a real derailment. However, for riders where riding/camping/bikepacking in wetter climates, the lack of compressibility is overruled by having a jacket that will stay warm even when wet.
Perhaps a hidden feature, the jacket can be packed into its own “internal stash pocket”.
Lastly, when it's cold enough to wear a puffy, it usually means you're wearing more than a scant piece of lycra beneath. At 5'9" and a post-Covid weight of 180 pounds, a size large leaves room for a hoodie layered beneath it and still manages to look trim. On-bike fit is great in that it's cut long enough to not bare your mid-riff or your lower back on chilly rides.
I rarely jump on a product first launch - there just tend to be too many issues that make me feel more like a Beta tester than a consumer. However, in the case of the ENVE Insulated Hooded Jacket, they met all the marks of my new favorite layer and then some. I look forward to using this as a mid-layer on the real cold ski days this winter, a pre/post race layer in the Spring, and as a perfect complement to my half bag for a lightweight sleep system for summertime bikepacking. Oh. And for just looking cool at the bar after a ride, too.
The ENVE Insulated Hooded Jacket looks great and is definitely our favorite puffy jacket for 2023!