Men's Spyfire Hoody & Vest Keep the Furnace Burning

A few months ago I was able to get my grubby hands on the new Spyfire Hoody while paying a visit to the KÜHL headquarters in Salt Lake City.  For the first few weeks, I found every opportunity to wear it.  It was August, and I was in Utah, Arizona and Southern California so my opportunities were limited at best. However, when I finally made it back home to the great Pacific Northwest and on to China, it was game on for the Spyfire Hoody!!!

Rockin' the Spyfire Hoody at the Great Wall

I had been jonesing for KÜHL to release a men's lightweight down jacket, and I was super fired up when I saw this thing.  It’s quite rare that I spend a day in the mountains without a shell and/or light down jacket or vest.

The multitude of zippers on the chest, lower torso and even the left shoulder give you plenty of space and options to place your phone, wallet, ski pass, keys and other swag.

Like most men's down jackets, it uses your own body heat to keep the furnace warm. And man do things heat up! The Spyfire Hoody and Vest feature excellent efficiency when it comes to heat retention efficiency, especially for such a lightweight jacket.

What I Love

The colors that Kühl offered for the first run are nothing new.  The somewhat muted “Earthy” colors of Raven, Olive (the color I own and my favorite) and the famed Pirate Blue suit any color preference.

The Spyfire Hoody is light weight and packs down small (smaller than a football), making it ideal when you need to make choices for your packing list.

The multiple panels allow for excellent range of motion when it’s time to go from sipping your latte to making moves down the trail or on the slopes.  And I really love the size and placement of the pockets.

My peeves

My only real peeve on the Hoody and Vest is the elastic on the waistband. When reaching for something or even just getting up from a seated position, the elastic tends to ride up on my lower torso and pull the shirt underneath it up.

My preference would have been a double elastic cord with stoppers on each side. This would allow a loose or snug fit.

All in all, only one minor hits on an otherwise awesome product. I wear the hoody and the vest daily, sometimes with a shell on top, sometimes without. I'm super psyched Kühl finally listened to us mountain enthusiasts and came back with such an awesome product!!!

Making the Grade

Taking out the fact that this was highly anticipated by me, the Spyfire Hoody and Vest both earn an A from me. The only thing keeping them from an A+ is the elastic band.

Perfect for day, night, chilling or charging, these down garments perform with style. Retailing at $260 (Hoody) and $160 (Vest), the Spyfire series is comparably priced to other down garments and are a notable and worthy investment for your packing list.

I received KÜHL apparel for this review at no cost.  I received no other compensation for this post, and all opinions are my own.